WHY THE CHRISTIAN IS AFFLICTED HERE

WHY THE CHRISTIAN IS AFFLICTED HERE

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Pet. 3:15

There are many reasons for afflictions here but all come from the One Lord over His creation and His dealing with sin here on this earth. The simple meaning of the injunction in this verse above is that at the very center of life there is to be but one Lord, and that is Christ. (John 13:13) To do this is to ensure the unification of being, consistency of conduct, and accomplishment of purpose. We become divided in our own life, inconsistent in our conduct, and ineffective in our service, when our loyalty is divided. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28) and regardless whether it be an affliction or disease it comes from God and His dealing with sin on this earth. He knows people are watching. This is so self-evident a truth that it hardly seems necessary to argue it. Nevertheless, while holding the truth theoretically, how constantly we are in danger of failing to live by it! Other lords are permitted to invade the sanctuary of our heart, and to exercise dominion over us. Our own selfish desires, the opinion of others, worldly wisdom, the pressure of circumstances, these and many other lords command us, and we turn from our simple and complete allegiance to our one Lord, and give ourselves up to the false control of these things. Peter allowed that to happen in his life. The results are always disastrous. We become storm-tossed and feverish; our conduct is not consistent; our work is spasmodic and devoid of power. Many people are watching your affliction and of course your response. Therefore the urgency of the injunction. To hallow the heart by excluding all other lords except Christ Himself, is to be strong, true, and effective. His knowledge is perfect, of the heart, of the circumstances, of the true way of life. To be governed by many lords is to be in bondage to them all, and to be desolated by their conflicting ways. To be in bondage to Christ, is to be released from all other captivity and to walk to the perfection of your being that He desires. (Jude 24; Matt. 5:48)