Affliction is a good thing
You may find the title of this teaching a bit strange,
but if you look at it in the right content it really isn't.
Affliction really is a good thing because without it many of
us would never have come to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can look and see where the Scriptures even agree with my statement.
Let’s take a look and see what the Bible has to say:
Psalms 119:65-72
65. Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according unto thy word.
66. Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.
67. Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
68. Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
69. The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.
70. Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.
71. It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
72. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
First of all we have to understand what affliction means:
Affliction - A pain, disease, or something that bothers you.
Let’s face it if it wasn't for afflictions many of us today would not be saved.
We would still be running around doing things that we do without any thought or concern
about our salvation.
But see God is concerned about your salvation and where you will spend eternity.
It is hard to understand the extent of God love towards us and because he loves us so much, he is willing to do anything to get our attention to make us realize we need Jesus Christ.
If we look again into the Bible will see that it explains God’s love towards us and why
afflictions are a good thing.
Revelation 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
You see God will do what he has to, to get our attention when we are not walking in his will.
God does not afflict us because he hates us, he afflicts us because he loves us and does not desire any of us to be lost.
Think about this, if God hated us he would not try to get our attention when we are in sin, he would just allow us to do what we wanted to and then condemn us to eternal hell.
I don't know about you but if I'm about to have something bad happened to me I would like someone to tell me about it, or to at least try to stop me from getting hurt, wouldn't you?
That is what God is trying to do in our life is get our attention and let’s face it with some of us it takes more than others.
It is better for us to have a little affliction from God now, than for us to wake up some day in the future and find out we are going to suffer forever because nobody
tried to warn us.
So in a way we should thank God for the afflictions we have in our life’s.
These are the things that motivates us get closer to God.
Without afflictions coming into our lives from time to time we would not be motivated to seek God’s presence in our lives.
Some of us are like the man that found out he was going to have a heart attack, and immediately he began to exercise and eat right.
Then, after he began to feel better he forgets about the warning the doctor gave him, and goes back to his old ways and then he wonders why he gets sick again.
Christians are like this, we remember God in the good times and when everything is going all right we begin to slack off. We think to ourselves we don't need to pray that much, we don't need to read our Bibles and think that we spend too much time going to church.
So of course, God does not want us to go to hell so he reaches down and allows affliction to come in our lives to wake us up and make us realize We Need God .
The Bible says that we should not despise God’s chastising or when he corrects us.
You'll find this in the book of:
Proverbs 3:11
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
We need to realize God is just trying to help us.
So the next time God points out some weak areas in your life such as SIN be glad God cares enough about you to let you know.
Did you know this is one of the ways God demonstrates is love towards us?
Proverbs 3:11-12
11. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
12. For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
If God really loves you he is going to show it.
Fathers protect their children.
Fathers teach their children.
Fathers help their children when they get into trouble
And yes fathers do correct their children when they do wrong.
If you really look at it God is the perfect father.
When we do wrong he knows exactly how to try to get us on the right path again.
Without overdoing it or under doing it.
Let’s face it God is perfect.
Do you know the Bible says: that we should be, brace yourself for this one HAPPY when God corrects us.
You may ask yourself how can I be happy when God gets after me?
Actually it’s easy how happy would you be if you woke up one day and found out you were in Hell?
The word Hell being of course the key word.
So actually we have a good reason to rejoice when God corrects us
It’s better than going to hell isn't that right ?
This is what the Bible says:
Job 5:17
Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
It’s better that God tells us now, when we have time to change our lives, than later when we can't. Can I get a witness
Let’s face it peoples from time to time we need God to intervene in our lives for our own good.
I thank God for the afflictions I have gone through in my life,
I would not be here today if it wasn't for the afflictions in my life.
Those afflictions pushed me towards God and I haven't ever regretted it.
And that was 27 years ago.
If you have afflictions going on in your life, maybe it’s God trying to get your attention so you can have a better life.
You've tried a lot of things
Maybe it’s time you try God?
Rev. Bruce L. Miller
