John 16: 33
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will[d] have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
We have tribulation in this world. Just watch the news. But the problems are even closer to us than
those seen on the news. For when we
watch the news we somehow become disconnected from the people in the news. We think to ourselves how aweful it was but in
the same instance think that it will never happen to us.
We see how girls are being taken and enslaved in other countries
but we are not realizing that a lot of them are coming here to the US.
But this goes back to the fear of examining ourselves. We do not
want to see ourselves for who we are. We
do not want to look at our motives and actions and compare them with the “What
would Jesus Do?” perspective.
So why am I the way I am?
The basis of our struggles pertain to the curse that was put on
all mankind and recorded in Genesis 3. 13-19
When Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God in paradise, the
world as it was created was forever stained.
God cursed Man and Satan for this rebellion.
The world became a place of
* Selfishness – Adam & Eve wanted to
be like God. We want the things we
desire to. We want to control our
lives. We want to get the things we want
because that is what is going to make us happy, right?
* Enmity (Deep-seated, often mutual hatred. –
We hate to be told what to do. We
hate paying taxes. We hate those who
borrowed money from us and never pay us back.
We hate to be sick. We hate it
when others do not agree with our plans.
* Physical Pain – Eve was told she was
going to have pain during child birth.
Pain that was never experienced before will now be experienced as one
enters into this life now. This trauma
experienced at childbirth is not only to the mother but the baby also. SO we enter this world in pain we experience
all kinds of different physical pains here and we die knowing we will
experience some sort of pain.
* Slavery – Eve is told she will be
ruled over by her husband. Slavery has
continued since then. For man’s pride
and selfishness get in the way of how another human being should be
treated. This has continued since then
and today girls and women are being sold as sex slaves, even right here in our
nation. We are slaves to sin just as
eve was told she was going to be ruled by her husband we to are ruled by sin.
* Struggles – Adam was told that
through painful toil he would get his food for all the days of his life. For
the very basic needs of man was there going to be struggles. We see this today when looking for money so
we to can survive. We struggle with
finding jobs, or keeping our jobs. We
struggle getting back and forth to our jobs and yet we need our jobs so as to
get the very basic needs we have which is food.
Nothing has changed.
And after this, God sent man out of the Garden.
Everything we have ever known has since then been broken.
Relationships, physical bodies, heart motives, weather patterns, and on and on.
Like Adam and Eve, we to let the enemy question our knowledge of
God’s heart and character. Once we begin to question His heart and character we
begin to question His motives, His timing and His plan.
In a short time my view of my Savior becomes completely
distorted. I begin to believe that He does not exist so it makes it easier to
enjoy the things of this world. It
lessens the curse right! We have enough
laws and everyone is crooked, I do not need anymore rules. My truth is all that matters. The things that I have experienced I know to
be true so that must be the truth.
Or I decide God is this grandfather figure that is just waiting
for us to come be with him and as long as I don’t go to prison for anything I
will be able to be there, right? You
know there is nothing wrong with hating the person that wronged you (that is
not murder) or You know there is nothing wrong with a drink (except you are drinking
to get drunk or get acceptance by your peers, etc.) There is nothing wrong with the slots (except
the money you spent there could have helped the single mom God had placed in
your path to help, etc.)
But Nothing could be further from the truth.
The wonderful part about
a Christian taking time to look at their sin is, at the end of the day,
I can trust my nasty thoughts, wrong choices, dark attitudes, rebellious
actions and hurts toward myself and others were paid for in full already.
I do not need to berate myself for wrong choices for this will
not solve anything. I can’t pay Him back for my wrong thoughts, attitudes or
choices. Those things were already accounted for, forgiven.
But do I
continue to sin? NO!!
What I can do is channel my guilt, shame, remorse and heartbreak
towards Jesus. I need to trust Him to once again reassure me that He knew about
these acts of rebellion when He chose to die on the cross for me. He died
setting me free to be with Him.
That offers me a different motivation for my reform. When I talk
with Jesus about my sin, acknowledging that it’s what he died to save me from,
then I want to honor his sacrifice by fleeing from rebellious thoughts, habits,
actions and motives.
For if
I continue to sin what am I doing? I am
placing my Lord back on the cross. Is
this what you want?
I don’t have to dig my heels in and “try harder” in my own
strength. He sent His spirit to give me strength.
Today I’m looking at my sin out of a desire to more fully give
up my grasp on these dead habits, half-hearted beliefs and manipulative
actions.
Jesus’ final words in this passage are also His final words to
His disciples on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane. Chapter 17 begins Jesus’
High Priestly Prayer to the Father. So Jesus has been building up to an
important word in 16:33. He says: “These things I have spoken to you, so
that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take
courage;24 I have
overcome the world.”
He has overcome this fallen world and so can you!!
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