Why “not” me?

Acts 21: ³⁰ The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. ³¹ While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. ³² He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

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Tired from a hard day’s work I just wanted to get home.  I made it from the train to my car and noticed my car had been dented and the window broken out.  “Not my tapes” I thought to myself. (Yes I mean cassette tapes!)

The music I meticulously collected for years was now gone. GOD, “Why me?”

• When I started following GOD I expected nothing to go wrong in my life.
• When I started following GOD I expected things to go smooth.
• When I started following GOD I expected never to be in pain again.

Wow was I wrong about my expectations of GOD.  I thought by believing in JESUS, my problems would be gone. It seems to be quite the opposite. 

• When I live for GOD, many obstacles will get in my way.
• When I live for GOD, the road will become more difficult.
• When I live for GOD, there will be times where it seems like the entire world is against me.

Life is not fair and I should expect difficulty when I live for CHRIST.  I’m not saying that GOD wants life to be harder, rather HE understands that all people choose to go their own way which causes a problem in the relationship with HIM.  I run away from humility, love, kindness, joy and compassion and run towards lust, envy, jealousy, anger and the things GOD doesn’t want me to have and the world loves me.

When I leave the things alone that the world wants me to have I suddenly find myself in a fight. The more I tell people about the great news about JESUS, the more angry the world becomes because it wants to hold onto sin tightly. I have a new expectation namely I expect the world to be mad at me for trying to follow GOD.

• Are you stuck in your sin?
• Are you trying to live for GOD but are trying to keep your sin too?
• Are things going wrong now that you have chosen to live for GOD?
• Won’t you choose to live for GOD through difficult times?