Lazarus’ Struggle Part II
Luke 16:19-23
To go through the fire and come through as pure gold we must allow them to strengthen our relationship with God. When our relationship is strengthened, we are strengthened, we draw closer to Him, and God is glorified. Fires will come and the only aspect that we can control is our attitude, which then determines our altitude. So, the question is what can we do to help us have the right attitude?
First, we must be seeking God personally. Mankind is become increasingly lazy and it is infecting the church. We carve out a little time for God, come to church, expect Him to fill us for the week ahead, and then we leave. When we are not fed, we blame it on the pastor; however, it is not the pastor’s job to feed you. The shepherd leads the sheep to pasture but cannot force them to eat. They are right in the green pasture but they must do the eating. The same is true of the church.
Sheep also need to be fed daily. If your main and only source of sustenance comes from church, then you are most likely malnourished. We must practice preventative care and seek God personally and daily (Prov. 8:32 – f.f.).
Then, we must seek help and opportunity to help. When going through the fires, we are tempted to be isolationists. Satan knows that by ourselves he can keep us defeated and steal our joy. When this happens, we fail. Ecc. 4:7-12 gives us insight on why we need each other. In numbers, we accomplish more, we are stronger, and when one falls others lift. We cannot become reclusive and then blame the church. We must run to the church and not from it. The church, however, does need to be aware and seek out those who are faces trials.
Lastly, we must sanctify and serve God (I Peter 3: 14, 15). Shadrch, Meshack, and Abednigo are examples of this. They literally faced the fire and sanctified God. When Peter stood before the counsel that beat him and told him to stop preaching, he said he must obey God rather than man. Peter sanctified God in the fire. So, what will be the outcome when you come face to face with the fire?