Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Hard times

He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness (Colossians 1:13).

Each of us has experienced some very difficult times. For some, it might have been going through a divorce. For others, it may have been losing a job. There are women who get pregnant unexpectedly, and wrestle with what to do next. There are kids who are victims of bullying. There are men who realize that they aren’t getting any younger, and don’t know what to do with the years that lie ahead. There are people who are victims of addiction, abuse, and discrimination. And even if things are going smoothly right now, each of us can remember a time when we were absolutely miserable.

The bad times in our lives afflict us with emotions like anger or fear, disappointment or sadness, frustration or loneliness. Worst of all is the despair, the hopeless feeling that things just won’t get any better. Maybe you’re feeling that way right now; maybe those feelings have scarred you for life.

As bad as life can be, there is something even worse. When Jesus returns on the Last Day, everyone will stand before Him for judgment. If the Lord says, I don’t know you (Luke 13:25), heaven will be off limits; instead, you will spend eternity in hell, cut off from God and everything that is good and pleasurable. Imagine the worst time of your life going on forever without let up or any way of escape. Hell will be worse than that.

Thankfully, there is one way that you can escape such a miserable future. Jesus says, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…learn from me…and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-30). The Son of God offers you respite for today and the hope of better times to come.

It starts with forgiveness. We must stop kidding ourselves that we don’t need God in our lives. When we tell Jesus that we’re sorry for ignoring Him, He takes us in His arms and absolves us of our guilt. He adopts us into His royal family and fills us with the blessing of hope. If we rely on Christ for strength and guidance, He will see us through the dark times. And when our Lord and Master returns on the Last Day, we won’t have any reason to fear His judgment; with Him as our personal friend we can rest easy, knowing that our everlasting home will be with Him in paradise.

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