Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Indeed we fight a war which is already won. It was won when Jesus burst from a sealed tomb. In World War 2 when the allies invaded Europe, the whole world knew that the war was really over. Months of death and bitter fighting lay ahead. There would be cold and exhaustion, peril, and pain, the crumple of bombs and the sickening death-swoops of flaming aircraft. But the end had really come.... We are now in precisely the same position. The last invasion is on. ‘In the world,’ stated Jesus, ‘you have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world’ (John. 16.33).... Now there are times when you feel anything but like a member of a triumphant army. You will feel alone, small, weak. The battle therefore is also essentially a battle of faith . 130 The Search for Causes The Rationalistic mind desires to find a cause and effect for every trial. It is assumed that if the source can be discovered, a solution can be applied and the trial ended or avoided. But this is not the way of the Kingdom. God often chooses to conceal the cause of trials, as he did with Job, and prefers that his followers trust he is coordinating everything to accomplish his Kingdom plan. For those who are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8.28), there will be frequent times when there is no apparent reason for the tribulation they experience. But whether the source of pain is the devil, the world, or the flesh, the answer is always the same : trust Christ to accomplish his Kingdom work. No one needs to know if sickness or death is caused by the devil, personal sin, or because the person lives in a germ-filled world. Searching for the cause is often a waste of energy. Trusting in

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