Sailing On…God’s Purpose for Your Problems

Dear Crosswalkers,

This Sunday we’re continuing our series “Core Values for a Life That Really Matters.”  Core value #3 for this Sunday is “Managing My Life to Honor God.”  We are in for a special treat because our missionary, Michael Mozley will share this message.  Those of you who remember Michael from the last time he was here know he is a dynamic speaker who breathes excitement and relevance into each message!

The death toll in Haiti continues to rise, and at this writing stands at 200,000.  The ongoing suffering will be tremendous.  At Crosswalk, we are still receiving special offerings for Haiti, one hundred percent of which will go to provide for crucial needs in the name of Jesus.  Some have asked, “Why should I give if the United States is sending $100 million from American taxpayers to help aid the Haitian people?”  Good question.  The answer is simple:  You should give because government aid isn’t enough.  Mission agencies have been there for years and will continue to be there.  Also, God wants us to give in the name of Jesus, so the Lord is honored and glorified.  Furthermore, God wants you to give because it is good for your soul to give and help those who are hurting.  It is like Jesus to give!     I want to share a verse with you that our small group studied earlier this week:

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.                                                                                                                                                – James 1:2-4

In the Bible, God has promised to help us as we navigate through life.  He’s given us his Spirit to guide us into the truth and help us make the right choices, and he’s given us a spiritual family to encourage us and help us.  But these verses indicate that God has also given us problems to help us along the way!  Now I know this sounds shocking.  We’re all thinking, “We don’t need problems to help us, we need help for our problems!”  Well, God wants us to view our problems in a new light.  We can see them as helps as well as hurts, as something God can use to help us become the people he wants us to be.  Here’s a sobering reality:  It is sometimes God’s will for you to have problems.  The good news is this:  God’s purpose is always greater than your problems!

Since our small group met, I’ve been reflecting further on these verses and was impressed by the emphasis on endurance.  One of God’s purposes for the problems we face is that we can learn to endure.  One early church father called endurance “the Queen of the virtues”.  Jesus said, “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).  Chuck Swindoll wrote this:

“I fear our generation has come dangerously near the ‘I’m-getting-tired-so-let’s-just-quit’ mentality.  And not just in the spiritual realm.  Dieting is a discipline, so we stay fat.  Finishing school is a hassle, so we bail out.  Cultivating a close relationship is painful, so we back off.  Working through conflicts in a marriage is a tiring struggle, so we walk away.  Sticking with an occupation is tough, so we start looking elsewhere.”      A repeated entry in Christopher Columbus’ diary as he sailed to the new world was this: “This day we sailed on…”  Simply that.  “This day we sailed on…”  He didn’t often mention the disease, the discouragement, the men who wanted to turn back, the fact that one of his ships, the Pinta, was in danger of breaking up.  But he did mention his resolve.  “This day we sailed on…”

Of course, God doesn’t want you to stick it out with a bad idea or a wrong course.  But he does want you to hang on to your faith through every problem and trial and trouble.  He wants you to endure.  Your problems right now are designed to teach you to endure.  Let’s sail on together.  There will be storms and disease and trouble, but may this be our daily resolve: “This day we sailed on…”

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John