I don't know about you, but I believe I've had my fill of the gloom and doom that our media is offering us on a daily basis. To hear some talk, you'd think the world was going to blow apart at any minute. Of course, when the Lord returns then it is going to be destroyed (2 Peter 3), but its destruction will come at the hand of God rather than by the actions of men.
Granted, times are tough but let's take a few minutes to break out the scales and weigh the negatives against the positives. Go ahead and start piling up the negatives on the left side of your scale. Our retirement accounts have shrunk. Gas prices are through the roof as are food prices. Maybe you're not feeling well. Perhaps the plumbing in your house needs repair or your car isn't running the way it should. Things could be even more severe than this for you personally as you perhaps are facing a critical illness, marital and family difficulties, or impending financial disaster. That's the left side of your scale and right now it's terribly weighted down as you've thought about all that's wrong in your life.
Now let's start balancing the scale by loading up the right side with all that is right and good in your life. By the way, all of these comments are directed toward faithful Christians. If you are not a faithful Christian, in spite of any physical positives that you might be able to put on your scale, that one large spiritual negative of being lost far outweighs anything you might consider good in your life (Mark 8:36). All spiritual blessings are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3) and whatever the world has to offer cannot compare with what the Lord provides for His faithful children.
Here are some positives in your life that you as a faithful Christian can put on the right side of your scale:
- You have been saved from your sins (Ephesians 2:8).
- You have the blood of Christ ever available to you when you fall (1 John 1:7-9).
- You have hope (Romans 8:24).
- You have peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
- You have the perfect Word of God as your guide (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
- You have the power of prayer (1 Peter 3:12).
- You have "all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).
- You have what you need for today (Matthew 6:33-34).
- You have God who knows your every need (Matthew 6:32).
- You have God who freely and willingly gives you what you need (James 1:5).
- You have God who cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
- You have strength in Christ (Philippians 4:13).
- You have an eternal inheritance awaiting you (1 Peter 1:3-4).
Do you feel your scale tipping hard to the right as you see the good in your life outweighing the bad? Obviously, these thoughts can only get the ball rolling. Space does not permit a listing of all of the blessings that Christians enjoy. In fact, I seriously doubt that you have enough time in a day, a week, or even longer to sit down and count all of the blessings that God has given. It's worth the time to start going over some of them though, especially when the bad appears to be piling up on you. The apostle Paul encouraged this effort of thinking on the good things when he wrote, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." (Philippians 4:8).
Some say the bad things that happen to us are our reality. In truth, the reality is that while bad things happen, the good that a faithful Christian enjoys goes light years beyond the bad. "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4). Are you weary of the bad news? Go to God's Word, go to Him in prayer, and look around at all He has given you. Today really is a great day!