JUST AND ON THE UNJUST - Matthew 5:45
Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
How come so many Christians have this false belief that just because they are Christians, they are entitled prosperity here on this earth? This is not a principle taught by Christ. In this passage, we see just the opposite. We see that God does not withhold the sun from the evil just because they are evil. Furthermore, in an agricultural community, rain is necessary for crops. However, God does not without the rain just because someone is unjust or give rain just because you are just.
You are not entitled to great riches and prosperity just because you do that which is right in the eyes of God. Joshua and Caleb were just men who desired to serve God. However, they were forced to wonder in the wilderness for forty years with an entire nation that could not trust God.
Meanwhile, the rest of the nation of Israel lacked faith, but still they saw God provide their daily food for them. They may not have acted like the children of God, but for forty years, their shoes did not wear out.
During the life of Elijah, we see God withholding rain from the nation of Israel for over three years. This was a punishment to Ahab for his wickedness. However, it was not just the wicked king Ahab who suffered; Elijah also suffered during the drought as did 7,000 men who never bowed a knee to Baal.
God collectively punished the nation of Israel for their sins. So likewise, we live in a day that man does that which is right in their own eyes. You should not think that God is going to allow you to prosper while HE causes all those around you to be punished for their wickedness. God will be looking out for HIS children, but it does not mean that you will avoid suffering. God took care of Joshua and Caleb and ensured that they did not die. God took care of Elijah and made sure HE had daily provision, but they still suffered the trials with those around them.
If you do not spend the time adding knowledge of the ways of God, you are going to spend one confused life as a Christian. The ways of God are not always your ways. God does not work in accordance with our little mind. You will never fully appreciate what God is doing all around you until you take the time to understand the ways of God.
How can you expect to have great faith and be able to move mountains if you do not understand what God is trying to do in your life? You may be facing a difficult trial, and rather than turn to God and understand what HE is trying to teach you during this time, too many Christians go off and start praying for God to remove their trial. When God does not immediately answer their prayers, they lose faith in God and start wondering why they claim to be a Christian.
The next time you face a difficult time in your life, you need to stop and see what God is trying to do. It may be a trial like Joseph where God needs to prepare you for a certain duty at a certain time. It may be a trial like Job where God is testing you to see if you will remain faithful. It may be a trial like Paul where God allowed him to suffer for the glory of God. If you do not understand why God is allowing you to face a particular trial, you are going to be the one who is frustrated and you are the one who is going to suffer. Stop and take the time to understand what God is trying to do in your life so that you can take the time to properly serve HIM.