Life on the Pasture

Paul writes in Ephesians 1:22 (NLT), "God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the church." How can that be when bad things happen every day to faithful Christians? How can that be when it seems that more people are leaving the church rather than entering it?

There is an old country song made popular by Lynn Anderson with the line, “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.” One could say that God never promised us a rose garden here on this earth. In fact, Jesus said to His disciples, “There will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are My followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about Me.” (Luke 21:12-13, NLT)

It is that last line that indicates what Jesus is interested in bringing about – the opportunity for the Gospel to be shared with more and more people. Even bad situations can be turned into times of great blessing as God's people bear witness to the hope they have in our Lord Jesus.

You may be familiar with the story of Korrie ten Boom who ended up in a concentration camp during World War II. Her crime? She and her family helped hide Dutch Jews from the Nazis, all in the name of loving one's neighbor as oneself. Instead of being bitter, Miss ten Boom was used by the Lord Jesus to speak of His love all over the world.

That love was put to the test at a church in Munich in 1947 when a man made his way through the crowd to greet her after she had completed her talk. She instantly recognized him as one of the most vicious guards at Ravensbruck. The memories of the cruelty and inhumanity came rushing back. He extended his hand, but Miss ten Boom was slow to extend hers. And when he explained that he had been a guard but had become a Christian and needed to hear her say God forgave him, the inner struggle of what to do intensified. She listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and as she described it, “For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely as I did then. But even so, I realized it was not my love. I had tried, and did not have the power. It was the power of the Holy Spirit.”

When faith is tested, its witness is the more powerful. And so in our challenging circumstances, when it may seem that there is no one in control, our Lord is at work for the good of His church – you, me, and those who have not yet entered but whom He is calling through our witness.

– Pastor Schmidt