Fair Weather Christians

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3

Several weeks ago, I had to make an emergency room visit. I suffer chronic back pain. My pain was out of control. As usual, the wait was long and uncomfortable. I was only thinking about how bad my back hurt. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit reminded me that we are to praise God in all circumstances. We are to praise Him when things are good and when things are bad. We are to praise him in periods of sunshine and in times of rain. Jehovah says to praise Him both in times of plenty and in times of little.

Our Father deserves our praise at all times. We are not supposed to act like spoiled little children every time things do not go our way. It is an insult to all The Lord of Hosts has done for us for us to be Fair Weather Christians.

As I sat in the treatment room, I began to praise Him. Instead of just focusing on what was wrong, pain, I praised Him for all the things in my life that were right. Blessings the Master have given me such as my family that loves me, and my safe and warm home. The food The Father provides for my family and I. Though my family is not rich as the world defines it; The Holy Spirit showed me I am rich in the things that truly count.

It is human nature to focus on the negativity in our lives. We are "hard-wired" at birth to be complainers. What usually leads the news each night? The few bad and awful things that happened that day; the thousands of good things that occurred are ignored. When we are always focused on the bad in our lives, we can develop "tunnel vision" and no longer see the much larger amount of good in our lives. Like a racehorse with blinders on, we lack a true picture of what is going on around us.

We do not like troubles in our life. We pray for God to get us out of our troubles. But the Lord has a reason for everything He does. Our troubles are used by The Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as a means of testing us and helping us build "spiritual muscle." For just as many different hues, tints, and shades are used by a talented artist to create a masterpiece painting worth millions of dollars, Our Creator, The Master Artist that created the universe, takes our highs and lows, our blood, sweat, and tears, our first relationships, first breakups, our broken hearts, broken bones, first kisses, first dates, pain, sorrows, elations, agonies and mistakes and fashions them into a masterpiece called our life.

If any early Minister had knowledge of suffering, it was Paul. His meeting with the Resurrected Christ on the way to Damascus changed not only the entire course of his life, but the lives of almost every single Christian alive today. After he met Jesus, nothing else mattered anymore. Paul became hated by his own people, the Jews, as a turncoat, and was never fully trusted by the other Apostles. He was jailed, stoned, shipwrecked, whipped and tortured. How many of us could praise Our Savior while we were in prison? How many would consider an honor to suffer for our Redeemer? Paul had the Master with him everywhere he went, and Paul said that was much more than enough.

Do you praise God just when you are doing well financially, or do you praise Him when you are having financial problems? Is The Lord of Hosts worthy to be praised when you get your big promotion, but the object of anger and curses when you get passed over? Do you praise Him on gentle waters, and not on a stormy sea?

The Scriptures say we shall reap what we sow. By sowing the good seed of praise in difficult circumstances, we produce good fruit that is essential to a more mature Christian walk. When we stand on the Father's promises that he has a great future planned for us, and knowing that he uses even our troubles for good, it becomes much easier to praise Him in all things, so that we don't become fair-weather Christians.