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What God Saying When We’re Suffering In Our Job / Jobsearch?
There are an increasing number of churches these days (including some of the largest in the country) that have given up talking about “negative things” and are teaching a “health and wealth” doctrine.
That is, if you have enough faith, God will grant you all of the good things here on Earth that you could ever desire. You’ll be rich, healthy, and without any real problems in your life.
This is a very popular teaching, particularly with us Americans, because it only makes (human) sense that if we make God happy, He’ll give us stuff. Sort of like a heavenly genie.
With this in mind, a lot of people start wondering what it means when they get laid off, can’t find a job, or are just plain unhappy in their jobs. Is God mad at them? Have they done something wrong? Do they not have enough faith?
Luckily, none of those things are (probably) true. Read on to find out why not.
SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Let me be straightforward and probably offensive here: I would question the adherence to the Bible of any church that would teach a straight “health and wealth” doctrine.
Are there plenty of verses that say, one way or another, that God will give you “the desires of your heart”? Yes.
However, these churches never preach those verses in context. There it always a caveat before those verses that says you have to get your heart in line with God and, if you do, then God will give you the [Godly] desires of your heart.
And I’m sorry to have to be the one to break it to you but, based on the Bible, you being rich is not high on the list of God’s priorities.
Let’s take a look at the perfect example of a Godly Earthly life: Jesus. To summarize: poor, homeless, no possessions other than what he wore. The result? Reviled, despised, beaten beyond recognition, killed in a painful way.
The Apostles? Same deal.
The Prophets? Same deal.
In fact, historically, it seems like the greater your commitment to God, the greater your chances for being penniless and killed.
Not exactly “health and wealth” now, is it?
BUT WAIT! THERE’S GOOD NEWS HERE!
The good news (not to be confused with The Good News) is that your situation is absolutely not because you don’t have enough faith. Or that God is mad at you. Or even that you’ve done something wrong.
God will frequently test, refine, and (ultimately) improve His people. Look at Job, who was extremely faithful. Everything was taken away from him including health, wealth, and family.
Unfortunately, he was surrounded by a bunch of “health and wealth” believers who assumed he had done something wrong and advised him to either figure out what it was or to curse God and die.
Your situation, however dire it seems, it well in hand with God. While He may be bringing you somewhere you’d rather not be, He is watching over you, providing for you, and pushing you to new growth.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
-Romans 5:1-5 (emphasis mine)
Are you rejoicing yet?
Enjoy the Search!
Dan
Photo by: Fran-cis-ca
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