Why do some have it easier than others?

[Ian Gentles]

We all will know that many Christians, in a general sense, have an easier life than others. I know career choices etc will affect us, not meaning that. What i am grappling with is, that providence seem much kinder to some than to others. Course we all have our own cross to bear, but some crosses seem rougher! I am not sure about argument that harder it is for some the greater reward will be. I feel just getting to Heaven would be enough! Some do seem to sail through life with blessings, while others struggle, in many ways, through it. So i keep wondering, why does God bless some more than, He seemingly, does others?

http://iangentles.livejournal.com

[Laurie Florence]

Maybe it just appears that others have it easier - you know that old saying "the grass looks greener on the other side". Maybe some just choose to focus on the blessings and make the most of what they are given.

[Hans Deventer]

Ian, why are you asking questions that have no answers? And which is basically the same question, only in different forms?

We don't know why God does what He does. He's God. That's probably the answer for 99% of the questions you're asking.

And secondly, imagine you did get an answer, how do you think it would help you?

[Ian Gentles]

It was someone else who actually raised the question with me today Hans, more their question than mine, though it did set me thinking. The Calvinist would say all things are predestined, the Open Theist that God takes risks with us, and is open to having His intentions changed. So it would seem to me, we either accept all as God's will, or we seek to negotiate with Him on matters. I don't seek a flat playing field for all, but believe God tells us to help the oppressed, downtrodden, poor, in life, as their lot is a hard one! I believe God is more concerned with the unfairness of life more than we grasp! Is it us that makes some crosses rougher, for others?

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

Ian, if you are thinking of yourself, don't feel guilty about it. Even though you have it easier than several here on NazNet, from their testimony it is clear that the Lord was with them and helped them through that darkest days possible. Just thank the Lord that your journey is not so difficult as theirs and appreciate all he has done for you, knowing that he is walking with them too.

We all will know that many Christians, in a general sense, have an easier life than others. I know career choices etc will affect us, not meaning that. What i am grappling with is, that providence seem much kinder to some than to others. Course we all have our own cross to bear, but some crosses seem rougher! I am not sure about argument that harder it is for some the greater reward will be. I feel just getting to Heaven would be enough! Some do seem to sail through life with blessings, while others struggle, in many ways, through it. So i keep wondering, why does God bless some more than, He seemingly, does others?

http://iangentles.livejournal.com

[Ian Gentles]

Ian, if you are thinking of yourself, don't feel guilty about it. Even though you have it easier than several here on NazNet, from their testimony it is clear that the Lord was with them and helped them through that darkest days possible. Just thank the Lord that your journey is not so difficult as theirs and appreciate all he has done for you, knowing that he is walking with them too.

No, I was truly not thinking about self, and I am well aware, in my own life, that many suffer far greater hardships. I raised the question, as above, in regards to how we view our responsibility to others, in which ways, do we make their lives harder or easier? Having read two books on the politics of Jesus I wonder what He would have us do to ease the burdens of others in our churches, and yes in our world. Its a serious question I raise, not an emotional one! Its a question our theologies will mold, is it all God's will? Can we negotiate with God? Are we helping the suffering an oppressed as we should do?

[Dale Cozby]

OK, I will bite and take a stab at this.

First off, I am not sure what we call "blessing" is truly a blessing as much as a burden. Jesus said how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom.

So being poor then would rightly make it easier to be in God's will than being rich. So the logic goes...

Talents, gifts, wealth, health, good looks, etc....are more or less responsibilities we bear more than just calling them "blessings"

Didn't he also say from whom much is given much is expected? Luke 12:47-48

So having much "blessing" means giving even more and more. Those with much blessing MUST be a blessing to those without. They become Jesus. Feel like being Jesus today?

OK, second thought on this. we all suffer the consequence of sin. My sin, your sin, our sin, thier sin. From global warming and depleted ozone started generations ago, to the abusive drunk parent or the terrorist bomber to the personal choices I make to harm myself with sin.

Depending on where you are in the world you may suffer more consequences than someone else. Sure we can try and minimize the damage by being on guard and "living right", but we all suffer from the sin of the world from birth to death.

But for the grace of God.....

[Brenda Jackson]

Ian

A lot of the things that befall us are due to our own choices not the providences of God. He gives us the freedom to fall flat on our faces. It is a blessed thing really. I would not want a God who pampered me and did not make me grow up and take responsibility for everything I do, instead of me whining about the results of my errors. I have made messes in my life, and must accept the consequences, but when I am fully consecrated to His will for me, I will not moan or look at others but live a life of praise and worship even if He leads me through the valley of the shadow of death (which is not death) and requires to separate me from the pleasures of this life so I can be more for Him. The answer is not to be free of the trails of life, but to live above them.

[Ian Gentles]

OK, I will bite and take a stab at this.

First off, I am not sure what we call "blessing" is truly a blessing as much as a burden. Jesus said how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom.

So being poor then would rightly make it easier to be in God's will than being rich. So the logic goes...

Talents, gifts, wealth, health, good looks, etc....are more or less responsibilities we bear more than just calling them "blessings"

Didn't he also say from whom much is given much is expected? Luke 12:47-48

So having much "blessing" means giving even more and more. Those with much blessing MUST be a blessing to those without. They become Jesus. Feel like being Jesus today?

OK, second thought on this. we all suffer the consequence of sin. My sin, your sin, our sin, thier sin. From global warming and depleted ozone started generations ago, to the abusive drunk parent or the terrorist bomber to the personal choices I make to harm myself with sin.

Depending on where you are in the world you may suffer more consequences than someone else. Sure we can try and minimize the damage by being on guard and "living right", but we all suffer from the sin of the world from birth to death.

But for the grace of God.....

Yes i would agree, and we cant expect life to "Be fair" whatever that might be? I do feel, yes we can make life harder for others by not doing very much! That some are, seemingly less blessed, and this covers a multitude of matters, is life! But, should the divide be so large?

[Ian Gentles]

Maybe it just appears that others have it easier - you know that old saying "the grass looks greener on the other side". Maybe some just choose to focus on the blessings and make the most of what they are given.

Yes it is important to note our blessings, especially that God loves us! Yet many i meet with in evangelism see a God of love as being unjust in His dealings with many. So i guess i am also thinking this matter through from the standpoint of an evangelist!

[Ian Gentles]

I am still reading Sanders "The God Who Risk", i recommend it. He shows how God took risks with people, hoping they would live as He intended. As he looks at the history of the ancient Israelites he demonstrates how the ancient people continued going away from God's desire for them to be fair, just, mercifully, to be helpers of those who needed that help. However, that they didn't, caused great suffering for those in need.
If i take a fatalistic position, then all happens due to Gods will, if I take an Open Theist position, then much happens against God's will. Of course there is no answer to why one is born rich and another poor, or one is born in west while another is born in some famine ravaged country. But ecconomics etc are really the evolving of affects of humane sinfulness, going against God's desire, down through the ages.
Also, one has infirmity, and another dosent, really no answer, accept that we must fight illness.
Yet, I cant hold, I may change, that God decrees one thing for one and another for another. Seems He is depending on His people to do right, if Sanders argument is correct.
We cant, and i wont try, to explain why God indeed does allow bad things to happen to His people. But question may be, why do we often?

[Hans Deventer]

We cant, and i wont try, to explain why God indeed does allow bad things to happen to His people. But question may be, why do we often?

Ian, that is exactly what I mean with, "asking the right questions". It's what I am trying to learn. You've offered a very good example.

[Ian Gentles]

Ian, that is exactly what I mean with, "asking the right questions". It's what I am trying to learn. You've offered a very good example.

Course we cant elevate all suffering, but Christians in obedience to God built hospital and schools, and did what they could. It can be same in folks poverty, are we doing enough? There are so many things that this could cover, but let me give a personal example. When i returned to work, some said, oh I thought about phoning you but didnt know if it was correct thing to do, simple result of this was, one called on one occasion. But then i think, how often do I reach out to others, answer is not very often. What I am saying is, in many situations we don't do what we can, whether its supporting people, helping the downtrodden, etc

[Barbara Moulton]

We cant, and i wont try, to explain why God indeed does allow bad things to happen to His people. But question may be, why do we often?

Very good question.

This is one of the reasons why I always ask, in my prayers, that God would direct me to the people who need me. Whether its a word of encouragement, a phone call, a visit, a grocery gift card etc.

If I have an impulse to do any of these things...I just do them.

I believe that most of the time, God wants to use people to answer the prayers of others.

[Ian Gentles]

Very good question.

This is one of the reasons why I always ask, in my prayers, that God would direct me to the people who need me. Whether its a word of encouragement, a phone call, a visit, a grocery gift card etc.

If I have an impulse to do any of these things...I just do them.

I believe that most of the time, God wants to use people to answer the prayers of others.

Yes, and we often wrongly assume that others are doing something, when it should be us.

[Barb Bouldrey]

Seems as if you have brought this same question up in different forms over the last year.

My answer to the question: "That's life."

If the person who asked it was thinking about material possessions and finances, that is not a gauge for how well my life is...how much better my life is than someone who is in poverty. We cannot define spiritual wealth by worldly standards.

I might think someone is much better off than I am, until I sit down and talk with them and discover their burdens.

When some of our Nazarene delegations from other countries come to the U.S. for General Assembly, they are NOT impressed by our wealth and obsession with material stuff. They are abhorred by what they see on our televisions and cannot understand how Christians can allow such stuff on their TVs.

I sat at an international breakfast with two delegates from Trinidad/Tabago one year at General Convention. I saw the joy of the Lord in their faces and heard the joy of the Lord in their voices until I felt as if they were much richer than I in their joy.

I was born where I was born. I was raised where I was raised. I am living and working where God wants me to be. My "station" in life is what God wants for me. I should not compare my life with anyone who is wealthier than I or poorer than I am. I should not question God as to WHY? I do not have what some others have.

If becoming a Christian would promote me to a better economical life, I would have to stand in line to get to the altar. Everyone would become a Christian just for the benefits.

Barb

[Ian Gentles]

Seems as if you have brought this same question up in different forms over the last year.

My answer to the question: "That's life."

If the person who asked it was thinking about material possessions and finances, that is not a gauge for how well my life is...how much better my life is than someone who is in poverty. We cannot define spiritual wealth by worldly standards.

I might think someone is much better off than I am, until I sit down and talk with them and discover their burdens.

When some of our Nazarene delegations from other countries come to the U.S. for General Assembly, they are NOT impressed by our wealth and obsession with material stuff. They are abhorred by what they see on our televisions and cannot understand how Christians can allow such stuff on their TVs.

I sat at an international breakfast with two delegates from Trinidad/Tabago one year at General Convention. I saw the joy of the Lord in their faces and heard the joy of the Lord in their voices until I felt as if they were much richer than I in their joy.

I was born where I was born. I was raised where I was raised. I am living and working where God wants me to be. My "station" in life is what God wants for me. I should not compare my life with anyone who is wealthier than I or poorer than I am. I should not question God as to WHY? I do not have what some others have.

If becoming a Christian would promote me to a better economical life, I would have to stand in line to get to the altar. Everyone would become a Christian just for the benefits.

Barb

I read of of a French Christian who ordered a new television, and when it arrived, had on box, "Brings the world into your home", story is he told em to take it back.
Yes agree that folks in simpler life styles seem to have more of the joy of the Lord than we do. However, and i love you to bits, trust me on this, this wasnt my thinking, it was more, and yes my thinking evolved, what, are we doing to help others, in suffering and pain?

[Laurie Florence]

Yes agree that folks in simpler life styles seem to have more of the joy of the Lord than we do. However, and i love you to bits, trust me on this, this wasnt my thinking, it was more, and yes my thinking evolved, what, are we doing to help others, in suffering and pain?

Perhaps we can assist by offerring practical help as we can - a few extra dollars for groceries, some clothes and such, even a hot cup of coffee. We may not have all the theological answers down pat, but we can draw others to Jesus by demonstrating His love to them.

[Ian Gentles]

Perhaps we can assist by offerring practical help as we can - a few extra dollars for groceries, some clothes and such, even a hot cup of coffee. We may not have all the theological answers down pat, but we can draw others to Jesus by demonstrating His love to them.

Yes exactly, being practical in love, yes a great answer! :)

[Randy Wise]

God looks to those who have plenty to give a helping hand to those in need. If thats not happening does that make God unjust? Ian who do you know in ministry that is stating God is unjust?

Randy

[Anne and Dwayne Hood]

Doesn't the Bible say that He will have mercy on whom he would have mercy on?
If we are speaking about health, He has allowed things to touch me. But, if you could only know, how much more humble and close to Him, I am, because of my afflictions.

If we are speaking of financial things- He feels our cups to over flowing. So, many times, we think-"We were doing fine, before this money came our way, so we will just give it to someone that needs it, or put in in an offering at church. When it is over, we are just as well off, as we were, before we ever received the money. We are no where near wealthy, but He actually pours money into "our coffers," (so to speak), and we have been so surprised when it happens.

In the last few months, around $1,500 has been given to us. We have given about half of it back to the Lord, and used some to help others, or it helped to pay for gas or motels on trips where we were going to check on sick and elderly people--that we felt "we" should check on them, ourselves.

Dwayne's mother is laying in a bed, or wheelchair, with one leg, at a nursing home, thinking that she is God's pet. She called once and said that she knows now what her calling is-- to witness to the people there. She just smiles and sings and praises the Lord. She has always reached out to others to help them, even if their money was tight, when they were pastoring small churches and raising seven children. She keeps a song in her heart, or on her lips, reads His word, and praises His name.

One things about God, that reminds me of us humans. He finds it hard to not love those that love, trusts, and obey Him.

[Gina Stevenson]

............ When i returned to work, some said, oh I thought about phoning you but didnt know if it was correct thing to do, simple result of this was, one called on one occasion. But then i think, how often do I reach out to others, answer is not very often. What I am saying is, in many situations we don't do what we can, whether its supporting people, helping the downtrodden, etc

As Barbara mentioned below, usually when we feel a prompting to do something, it's because we're supposed to. 'Know that feeling of people "not knowing what to do/say," so do/say nothing ... leaving those needing their fellowship/encouraging words bereft yet a second time.

Bottom line, it is good to not question too much/long when we feel the Lord's perhaps laid someone on our heart/mind to do/say something; He most likely has, working through people, as He seems to do.

Very good question.

This is one of the reasons why I always ask, in my prayers, that God would direct me to the people who need me. Whether its a word of encouragement, a phone call, a visit, a grocery gift card etc.

If I have an impulse to do any of these things...I just do them. [AMEN! gs]

I believe that most of the time, God wants to use people to answer the prayers of others.

Yes, and we often wrongly assume that others are doing something, when it should be us.

Yes, this, too. So let's---to use a famous athletic company's motto---

"JUST DO IT!" ;)

[Ian Gentles]

God looks to those who have plenty to give a helping hand to those in need. If thats not happening does that make God unjust? Ian who do you know in ministry that is stating God is unjust?

Randy

I was referring to the none christians i meet as this is often their argument.

[Gina Stevenson]

Not sure, either, Ian. This morning I'm particularly feeling in that "others" category, rather than the "some" (from above title). Due to the results of the plumber visit here this morning, recently posted.

This is only one in a long line of sheer torturous events occurring since returning to Michigan. Should've stayed with whomever I could out in AZ before even thinking of moving back here.

Since one area seems to be water ... both drinking & bathing ... I swear the enemy decided that, since we all need water for survival, that's what he'd use---through her (& she lets him!!)---to tear me down! He's done more than an awful number on me with it, too. No decent baths here ... hauling drinking water (as if I didn't come here because of my back, so that hurts it, too), et cetera. ["yeah, I know! I'll make it as hard as possible for her to get water! Everyone needs that!" he said ... and then proceeded to do ... along with other things most of you have heard of since I've returned here, from threats to .....]

[Ian Gentles]

Not sure, either, Ian. This morning I'm particularly feeling in that "others" category, rather than the "some" (from above title). Due to the results of the plumber visit here this morning, recently posted.

This is only one in a long line of sheer torturous events occurring since returning to Michigan. Should've stayed with whomever I could out in AZ before even thinking of moving back here.

Since one area seems to be water ... both drinking & bathing ... I swear the enemy decided that, since we all need water for survival, that's what he'd use---through her (& she lets him!!)---to tear me down! He's done more than an awful number on me with it, too. No decent baths here ... hauling drinking water (as if I didn't come here because of my back, so that hurts it, too), et cetera. ["yeah, I know! I'll make it as hard as possible for her to get water! Everyone needs that!" he said ... and then proceeded to do ... along with other things most of you have heard of since I've returned here, from threats to .....]

Yes indeed life can seem so unfair and the unfairness usually comes about through other people, as does any betterment of a situation. Humanity is so cruel on one had but a;so so gracious and helptfull on the other. I believe our judgment will not only be on spiritual issues (ours) but on how we have acted towards others.
I know we all hope for an end to your sufferings, and so wish you could get back to some sort of happier life in Arizona.

[Barbara Moulton]

Yes indeed life can seem so unfair and the unfairness usually comes about through other people, as does any betterment of a situation.

I've been thinking about this thread for awhile. It resonated with me because I can remember, early in our ministry, looking at another couple in ministry with envy and saying to my husband, "They always seem to land on their feet."

When I compared their life with my life it just seemed that they had it easier than us.

Truly there was a time when I felt that life seemed easier for many others. And since that time, we have had our ups and downs. We have times of heartbreak in ministry and times when I didn't know where we were going to get money to pay for our bills.

But now I am at a point where people might look at us and say, "Well, they have it easy." We have financial security, a church that loves us, a strong marriage and happy, successful children.

Yet it didn't happen because I continued in my pattern of complaining before God that others seemed to have it easier.

Changes happened when we walked through doors He put before us (even when we were scared to do so). Stability came when we remained faithful to this church, even during a time of crisis. Contentment came when I stopped looking at others and started concentrating on the blessings I had in each moment. Financial blessings came because we work hard (Carl and I both have two places of employemnt) and treat every dollar that comes into our house as God's money. Our marriage is good because we work hard to make it so.

When I stopped looking at the life others were living and started looking at my life and truly surrendering it to God and asking for His guidance in all our decisions, I became more content.

Now, I am not ignorant. I know that we could get a phone call tomorrow that would bring devastating news. But I know that the God who was faithful to us during our difficult times will be faithful to us in the future.

I also know that the decision of others can have a huge effect on us. Remember we didn't leave our last church by our choice. But that doesn't mean I should wait for others to do things differently so that I will experience "betterment of my situation". God said to Moses, "What is in your hand?"

What resources do I have now...in this moment that I can use for Him and use to make things better?

Give thanks for them...and then use them.

And do everything you can to make life better for those around you.

Truth is...coming to NazNet, I could look at many of the church situations that you are all in and feel envy. You have bigger buildings, more resources, bigger ministries etc. But I choose to be content.

[Ian Gentles]

Yes it easy to make ourselfs disheartened by looking at others and Jesus says, "What is that to you? follow me!" Looking back on your hurtful ministry experience, I find it double tragic when Christians cause others to suffer! Yet, much harm is done in the name of Christ! :(

[Barbara Moulton]

Yes it easy to make ourselfs disheartened by looking at others and Jesus says, "What is that to you? follow me!" Looking back on your hurtful ministry experience, I find it double tragic when Christians cause others to suffer! Yet, much harm is done in the name of Christ! :(

In our case, ultimately, little harm was done.

We were hurt yes...but we surrendered that hurt into the love and care of our God. We asked for his direction and now we are very blessed, happy and content here in Orangeville. Our daughters learned important lessons about trust and they are better people because of that.

I bear those who voted against us no ill will. If they asked for forgiveness I would assure them that it has been forgiven a long time ago.