Lessons from Adversity

He leads me …

We have been reflecting what Charles Stanley has to say about the benefits of adversity based on Paul’s experiences throughout the New Testament. Now we find out another way that we are better off.

12 LESSONS FROM ADVERSITY - Growing Closer to God Through Trials and Troubles[1]

Through tribulation and difficulty, Paul learned:

10.  God had a specific purpose for adversity. Paul’s thorn had a particular function; it was designed to keep him humble and dependent on God, despite the astounding spiritual revelations he had been given (2 Cor. 12:7). Like him, our trials are designed by God to help us become the people He desires.

To survive in our jobs and in other areas of our lives like sport, we find that we need to be assertive to be successful. But as Christians, God works in our lives so that we will be humble. How does this work? On the surface it looks like the road to disaster.

In actual fact it is not a disaster at all. It is quite the opposite. Let us dig a bit into what it means biblically to be humble.

A - Humility means submission, but not grovelling

Primarily we should be submissive to God. This is obvious in that He is God – Creator – Almighty – Deliverer – Abba Father – Exalted One – the Great I Am - the Alpha and the Omega – Ancient of Days amongst other names.

This means that we ought to fear (as in respect) Him and keep His word and as a result we will aim to please Him in all that we do. He will be our focus rather than us trying to meet human demands and expectations.

The interesting thing that happens when we do this is that we do not end up as God’s door mat. Instead, like many people in the bible, He calls us to be a part of what He is doing. He will never ask us to do anything beyond our capabilities and He provides the way for what we do to happen. All we have to do is be obedient, and we will be blessed beyond what we thought was possible.

B - Humility does not mean that we are silent, or passive people

1 Peter 3:3-4 (Common English Bible)

3 Don’t try to make yourselves beautiful on the outside, with stylish hair or by wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Instead, make yourselves beautiful on the inside, in your hearts, with the enduring quality of a gentle, peaceful spirit. This type of beauty is very precious in God’s eyes.

God desires that Christians possess a gentle and quiet spirit so that we can hear God’s Spirit speaking to our hearts throughout the day.

However, this does not mean that we should be passive people. God also requires action and zeal in our lives. Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is taken by force. (Matthew 11:12, Luke 16:16) This is referring to the actions of those who become Christians requiring deliberate, purposeful and determined action to be born again.

All those who want a deeper walk with Christ realize that they need to be zealous, as well as humble, otherwise it is too easy for sin to try and get a foothold again. Paul writes that we are not to be “…lagging in diligence [zeal],” but rather “fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:11 NKJV)

There will also be times when the Lord will want us to be bold and speak up in front of others. When this happens, we should let go of our own reputation and personal expectations, and humbly obey Him.

C - Humility means we use our talents and capabilities

We do not boast of how clever we are. Instead we say that our ability comes from God in all things. (2 Corinthians 3:5) This still means that we recognise the gifts and abilities that He has given us and that He wants to use them to do an amazing work both in our lives and in the lives of others (1 Peter 4:10-11).

D. Humility is the key to progress

To be humble is to have the same kind of thinking as Jesus. He existed in the form of God, but did not consider equality with God a thing to be held onto. Instead, He took on the form of a servant, and came in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7-8).

If we are of the same humble temperament, letting go of everything to be obedient to God’s word and will, we will be able to make incredible progress in our Christian walk. In fact, God watches our hearts and is ready and willing to strengthen those who desire to live for His honour and glory. Surely that is what we all want.[2]         

[1] https://www.intouch.org/Read/Blog/12-lessons-from-adveristy

[2] https://activechristianity.org/4-things-everyone-should-know-about-humility