Today's Scripture Reading (January 29, 2022): Deuteronomy 28
"If
we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes
taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." The words belong
to Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672), the most prominent of the early poets of North
America. Bradstreet was born to a wealthy family in Northampton, England. She
migrated to the New World in 1630 and was part of the group that founded the
Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. As a founding member of the colony, she would
have known a lot about winter and spring, as well as adversity and prosperity.
Like
winter and spring, adversity and prosperity tend to be cyclical. If you are
experiencing one, you will soon be experiencing the other. Most of the time, it
is the periods of adversity that trouble us and receive our focus. James, Jesus's
brother and the leader of the church in Jerusalem in the days after Jesus's
death and resurrection, wrote that we should;
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and
sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of
your faith produces perseverance. Let
perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything (James 1:2-4).
The emphasis is on what we do in times of trouble. Paul
echoes the sentiment when he writes, "In your anger do not sin:' Do
not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold
(Ephesians 4:26-27). Again, the emphasis is on our reaction to trouble and
adversity. And the encouragement is that when we face adversity, we should not
sin.
Maybe the focus on times of adversity is warranted. After all,
it is during times of trouble and conflict that our character is tested. And it
is during those trials that we are tempted to cut corners and enter into sin.
But it is not times of adversity that receives Moses's
attention. It is the times of prosperity on which Moses concentrates. And maybe
that makes sense, too, because we can let down our guard during times of prosperity.
We really do believe that we can do it by ourselves, and we don't need God
during the good times. God promises that if we are willing to look to him and
serve him gladly and with joy in times of prosperity, then he will take care of
us in times of adversity. But if we refuse to serve him the good times of life,
then we have no right to expect him to be with us when the good times turn bad.
Because we know, even in the wonderful days of spring, that winter is coming.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 29
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