No Pain No Gain

No Pain, No Gain Hurts When you lose something it feels like death. When you lose something with no obvious way of getting it back it feels like death. When things get out of control it feels like death. When your dreams begin to shiver and shake and drift into the realm of definitely unachievable it feels like death. When the one you love says they do not love you in that way it feels like death. When your pain just won't go away it feels like death. When your pain returns again and again and the doctor can't even fix it feels like death. When your "friend" assassinates your character behind your back or breaks yet another commitment it feels like death. It feels like death It feels like death but it isn't. It's life. Jesus said in this life you will have troubles but to the one who overcomes I will give the right to sit on my throne with me as my father gave me the right to sit on His throne with Him... Pain feels like death and to some extent one might say it is the death of an old you. But it is not death. Life Goes on. Life with Christ goes on for an eternity. Life without Christ becomes seperation from God and lasts for an eternity as well. Hell I know it's not the most politically correct of topics but what if these things that feel like death, they are just a little hint of what it will be like in eternity without God. Maybe the reason these things feel like death now for those who don't have a right relationship with God, is because they highlight or make us realize our state of seperation. Christian endurance It is certainly true that some have endured amazingly based simply on their profession of faith and their intention to live for Christ despite horiffic circumstance. In acts four when Peter and John are beaten and released after being told not to talk about Jesus anymore, they do not show signs of mourning their beating as if it felt like death. Rather, they praised God that they were considered worthy of suffering like and with Jesus. Indeed, later when Paul is accosted by resurrected Jesus on road to Damascus, Jesus says, "Paul why do you persecute me?" In this way, He equated His suffering with the suffering of His followers. James says, "Consider it pure joy mmy brothers when you face all manner of trials..." as if to say that we should actually be grateful for the persecutions and the tempations of this life. Dispelling the Lie So, these things feel like death but they are not. so, why do we mourn them almost as much as death. I love a line from Robin Hood with Kevin Costner when Robin's Arab friend says, "You are alive. Quit your whining." I get it. I mean, it hurts. Jesus gets it. Man does He ever know what "hurts" means. The question is what are we going to do about it? I'd say, based on Scriptural precedent, when you're hit in such a way that it really hurts, get up, dust yourself off, and do what Christ would have you do. Pray for their forgiveness, tell them and everyone who will listen about Christ, serve, love, deny yourself, take up your cross again, and Follow Him. Overcoming the enemy The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy but Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Consider being affected in a negative way, in a pulling away from God or getting ticked off way a victory for the enemy. Consider remaining faithful, praising the Lord, continuing in His service despite the attacks, a victory for the Lord. So, the pain is real but the feelings that accompany it, the feeling of death, is not. Where death is not, at least as far as people are concerned, life is! And, life overcomes. That's what life does. So, overcome and work another day toward sitting with Jesus. If you trust Him and call upon His name you will never be put to shame. No pain, no gain. Daniel Stevenson, Pastor New Heights Fellowship Director Life station newheightsfellowshipchurch.org facebook.com/newheightstoledo facebook.com/lifestationtoledo Continue the discussion. Buy Think Again in paperback here or on your Kindle.