Handling the Harshness of Life

Posted on March 25, 2007

 

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2 Corinthians 4:7-18

I had a Jack Russell Terrier named Junior when we lived in Kentucky. To this day I think he was the greatest dog in the world. If I ever have another dog, it will most likely be a Jack Russell. They are tough and determined, but they will cuddle at the foot of the bed too. Through some research, I learned about the tenacity of Jack Russells. When they get hold of a fox, the fox can tear their faces apart but the dog won’t let go until his master pulls him out of the fox’s hole by the tail. There was even one case of a Jack Russell that chased a rabbit into a hole and got lost. The owner heard the dog’s faint barking two days later. He was still in the hole keeping the rabbit cornered, his bark hoarse from barking so long.

I liked Junior, partly because I always wanted to be like Junior. Not only was he stout physically (a quality that’s always been fleeting to me), but he was determined and tenacious. Hardships were rarely a distraction when there was a rubber chew toy in sight!

Universal conditions…

• Everybody lives in a body of clay. We all get bumps, bruises, and illnesses. We all have weaknesses and limitations. Some of us have severe handicaps and do great things in spite of them.

• Everybody goes through difficult times. It’s universal. Your pain is not yours alone, someone else has been through it before, probably recently.

• Everybody faces inevitable death. The mortality rate hovers right around 100%. Until Jesus comes, ten out of every ten people will die.

Have you noticed, however, that some people deal with these conditions differently than others? Some become bitter, others become better. Some are believers, others are skeptics. Some are soft-hearted, others hardened.

What makes the difference? What we believe!

ONE GREAT TRUTH:

What we believe about God, ourselves, and the world around us makes all the difference in how we handle the universally tough conditions of life.

TRUTHS YOU CAN COPE WITH…

1.         Our physical life is only temporary.

The world is obsessed with the preservation of physical life. From exercise plans, fad diets, and expensive creams and body treatments, the world around us wants to look young, feel young, and stay young forever. Why? Perhaps it’s the universal fear of death and the unknown. Perhaps it’s the spiritual deadness within that leaves no other pursuit but the physical. Believers, however, understand that the body is weak and temporary.

·         It’s a home for the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

·         It’s a temporary structure. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

·         It’s going to be exchanged someday. (1 Corinthians 15:44)

·         it’s always secondary to the spiritual. (1 Timothy 4:8)

2.         We exist for the glory of God.

If pleasure is your goal, it will be fleeting. If success or affirmation are what you seek, you’ll find them, but only temporarily. Those pursuits will always end in disappointment. But living for the glory of God is an eternally prosperous goal. He is glorified through weak vessels that are wholly dependent upon Him.

3.         God grows us through pain.

The old phrase, “no pain, no gain,” is not just true for exercise. It’s true for eternity. We become able witnesses to the glory of God only when we endure suffering in this life. Paul actually declares that “though the outward man in perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” Tough people are only produced by tough times.

4.         There is life beyond the grave.

Solomon said that God has placed eternity in the hearts of men. It’s a part of who we are. Even the atheist goes to his deathbed with the nagging reality that there must be something beyond the veil of the grave. But Paul says again that our focus must be on eternity. In fact, he draws a contrast that is strange to the world in which we live, but should be the theme of the Christian’s focus. He says explicitly, “We do not look at (behold, make the object of our affection and attention) the things which are seen, but at the things that are not seen.” Our focus is on eternity!

There is no more pressing a question this morning to hear than, “Are you prepared for eternity? You live in a body of clay, so are you ready for the inevitability of death? The only way to be prepared for eternity is to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by turning from sin and trusting Him as Savior once and for all.