B
Believer08
Guest
“Life’s not fair!!”
When people say that, we need to remind ourselves about the cross and the life of our Lord.
It was not fair the way He got treated, mocked, abused, abandoned, ridiculed, blasphemed, bloodied, tortured, beaten, felt alone, forsaken, hungered and thirsted, numbered with the transgressors, humiliated, and left to die next to two criminals as an innocent man. Yet, through all of that, instead of being bitter and angry..he asked the Father to forgive them. Absolutely incredible. Meeting the cruelty of the wicked world with mercy and compassion, and turning the greatest injustice into the greatest act of love.
Every pain, heartbreak, betrayal, loneliness, loss, sadness, hurt, etc etc that we’ve been through, He walked that road first, so we wouldn’t have to do it alone.
People ask “where is God?” They say “He doesn’t understand my pain, my loss, my agony!”
Really??
Have they read the life of Jesus?
Matthew 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air havenests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Isaiah 53:9 – “He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.”
Luke 23:41 – “This man hath done nothing amiss.”
1 Peter 2:22–23 – “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth… when he suffered, he threatened not.”
Mocked, humiliated and ridiculed: Matthew 26:67-68, 27:29–31, 39–44; Luke 22:63–65, 23:11; Isaiah 50:6, 53:3-7
Abused, bloodied, tortured, beaten: Isaiah 52:14 – “His visage was so marred more than any man.”; Matthew 26:67; 27:26 – “They spit in his face, and buffeted him… and scourged Jesus.”
Abandoned and forsaken: Matthew 26:56 – “Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.”
Hungered and thirsted: Matthew 4:2 – “He was afterward an hungred.”; John 19:28 – “Jesus saith, I thirst.”
Numbered with the transgressors: Isaiah 53:12 – “He was numbered with the transgressors.”
Left to die between criminals: Luke 23:32–33 – “They crucified him… with the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”
“Yet, through all of that, instead of being bitter and angry… he asked the Father to forgive them.”
Luke 23:34 – “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
1 Peter 2:23 – “When he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.”
“Meeting the cruelty of the wicked world with mercy and compassion, and turning the greatest injustice into the greatest act of love.”
Romans 5:8 – “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world…”
1 John 3:16 – “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.”
Acts 2:23 – “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.”
Genesis 50:20 (parallel principle) – “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”
To those who question God—saying He wasn’t there in the midst of pain and suffering, or that He doesn’t know what it’s like, that it somehow makes Him not omnipotent—I simply ask them to read the life of Jesus and look to the cross. Jesus went through it all. We share in our sufferings and sympathizes with us. The cross of Christ also offers us a way to overcome the sin and selfishness that causes so much of people’s sufferings.
1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
If every person on earth truly followed Jesus…
There would be no murder, no hatred, no abuse, no lies, no betrayal, no stealing, no adultery, no greed, no injustice, and on and on. There would be love, compassion, mercy, truth, humility, forgiveness, kindness, etc etc.
If people lived by Jesus’ commands to love God and love their neighbor (Matt. 22:37–40), to do unto others as they would have them do unto them (Luke 6:31), and to forgive one another as He forgave us (Col. 3:13), the world would be radically different.
So, the next time you feel like your life is crashing down and you can’t handle it, look to the cross. Jesus will meet you there.
And if people don’t get how that’s the answer to the problem of suffering, then they never will.
When people say that, we need to remind ourselves about the cross and the life of our Lord.
It was not fair the way He got treated, mocked, abused, abandoned, ridiculed, blasphemed, bloodied, tortured, beaten, felt alone, forsaken, hungered and thirsted, numbered with the transgressors, humiliated, and left to die next to two criminals as an innocent man. Yet, through all of that, instead of being bitter and angry..he asked the Father to forgive them. Absolutely incredible. Meeting the cruelty of the wicked world with mercy and compassion, and turning the greatest injustice into the greatest act of love.
Every pain, heartbreak, betrayal, loneliness, loss, sadness, hurt, etc etc that we’ve been through, He walked that road first, so we wouldn’t have to do it alone.
People ask “where is God?” They say “He doesn’t understand my pain, my loss, my agony!”
Really??
Have they read the life of Jesus?
Matthew 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air havenests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Isaiah 53:9 – “He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.”
Luke 23:41 – “This man hath done nothing amiss.”
1 Peter 2:22–23 – “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth… when he suffered, he threatened not.”
Mocked, humiliated and ridiculed: Matthew 26:67-68, 27:29–31, 39–44; Luke 22:63–65, 23:11; Isaiah 50:6, 53:3-7
Abused, bloodied, tortured, beaten: Isaiah 52:14 – “His visage was so marred more than any man.”; Matthew 26:67; 27:26 – “They spit in his face, and buffeted him… and scourged Jesus.”
Abandoned and forsaken: Matthew 26:56 – “Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.”
Hungered and thirsted: Matthew 4:2 – “He was afterward an hungred.”; John 19:28 – “Jesus saith, I thirst.”
Numbered with the transgressors: Isaiah 53:12 – “He was numbered with the transgressors.”
Left to die between criminals: Luke 23:32–33 – “They crucified him… with the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”
“Yet, through all of that, instead of being bitter and angry… he asked the Father to forgive them.”
Luke 23:34 – “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
1 Peter 2:23 – “When he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.”
“Meeting the cruelty of the wicked world with mercy and compassion, and turning the greatest injustice into the greatest act of love.”
Romans 5:8 – “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world…”
1 John 3:16 – “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.”
Acts 2:23 – “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.”
Genesis 50:20 (parallel principle) – “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”
To those who question God—saying He wasn’t there in the midst of pain and suffering, or that He doesn’t know what it’s like, that it somehow makes Him not omnipotent—I simply ask them to read the life of Jesus and look to the cross. Jesus went through it all. We share in our sufferings and sympathizes with us. The cross of Christ also offers us a way to overcome the sin and selfishness that causes so much of people’s sufferings.
1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
If every person on earth truly followed Jesus…
There would be no murder, no hatred, no abuse, no lies, no betrayal, no stealing, no adultery, no greed, no injustice, and on and on. There would be love, compassion, mercy, truth, humility, forgiveness, kindness, etc etc.
If people lived by Jesus’ commands to love God and love their neighbor (Matt. 22:37–40), to do unto others as they would have them do unto them (Luke 6:31), and to forgive one another as He forgave us (Col. 3:13), the world would be radically different.
So, the next time you feel like your life is crashing down and you can’t handle it, look to the cross. Jesus will meet you there.
And if people don’t get how that’s the answer to the problem of suffering, then they never will.
