Has anyone ever been suckered in to a contract, whether buying a home, or car, taking out a loan, or any business transactions? Often times, in these circumstances, there's what is called "fine print," terms of the contract that are written either in such small writing, or else lost in a lot of jargon, that the author of the Contract doesn't want the signer to understand, as it is often to the contract holder's advantage, and the signer's disadvantage. Even when listening to ads on TV or the radio, we hear a guy come on at the end who talks so fast that we often don't hear the "fine print" to what they are advertising, but for the sake of "transparency" they have to state it. Why do I bring this up? Because when people come to Jesus, I don't think they quite understand what they are getting themselves in to. Unlike a contract, the Bible is explicit about Jesus, His wants and demands of His followers, and of the way of life that often accompanies someone who is completely and utterly sold out to Him. Yet many of us listen to the parts we like, disregard the parts we don't, and get upset when the parts we don't read come up in our Christian walk. Sorry to disappoint you: there is no fine print in the Bible.
Jesus didn't promise any of us an easy walk. Consider His own: attempted murder when he was about 2, misunderstood for most of His ministry, homeless (the son of man has no place to lay his head (Luke 9:58), ridiculed by the "Religious" leaders of His day because they expected their own version of Messiah (a lot like us, right?), attempted to be stoned, abandoned by many followers, praised one day, and condemned not a week later, beaten, mocked, ridiculed, and nailed to a tree. If this run-on sentence is any indication of an easy life, I don't know what your definition of easy is. But lets consider His followers; the 12 never got wealthy; Acts tells us James the son of Zebedee was killed with a sword, history and church tradition tell us that Peter was crucified upside down, Paul was beheaded, some were stoned, stabbed, crucified, and only one (John) died of natural causes that we know of. Apart from the Apostles, many more were imprisoned, tortured, outcast, and killed for the sake of Christ. We know much of this from scripture, because it explicitly tells us these things happened to believers. There is nothing in Scripture that states our lives will be easier when we come to Faith in Christ Jesus, in fact we're warned over and again of the hardships believers face, and encouraged to endure until the end. We are, though, promised a reward, no less than Jesus Himself, forever, if we're faithful.
My encouragement to you in saying all of this: endure. Be patient. Seek Christ when all around you is failing, hurting, and crashing down. Let Him be your rock, and you will stand firm. He has never failed, and He will not begin with you. Just be patient. Focus on Jesus and Endure.
Romans 12:9-21
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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