We don’t call them hard times for no reason.
It’s because they’re a pain in the neck. A storm blows through our coastal town, and we’re without electricity for days. The water heater doesn’t heat. Our fridge won’t cool, and when the sun goes down, we might as well hit the sack. We can’t see to do anything else.
Why would we be happy about hard times?
In Acts 5, the apostles were on trial for teaching in the Temple about Jesus. They spoke the truth, and the truth was that the Jewish leaders were responsible for Jesus’ death. So they beat the apostles and sent them away, telling them not to speak the story of Jesus again.
Acts 5:41 tells us how intimidated the apostles were:
“And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.”
It wasn’t quite the result the council wanted. They’d hoped the men would be silent, and this new religious movement would fade away. Instead, the apostles found a new motivation to share the Christ.
Acts 5:42 reveals the extent of their joy:
“And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”
Let’s not be dismayed by hard times. Everyone has them, from the lowest homeless person to the wealthiest financier. Our best attitude is to see our hard times as motivation for putting our best foot forward. We must use our hard times as stepping stones to strengthen our witness for Christ.
We must be happy in all things, both good and bad, so that Christ’s message will spread across the world.
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