Of all men most Miserable...the Wayfarer 10/11/17
Of all men most Miserable
1 Corinthians 15:19
19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
Hope in Christ Jesus exceeds the limits of the confines of any single time, any single plane, any single temporal existence, any circumstance existing that all too often denies and attempts to belie that hope.
Paul, continually beset with circumstance that attempted to quash the message he delivered of that hope continued to not only be aware of that hope but to remind those about him of its existence.
Proponents of prosperity gospel place that hope only within the confines of the opening sentence, denying the power of the hope provided through Christ, thereby denying the hope provided through the message delivered by Christ himself who continually reminded us of the necessity of maintaining that hope through endurance of the misery that is the portion of man who would see the delivery of the promise that comes through that hope.
Job 14
King James Version (KJV)
14 Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.
2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
3 And doth thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
5 Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
6 Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.
7 For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
8 Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;
9 Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.
10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
11 As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:
12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.
16 For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?
17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.
18 And surely the mountains falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.
19 The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.
20 Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
21 His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.
22 But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.
Job comprehended well the trials faced not only by him, but by all of his kind.
Misery was no stranger to him, but a constant companion demanding attention to the circumstance of the here and now that would have stolen that precious hope that gives reason to live to those who recognize wherein that hope actually lies.
Job 19:25-27
King James Version (KJV)
25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
The joy of hope comes with the misery of living in a world that cannot deny that hope, yet makes its attempt to do so knowing that those who abandon that hope for the hope of the present alone face far worse misery than any that could be experienced within the confines of the opening sentence.
Mark 9:42-50
King James Version (KJV)
42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Avoidance of misery is not possible for those holding fast to the hope provided through Christ, despite the prosperity gospels that remain so popular as they deny that very hope He delivered.
None of the apostles were able to avoid that misery, including John whose life and death exemplified the necessity to endure if that hope is truly expected, truly anticipated, truly held.
Each of them were miserable, facing that misery with the hope promised through Christ's crucifixion and resurrection which provided and provides that hope.
That hope does NOT lie in the wealth promised by the prosperity preachers and their ilk.
It does NOT lie in the comfort experienced by those seeking that comfort from the things of a world that robs them of life as it provides the comfort of whatever is chosen in place of that hope of eternal life in the presence of God Himself, a comfort not offered in any of the temporary things of a temporary world.
What lies within those things is the misery beyond comprehension that is escaped only through the hope provided by Christ Jesus who could far more easily than Paul have claimed to be " of all men most miserable".
It is only through the misery experienced by Christ for a miserable world that that escape is possible.
It is only through the sacrifice made by Him that LIFE remains possible for those willing to accept the hope of the simple message He delivered to alleviate that misery.
"REPENT! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Whether beset by circumstance and care of youth, or whether beset by circumstance of old age, that circumstance holds no power over the HOPE that was and is given through Him.
Psalm 139
King James Version (KJV)
139 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
David's prayer needs to be remembered and repeated by each and all who maintain that hope.
We need never bear the misery we think we face alone... it is borne with us and for us through that HOPE now delivered for all who choose to accept and believe in that HOPE.
Whether ascending to the heights of this world, or the depths of despair that this world may force on us, that HOPE remains for those willing to remember wherein it exists.
That HOPE must never be in this life alone!
2 Timothy 1:12King James Version (KJV)
12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer
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