It’s Not Fair! / I never promised you a rose garden

Life is not fair. It is filled with pain and sorrow. You can do everything right and everything can still go wrong. You obey the rules and laws and still be the one to be persecuted while those who break the law get away with it and even prosper. None of this is fair. You believe in God and Jesus is your Lord and Savior but you still suffer. It is not fair. It is not right.

We live in a broken world and there are many who call good evil, and what is evil good. So how do we hold onto faith, and how do we continue to believe in our loving God? You would think that coming into a relationship with Him that our lives would improve, right? Right now your life may be in rubble and you are wondering how could this happen. You have been faithful and obedient yet everything that could go wrong has. A relationship with Christ does not mean a life without trouble. He did not promise you a rose garden in this fallen world. he did tell us in this world we would face various trials and tribulations, and that there would be those would not only hate us but seek to destroy us. So you might be thinking then why bother having a right relationship with Jesus. I will tell you why, we choose this relationship not to escape the troubles in this world but to have the only One who will faithfully stand beside you no matter what you are going through. He will never abandon or reject you, even when fall He will be there to pick you up. He will not condemn you for the wrongs you have committed but love and forgive you, accepting you as you are. He will give you the strength to make it through this life with the promise that this world we live in is temporary and He has gone to prepare a place for us and that He will come back for us.

He did not promise us a trouble free life, but that He will always be there for you no matter your circumstance. He also promised you eternal life for those who believe in Him. Life in this world is temporary, no matter how long your story in this world will be, it will not end with this world but continue through out eternity with Him.

Life in this world will not be fair and like a rose garden life has its’ beauty but it also has thorns. When your faith is tested and you can barely hold on to hope remember that Jesus did not live a trouble free life on this earth. He was rejected, mocked, abused, hated and suffered the cross. He did not have to do this but because he loved us He chose to, so that we are forgiven and have the promise of eternal life with Him. He overcame the grave to give us the keys to life. Hold on and don’t give up, he will see you through this life.

John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil.

John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Isaiah 41:13 For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

Fire and trials

Thanks to all of you who have read my posts, kept me in your prayers and offered words of encouragement and comfort. A couple of the recent comments had reminded me of a word God had given to me some years ago.

A sword when formed the materials chosen are put through the fire, stretched, folded, and hammered. This is done over and over until the blade is formed. The more the blade is folded the stronger it becomes. The part I am focused on today is the fire which inspired by both a recent painting I had posted, ‘Going through the fire’, and a current one that I have been working on for a client, ‘Risen’. Risen is not ye finished and neither are the rest of us. I like to say we are a work in progress and God is not done with us yet. Both paintings represent fire.

Risen unfinished by Julie Sheppard

Through the Fire by Julie Sheppard

First thought of fire you think of destruction. Homes and forests burned to the ground. Getting burned. Yet fire is not just destructive. You cook with fire. Create with it. Fire can be scary but look at Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abed Nego. They refused to bow down to and idol and were thrown into a fiery furnace. They did not burn and they came out not even smelling of smoke. Then think of the Holy Spirit Fire. We grow when we go through the fire. We are refined. We are made stronger. In the painting immediately above I had explained in a previous post. The current painting which is unfinished I will tell it’s story when it is finished. Clay pots are put into kilns and baked. God is referred to as The Potter and we are His clay, to be molded and shaped into vessel He can use. This also means to be made solid we too must go through the fire. I am not sure how long it is going to take for me to finish my current painting but I will post it when it is finished.

Remember His fire will not harm you but make you stronger!

What does it mean to you, to take up your cross daily?

Luke 9:21-27   And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

In this scripture we see that Jesus was about to take up His own cross, and that He was going to suffer. He was telling His disciples of this personally. They did not have to read it in a book, but they heard it with their own ears coming straight out of the mouth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. We know they heard what He spoke, but did they understand what He was saying? He did not just tell them that He was going to suffer but that those that choose to follow Him would also have to take up their own cross.

Today you can go into a church or home and see some beautifully decorated cross. The cross Christ would be crucified on was far from beautiful. It was used not to just kill the one hung on it but to cause great suffering. You will read in James how we are to count it all joy when we face various trials and tribulations. Jesus told us that we would be hated and suffer not because of ourselves but because the world hated Him and he is in us. So we have been given authority but at the same time this authority does not promise that we would not suffer.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

John 15:17-19 This is My command to you: Love one another. 18If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. 19If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.…

Romans 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

John 16:33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”

Acts 14:22  strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

We endure any trial or suffering and take up our cross not for our own sake but for the sake of the lives we can bring Jesus to. I know my personal life has had it’s fill of suffering and pain, but I have not suffered alone. Jesus has been with me through it all. How can I know this? I would not have made it this far without Him. What is more important is that those who have been able to see Him working in my life through the times of trials. This is my witness, it is not what I have done but what He does for me every day, and that He can be seen in my life. His love never fails me. I may hurt and have difficulties to put it in a nutshell, which in comparison to all that God has done for me really is the size of that nutshell. The life in this world is temporary, but our life with Him is eternal. So no matter what storms may rage I choose to take up my cross and trust in the One whom I choose to follow and know that He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The pains a woman endures during labor lasts for a moment, but the joy and love she has when her child is placed in her arms is forever. The pain of taking up your cross is temporary but the love of the One who you have chosen to follow is forever.

25. Letters from God (fictional letters based on people in the Bible) Dear David (regarding Saul)

Dear David,

     You are My dearly loved. You were victorious over Goliath and you defeated him as I said you would. Now you are a married man. Your wife Michal does love you. Saul does not, and he is seeking you to take your life. You must go into hiding. Saul is not the man he once was and has turned away from Me. He is jealous of you because of your victories in battle and that his son and the people love you. He is also jealous because he lost the favor you now have. His anger towards you grows because he knows you have My favor. I must warn you that while you are playing music to soothe him, that he will take his spear and try to kill you. He will miss and the spear will go into the wall.

     Saul will make you a captain in his army. You will do your job well and behave with wisdom that I will give to you. He will see that you are a good man and soldier. He will hear the praises of the people for you and he will grow more jealous. The reason that he gave his daughter Michal to be your wife was because he learned that she loves you. He will use this as a way to plan your death. He will not ask for a dowry, but instead he will ask for you a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. He is hoping that you will die in battle. Do not fear for you will defeat 200 Philistines doubling what was requested of you. Then you will marry Michal.

     When Jonathan learns of his father’s plans to kill you, he will come to warn you of his father’s plan. Listen to him and do what he says. He is a true friend and he will not betray you. He will speak to his father and tell Saul that he is wrong to harm you in any way since you had done nothing to wrong him. This will calm Saul for a while, and he will not harm you for a short time. However when the next battle does come with the Philistines, he will once again seek to kill you. You will be playing music and he will take his spear to kill you for the second time. He will fail and you will have to escape and go into hiding again. Your wife Michal will help you, and you will then find Samuel in Ramah. You will tell him of what Saul has done, and there will be prophets who will speak to Saul’s messengers who will come for you. They will be truthful and say yes you are with Samuel in Naioth in Ramah. I will be with you. So do not be afraid for your life.

     You will leave Naioth, and find Jonathan. You will talk and make plans to see if Saul still wants you dead. Your friend will be faithful to you. He will see the rage in his father’s eyes against you. Saul will throw the javelin at Jonathan. This will confirm to him that his father truly wants you dead. He will warn you and you will have to go flee. You will have four hundred men with you and I will keep you safe from harm.

     Remember My words to you and I will write again soon to tell you more. For now do as you are instructed and you will live. I am always with you.

Love,

Your God

Read

1 Samuel 17:41-51

1 Samuel chapters 18 – 20