Charles Pogue
Man’s life is short and full of trouble (Job 14:1). There are disappointments, grievances, and out and out heartaches in this life. How does one deal with such difficulties? People attempt many different man made resolutions. Some drown their troubles in drugs, some consume themselves with pleasure, or the pursuit of wealth and possessions. Some seek the assistance of humanly trained individuals who do not have the answer to their own problems, much less those of anyone else.
There is only one answer to life’s troubles and that is Jesus Christ. If an individual has the assurance of eternal life in the grandeur of heaven and in the presence of God, why should he be destroyed by the difficulties and sorrows of the here and now? Jesus said in just a few words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). If the answer to this life’s problems is to take care of the concerns about the next one—and it is—then Jesus is the answer.
Jesus stated, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). When, in that passage, Jesus says that He lays down His life for the sheep, we know that the life He refers to is primarily eternal life. If, however, one does not enter in by Him, Who stated in verse 7 that He is the door of the sheep, there is no resolution for the eternal punishment in hell, and certainly none for the difficulties in this world.
The child of God has a blessed privilege that the world does not have. With wonderful words of life, Peter describes that privilege: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:7-8). The Lord Jesus took our sins upon Himself when He went to the cross, and He will bear our anxieties of this life if we are just willing to let Him do it His way.
Again, the Christ said, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). This promise takes us back to the 11th chapter of Matthew’s gospel account. “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (11:28-30). There is no way the yoke and burden of the Lord compares to the weight that the burdens of this life present to us. Why not, then, exchange the heavy load of this life for the light one He has, and accept the rest that He alone can give?
To receive the answer to this life’s problems, and to avoid those that will come to the lost in the next one is not complicated. Believing on Him, repenting of sins, confessing His name, being baptized for the remission of sins, and living faithfully to Him (John 8:24; Luke 13:3; Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 2:38; Rev. 2:10) is much easier than bearing alone the problems in this world and being tormented in the next. Jesus is the answer!
