is living the good life really good?

Lately the idea of suffering has been on my mind, and i can't shake it. Why do some people suffer, while other people live a good life? Why are some people persecuted for their faith, while others live life peacefully; even though they have the same faith/religion? Not only do i not see the disparity between Christian lifestyles in various nations, but i see it in my own life. There are times when following Jesus is easy and joyful, and other times when i feel that i'm putting myself into difficult situations because of my faith in Jesus as savior. Is life suppose to be peaceful?

As i was reading "Desiring God," by John Piper, the following ideas were presented:

God has manifold wisdom, so every act has millions of consequences; here are some:

• Suffering is the gift (philipians 1:29) used to refine the christian,
• it is used to show you are a christian (acts14:22; 1 thesalonians 3:3; 2 timothy 3:12),
• it causes us to depend more fully upon christ (2 corinthians 1:8-9),
• to show the world that Christ is a greater gift than anything else,

and this is the really interesting thought:

"now i rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh i am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, that is the church." (colossians 1:24)

Piper states that the apostle Paul is not referring to justification, because Christ completed that on the cross. Instead Piper believes that "God intends that the afflictions of Christ may be presented to the world through the afflictions of His people." The Passion of Christ is a graphic depiction of the crucifixion of Christ, but not as graphic as the persecution/suffering christians gladly experience in day to day living.

So back to my initial question, "is life suppose to be peaceful?" This is important, because as a christian, I want to know the life that God has set apart for me, because it's the life that will be most rewarding. God said in Jeremiah "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. That seems pretty straight forward: God wants to remove us from harm. But then i think of the statements Jesus made in Luke "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Luke 9:24 and again in Matthew "and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Matthew 10:38. If God doesn't change (Mal 3:6), then why the difference? Or maybe there isn't...

I think if Piper is right, suffering is a natural and rewarding practice in a Christian's life. Just look at the list of ideas Piper presented: it's a gift, a refining tool, a method to deepen your bond with Christ. these all seem like prosperous, and hopeful results! Maybe I need to rethink my definition of harm, or at least look at the rest of Jeremiah 29, because verses 12-14 say "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. "

How many times do i call upon the Lord when things are going well? Yet, every time I am in need, I will eventually fall down and pray. And guess what, after I call out, He is faithful in rescuing me! That shows me how true His love is, and deepens my joy and satisfaction in having a relationship with Him. The harm is in the absence of God.

At the same time, I think God wants to give us joy and peace without suffering. I guess it goes back to context, Sometimes you need to be woken up from the "comfort coma," and sometimes you need to rest in the presence of God. It seems like a balancing act. I know that sometimes i focus more on the act of suffering than i do on for whom i suffer, yet i also choose my comfort more than Christ's call. If the chief end of man is to glorify God, and God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, how can i be MOST satisfied in Him when i'm also satisfied in my daily comforts?

I don't know, maybe it's just my call to suffer through these questions without getting a complete answer in my lifetime. Praise God, they are refining me!

am i missing His call?

Sometimes I ask that question to myself. How do you hear God's voice, and what does it sound like? There are times when you hear people say all sorts of stuff like "oh, God told me I needed to do this or that," but how do we know if they are telling the truth? What does that even mean to hear His voice? Is it a whisper, a series of coincidences, a passion that overcomes you, something else altogether?

I'm reading a book right now called "heavenly man," and I think it's incredible. It's similar to the story of Paul's mission in the book of Acts, only in modern day Asia. Back in the 1970's when they had a big christian revival, a man named Brother Yun, was an active church planter. He studied the bible, and suffered greatly to fulfill his call in spreading the gospel of Christ all over Asia. It's very inspirational and convicting at the same time, because he did what God wanted him to do, regardless of the consequences. He was beaten, and starved; shocked with electric batons, and thrown in prison multiple times. He was even tempted with awesome riches if he just gave up his faith. He held fast, though, and accomplished much. It seems like part of the reason he was strong was because he mentioned this idea that God/the Holy Spirit telling him what to do.

Sometimes, I wish I had that. I wish I was able to say with conviction, "I'm taking this huge risk, because God told me to do it." or, "I'm suffering for Christ because this is my calling." Wouldn't that make life so much easier? You would push yourself to remain obedient whether you are successful or a failure, because isn't the obedience the important factor anyways? For example, I'm currently struggling with my vocation in life. I want to live a life of faith and follow God's direction no matter what, while at the same time, I hope God directs me to play a big role in His story (maybe arrogantly). Sometimes I feel dissatisfied about my position, and start to question whether I can do more. Although a good friend said, "the best place to be, is exactly where God wants you to be." That's because His plans are above mine. He knows what's best, and wants me to better experience His presence. So maybe I'm doing exactly what God wants me to do, although maybe He wants me to further stretch myself like Brother Yun did. Some climb the corporate ladder to donate millions to charities and missionaries, while others live a content and quiet life; doing nothing extravagant. While others are even imprisoned for their faith. How do you know which direction is your destiny?

I compared it to the PhD graduate who works at a fast food joint. There is nothing wrong with working in a fast food joint, but is it wise for a person to spend that much money and time to end up flipping hamburgers? When does responsibility overrule contentment? Does it ever? These are just a few questions I'm left asking myself. I know two things though; remain faithful in the small things, and know that God accepts me regardless of my abilities. Yet, until He reveals His plans for me, I ponder, "am I missing His call?"

my action is a reaction of his love.

My last few years with God have been very exciting. It started two years ago when I realized my lifestyle was not very Christ-like. So to alleviate my guilt, I joined a Tuesday night study which opened my eyes to God's love for me. At the time I was living with the fear that God would not love me if I made any more mistakes. That group helped me see that God loves me regardless of my actions. In fact "God demonstrates His love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us." That realization turned into a desire to make a public commitment to follow Jesus and become baptized. I'm still growing, and in fact dealing with more struggles than ever before. I'm currently learning that patience is required to follow Him, and that it's important to put His plans above your own. It can be frustrating, and sometimes goes against everything I've ever felt in the past, but there is a reward at the end of life. It's interesting that my selfish pursuit of alleviating guilt turned into a desire to become selfless in following Him. It's all because "when I am weak then I am strong."

My journey is not done yet, and I will have the privilege of participating in my first mission trip in a decade this July.

What are the planned details?

I fly to Uganda on July 8th and return July 19th

• Three day medical clinic designed to diagnose/treat various diseases
• There are not enough doctors to diagnose diseases in Uganda, which prevents people from obtaining a readily available prescription drug.
• Pastor’s conference with around 175 African pastors
• Uganda has willing leaders, but limited resources in funding their education.
• Participation in supporting the local church
• The government is trying to destroy a section of the city, which displaces many families, and is causing the church to lose credibility

I want you to participate in this mission trip with me. You can participate in prayer, encouragement, or donation. Please consider:

• Prayer
• Pray that God will give us the fruits of the spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
• Pray for leadership and team unity
• Encouragement
• Encourage me to stay in communication with my savior
• Donation
• The trip costs $3,500, and donations of any size are appreciated