Tim Cain, pastor at Kaleo Church in El Cajon, California, reminds us how easy it can be to fall down the slippery slope of envying those living "the good life" in the world around us. The psalmist in Psalm 73 starts off in that direction, wondering where is God when the wicked prosper and have lives of ease, while His people suffer. It's not until he enters God's sanctuary that he is reminded that the truly good life is wherever God is...and because of the gift of Jesus, God's presences is here with us today. Even in the midst of our suffering and sorrows we can truly life the good life as we wait expectantly for the glory that is to come.
We all face moments where the weight of the world—whether it's discouragement, fear, or temptation—tempts us to give up. The world tells us to "dig deep" and be strong, but the Gospel reveals that God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. We have a need for endurance so that, having done the will of God, we may receive what He has promised.
Remember, faith is not the size of your strength, but the conviction in the unseen promises of a faithful God. We look to the Old Testament heroes of the faith not because they were awesome, but because they modeled dependence, trusting in the God who guaranteed their salvation. When we are faithless, He remains faithful, because He cannot deny Himself.
We have the Holy Spirit as our helper and our guarantee, helping us in our weakness and interceding for us. Let's keep our eyes fixed on Christ, boasting in our weaknesses, as His strength is made known, enduring to the end by faith.
