Problems

Problems From Problem to Profit
About 100 years ago there was a candlestick maker who often stopped at a market and bought a fish for his evening meal. It was wrapped in ordinary paper which became soggy, and the passengers on the street car always complained about the odor.
One morning he dipped the paper in molten wax. That day he wrapped his fish in the treated paper. It did not become soggy, and there was no odor.
That is how waxed paper was born.
Got a problem? Do not curse it. Look for a cure.

Faith, Hope, Love
One of the most memorable sermons was preached by the late Emil Brunner at the Fraumunster Kirche in Zurich, Switzerland. It was based on the phrase, "faith, hope, and love." The points were these: Every man has a past, a present, and a future. Every man has a problem in his past, a problem in his present, and a problem in his future. The problem in our past is sin, but God has an answer to that problem. The answer is faith-faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The problem in our future is death, but God has an answer to that problem also. The answer to that problem is hope-hope in Christ's return based on the fact of His historical resurrection and His promises. The problem in our present is hate, and God's answer to that problem is love. It is the love of Christ lived out in the lives of those who trust Him. This Too Shall Pass
"What is your favorite Scripture?" someone once asked an elderly woman. "My favorite Scripture is, '...and it came to pass...." When asked why she chose this one she said, "Because it does not say, '...it came to stay...."
Everything is temporary. What will not be changed by the passing of time will be changed by the end of time. The biblical principle is that we are to look beyond any problem, suffering, and confusion of this time and look to the future reward. Paul said, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).
We can live with present problems because of their temporal nature. Why bother to fuss, fume and stew over something that will be gone sooner or later? Instead, concentrate all your energy on what you can influence, and attempt to make a better life for yourself and those in your circle of influence.

Don't Let Hurts Hurt You
Rejections, defeats, and failures that all of us have experienced can create enough negative feelings to destroy us. Be careful! Often the most painful wounds are not the scars that are outwardly seen, but the hidden wounds deep in the heart. Being hidden, they are often the most dangerous.
Setbacks in our lives can take the joy out of living. Our faith is weakened, and if we collect enough hurts it will stop us from wanting to press forward. Even success can make one the target of criticism. Do not let the hurts hurt you!
Look at Job. A man of the land of Uz, blameless, upright, one who feared God, and one who turned away from evil. Job had seven sons and three daughters, a beautiful family. He was considered "the greatest of all the men of the east." He lost it all in the twinkling of an eye. He lost his health, wealth, and family. He hurt. His wife hurt. His friends hurt. He was knocked down but not out. He had lost some of the passionate power to grow and some of his enthusiasm had diminished, but he checked his negative thinking and that of his wife and friends and stated, "I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful." How could he after undergoing so much hurt?
Along the shoreline in California it is a common sight to see whales stopping alongside rocks as they migrate from Alaska to Mexico to scrape off barnacles. In our lifetime we also will pick up a collection of personal barnacles that will attach themselves like parasites sapping the life out of us. They must be scraped off.
How did Job do it? The same way we can do it-through faith. Faith is the only thing that can heal the hurts. Job scraped the barnacles off. It was painful! The scars would remain but his life was put back together. Strong belief in God was the medicine. His wife and his friends could not do it-only God could!
Job said, "I know that you [God] can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2). Paul told the Corinthians, "...God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear...he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).
The Lord blessed the latter days of Job (Job 42:12) with great material blessings, and it was said of his new daughters that "in all the land no women were found so fair...." Job lived 140 years after the hurts and saw sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, and great-great-grandsons. You can also forget your hurts, leave off your sad countenance, and be cheerful if you turn to God for your strength to do so.

I Am Not Discouraged!
A man stopped to watch a ball game between two young teams. As he walked toward the bleachers, he asked one of the players, "What is the score?" The young fellow replied, "We are behind 18 to nothing."
"Well," said the man, "I must say you don't look discouraged."
"Discouraged?" the player said with a puzzled look. "Why should we be discouraged? We haven't had our turn to bat yet."
The army of Israel faced a giant, but a young man named David thought, "I have not had my turn," and he won!
The twelve disciples saw 5,000 hungry people and said, "Send the crowds away, so they can buy some food." But Jesus thought, "I have not had my turn yet!"
The angry mob had Pilate seal the tomb where Jesus was buried, but God knew, "I have not had my turn yet!"
The church is ready to "go to bat" and, like others, who have placed their trust in God, we will win!
Remember these words of Jesus: "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matthew 16:18). When Our Blemishes Become Assets
The story is told of a friend by the name of Webb Young. Webb Young grew beautiful apples, and he advertised them to a very select clientele as "perfect." One year just before time to harvest his apples, a heavy hail storm came. It did not harm the apples, but it left unsightly brown spots on them. He felt hopelessly defeated. He could not afford to send his apples out with those brown spots on them.
A lesser man would have given up, but he kept thinking until he came up with a saving idea. He harvested the apples and packed them in boxes, as he normally did. Then in each box he placed a card which stated that these apples were grown in high altitude and that the chill of the mountain made the apples firm. He also explained that in these high altitudes they often have hail storms. Then he said that if one will look closely at the apples, hail marks upon them can be observed. It is a matter of record that the next year the overwhelming majority of his orders were for "hail-marked" apples.
For Webb Young and his apples-the blemishes became assets.

Trouble Tree
The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished up a rough first day on the job. A flat tire had made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup refused to start.
While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.
Then, opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles, and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterwards he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the best of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.
"Oh, that is my 'trouble tree,'" he replied. "I know I cannot help having troubles on the job, but one thing is for sure-troubles do not belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang 'em on the tree every night when I come home; then in the morning, I pick them up again.
"Funny thing is," he said smilingly, "when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there are not as many as I remember hanging up the night before." The Big and the Small Souls
The great soul prays, "Lord, make me as big as my problem." The little soul prays, "Lord, let me off easy."
The giant soul asks, "Lord, give me strength sufficient for a hard day," while the small soul begs, "Lord, let me have a lighter load."
The busy soul prays, "Lord, stand with me until I finish my task," while the weak soul says, "I got tired and quit."

Songs in the Night
Elihu, in the Book of Job, asked, "Where is God who giveth songs in the night?" David in the 42nd Psalm, answered, "In the night His songs shall be with me."
The strongest argument of the atheist has to do with the problem of human suffering. Epicurus, who lived 342-270 B.C., presented three concepts about God and human suffering: (1) If God wishes to prevent evil and cannot, He is not all powerful; (2) If God can prevent evil and will not, He is not good; (3) If God has the power and will to eliminate evil, why is there evil in the world? The fallacy is his belief that no good can be served by God's allowing evil or suffering.
Everyone will pass through dark valleys sooner or later. All will become ill. Some will become permanently ill. It is an illusion that this side of heaven all diseases will be wiped out. For all of us there will be periods of suffering, bereavement, discouragement, danger and difficulty.
There are those who give up their fidelity to God because they do not believe God is fair. They ask, "What have I done to deserve this?" "Why are children born retarded or born dead?" "Why is there cancer?" "Why me?"
How will we answer these and similar questions? How will we learn to sing songs at night? By having faith in the sovereignty of God. The world is not being ruled by a chance but by a God who is in control. Even a sparrow cannot fall without His notice. So, He cares about us. Nothing can happen that does not concern God.
Jesus sang in the darkest night of His life on earth. The Apostle John sang songs of joy and praise while in exile on the island of Patmos. At midnight, David arose to give thanks to God (Psalms 119:62). Paul said, "When I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Our lives will become stronger and our spirituality deeper when we learn to sing at midnight.

Why Not?
Why Not-give a friend a tract?
Why Not-help an older couple with their groceries?
Why Not-share with a neighbor in need?
Why Not-talk to a friend about his soul?
Why Not-help a friend with a personal problem?
Why Not-have a Bible study with a friend in your home?
Why Not-visit with the newcomer in your community?
Why Not-invite your children's friends to Bible study?
Why Not-show hospitality in your home?
Why Not-give encouragement to a new brother?
Why Not-give support to those who are having trouble in their marriage?
Why Not-encourage someone to take a Bible correspondence course?
Why Not-show concern to those who have lost a loved one?
Why Not-show to others that Christianity is worth sharing anytime, anywhere?
Why Not-invite the checkout person at the grocery to worship service?
Why Not-give a smile to someone today? Let them know that you are happy as a Christian?
Why Not-be nice to people even when you do not feel like it?
Why Not-let God work His purposes in your life?
Why Not-start loving your neighbors as yourself?

Mules, Wells, and Learning How to Live
There is a story about an old farmer whose mule fell into a well. After many unsuccessful attempts to haul the mule out of the hole, the farmer decided it was hopeless. With sadness, he instructed his boys to fill up several truckloads of dirt and just bury the old mule right in the well. Dutifully, the boys backed up the truck filled with dirt, and shovel by shovel, they began to fill the well and bury the mule. The mule didn't take kindly to this action. The first shovel of dirt hit him square on the head, got in his eyes and mouth, and made him sneeze.
Every shovel full after that hit him somewhere, causing the old mule to stomp around in the bottom of the well. Several truckloads of dirt later, the mule was still stomping and packing dirt firmly underneath his feet. Little by little, that mule was lifting itself out of the hole. Sure enough, about mid-afternoon that mule simply stepped out of the well and snorted at the whole business.
There are different ways people have of dealing with problems life throws at them. Some are constant complainers. They do not handle setbacks and upsets very well. Some of them cannot even handle normal events. Others are defeated at the slightest difficulty. Quite a few get confused, turned around and seem not to know what to do. Then there are a few who are unconquerable. They are like the mule. Problems can hit them square on the head, but they just stomp around enough until they actually use the problem to rise above it.
Look at the great heroes of the Bible. They were men and women who could match the occasion. Moses was that kind of man. Surely Joseph, who rose from the bottom of a pit to a leader of Egypt, was that kind of man. Could David have been anything other than the kind of man who rose above his faults and problems? Esther was surely the kind of woman who did not let problems paralyze her. On and on we could go, but you see the point.
How was all this done? The reason such people could rise out of the "wells" of life is because they all had a great faith in God. It is a childish attitude that says, "If God loved me, He would take away all these problems." Not so! The opposite is really true. If God loves you, He will reveal Himself to you through His Word and give you opportunity to let your faith lift you up. God wants us to learn how to do it. He wants us to work at it. When you realize that and accept it, it will give you a power to deal with living you never had before. May We Always Have:
Enough happiness to keep us sweet;
Enough sorrow to keep us human;
Enough faith to give us courage;
Enough wealth to meet our needs;
Enough trials to keep us strong;
Enough failure to keep us humble;
Enough friends to give us comfort;
Enough determination to make each day a good one.