| By Greg Vanden Berge
Book Introduction
A few weeks ago someone I knew, found out that her husband wanted a
divorce. But that's not all, they were only married for a few months.
It could have been the greatest show on Earth, because her husband was a
magician, but he obviously couldn't pull this one off. He convinced
every one of her friends, he was going to take care of her and cherish
her forever, but the show never even made it, to intermission.
I was shocked and so was my wife. A man and woman who were deeply in
love only a few months ago, were getting a divorce. Both of these
individuals were faithful followers, even though I wouldn't consider
them, to be rational minded Christians.
Nevertheless, they were good Christians and according to Christianity,
something like this, shouldn't have happened, so why did it?
I don't really know.
Did Satan or one of his demons take possession of either one of their
bodies and lead them astray?
This is a possibility, but it hasn't been confirmed.
Do you think they misinterpreted any Bible verses?
This is another possibility, but eventually only leads to more
confusion.
Do you think it had something to do with their family?
It could have, but no one has stepped forward yet, to accept the blame.
The reality is, they fell in love or at least the illusion of love, got
married and currently are seeking divorce.
Let's face it, bad things happen to good people and it really doesn't
matter whether you're a Christian or not. It also doesn't seem to matter
whether you are a faithful follower or a lukewarm, want to be,
Christian.
I've never met anyone, who hasn't had something bad happen to them.
Have you?
I've met plenty of bad people who can lie and steal from you, for the
sole purpose of satisfying their own personal needs, who live
extraordinarily wonderful lives, but couldn't tell you why.
It's kind of confusing, but it's the truth. Good things happen and bad
things happen to everyone. However, according to some Christians, this
shouldn't be the case.
Let's examine one of the lives, of God's most faithful follower, Job. I
can't think of another character in the Bible, who had as many bad
things happen to him.
He lost everything, passed gods test and then was giving even more, than
he had before. He stuck to his beliefs and was eventually rewarded.
Job believed that God gave him everything and it was well within Gods
right, to take everything from him.
Job 1 American Standard Version
21 and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I
return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be
the name of Jehovah.
Job was truly a “good and faithful follower,” but ended up with some
extremely bad things, to deal with. Job dealt with them in a way that
pleased God and eventually received even more, than he started with.
Remember, this is only a story in the Bible and it has never been
validated.
When I was going through tough times, the Book of Job provided me with
plenty of inspiration, but absolutely no solutions. I can't tell you how
many times I read the story, looking for something tangible, until I
realized, it was only a story.
A powerful story, but only a story.
It filled me with plenty of hope and inspiration, but never even came
close, to providing me with something, I could use.
When we ask the question, why do bad things happen to good Christians,
we usually aren't looking for hopeful information. When we’re digging
through our darkest times, no matter how good hope and inspiration
sounds, it will only make a difference, if it produces tangible results.
You can acquire as much hope as you want, listening to sermons and even
talking to other Christians. “Just hang in there, things are going to
get better,” sounds good, but usually won’t be enough.
When are things finally going to get better and why the hell are you
here, in the first place. You've done practically everything
Christianity and the Holy Bible has requested and your life sucks.
When I'm down in the dumps, I love to hear inspiring stories, but I’m
someone who can separate reality, from fantasy. Most Christians can't
and whenever someone says, you just need to hang in there, for little
bit longer, they do.
But they rarely ask themselves why. Why should I hang in there, for
another year or two, I've already waited long enough?
You can wait as long as you want to, for something to happen, but what
do you do, when it doesn't or you're too old, to do anything about it?
I watched Christians, swallow the whole show, hook, line and sinker.
They spend years, sometimes decades, waiting for their lives to get
better, like they were promised, only to end up with nothing, in the
end.
It doesn't make rational sense, to wait for something that might or
might not ever happen. You might get to go to heaven, but you're not
sure. You might meet the companion of your dreams, but you haven't met
them yet and you're 75 years old.
Some Christians spend their entire life, waiting for God to finish
testing them, like Job, without ever realizing that it was only a story.
It's a story about a man’s struggle that makes us feel good, but could
you actually apply the same principles and get similar results?
If you believe it's possible, then by all means go for it, but you could
be wasting your time.
If you're really looking for the truth, something that you can
rationalize and accept, continue reading. However, if you truly believe
that God will take care of you and you don't need to do anything, find
another book.
Will bad things continue to happen to good Christians?
Will good things continue to happen to bad Christians?
Will bad things continue to happen to bad Christians?
Will good things continue to happen to good Christians?
The answer to all four of these questions is yes and I believe that it
has little to do, with Christianity, Judaism, Jehovah, Jesus or the Holy
Bible.
Bad and good things happen to everyone, including believers and
nonbelievers.
Wait a minute, this isn't good Christian thinking. Bad things should
happen to bad people and good thing should happen to good Christians. My
pastor told me that if I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I
will be saved.
My new life will be filled with joy, the moment I become a Christian.
Right… isn't this true… all you need to do is believe that Jesus Christ
is your Lord and Savior and your life will be filled with happiness and
joy.
You will also receive your final rewards, after you die. You will
receive treasures beyond your imagination, for all of the good deeds,
you completed on earth.
The ultimate reward for any Christian, will be an eternal life, filled
with joy, in exchange for all of the suffering and hardships, they
endured, while living on Earth.
It sounds good, as a matter of fact it sounds fantastic, but you don't
need to wait until you die, to realize, that you have a choice and the
sooner you realize it, the better.
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