The Easy Life?

 

“Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.”

1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 ESV

 

Christians in America are conditioned to believe that we should have it easy. And we have, in fact, had it easy throughout our nation’s existence. We’ve been able to worship freely and to live out our faith without any real challenges or difficulties.

 

We’ve had it so easy that we’ve come to believe this is the way it’s supposed to be. We’ve come to believe that an easy life is the blessing of God that results from our faithfulness. We will sometimes go as far as equating the ease of our life with our level or strength of faith.

 

Nothing, however, is further from the truth. Although an easy life is certainly a blessing, in a sense, it is not indicative of our spiritual maturity. Nor is it a sure sign of God’s blessing.

 

Paul mentions in chapter 2 of 1 Thessalonians that the believers in that city had been suffering for their faith. They had been suffering for their faith just like the believers in Judea. Suffering was something that automatically went along with faith in Christ.

 

We see this truth in the above passage as well. Paul had sent Timothy to the Thessalonians to check on them. He had sent Timothy to strengthen them in faith. And he did so out of fear that the enemy may have lured them from faith by way of their affliction.

 

He recalls how he’d shared with them that they were destined to suffer affliction. They had been appointed to suffering. And this suffering had come to pass.

 

Everywhere the church has existed, suffering has typically come to those who believe in Jesus. And this has been true not only in history, but also today. Our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world are well-acquainted with suffering.

 

As we read the words of Jesus, particularly in the gospel of John, he makes it clear that this is normal for the believer in Jesus. It results, he tells us, from our association with him. As the world responded to him, so does it respond to us. And as the world treated him, so will it treat us.

 

This, then, is something that we must expect. It isn’t something that we should find unusual or abnormal in any way. As believers in Jesus, we too are destined to suffer affliction.