Truth or Circumstances?

Blessed is anyone who doesn’t stumble on account of me (Matthew 11:6).

When people think of Jesus, many things come to mind, even for the unbeliever.  Prophet, Rabbi, Savior, Son of God.  And when we considered the things Jesus did, we have a line up that would be a headliner at any Las Vegas show.  Giving sight to the blind, healing a man who had been lame for 40 years and a women for 12, turning water into wine, feeding over 15,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, and the mac daddy of them all – raising someone from the dead – oh, wait a minute, how about being raised Himself from the dead and returning to see over 500 people to prove it.  Yes, He would have definitely been in the top 3 contenders for Israel’s Got Talent. 

But not many would have ever listed stumbling as one of the things Jesus was known for and yet a careful reading of Scripture shows many who did stumble on account of Him – the Pharisees, the rich young ruler, the lawyers, John the Baptist, Judas, James, the brother of Jesus, and of course Peter, to name just a few.  But that list is not complete either because we can add our own names to it without really much hesitation.  We’ve all had the stumbling thoughts at one time or another – “God, where are You?  Why me?  Don’t You care? How long? Are you even there at all (our variation of John the Baptist’s question, ‘Are you the One?’)?”

We shouldn’t feel too terrible when we consider the company in which we find ourselves as stumblers.  In fact, Jesus Himself said:

Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!  (Matthew 18:7 NIV)

In fact, as far back as Isaiah, God told the nation of Israel that the Messiah would be a stumbling block:

He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare (Isaiah 8:14 NIV).

God is not taken back when we stumble, He even says:

The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand (Psalm 37:23-24 NIV).

But what we do next is very important.  The above verse tells us that when we are delighting in the Lord, even though we stumble, we will not fall because God will uphold us.  That’s why Jesus told John the Baptist – don’t go there. 

The Amplified Bible gives a better understanding of what Jesus is actually saying to us in this verse:

And blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is he who takes no offense at Me and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me and is not hindered from seeing the Truth.

Jesus does not chide John for stumbling – He’s telling him that there is no blessing in it and it blocks us from seeing the truth.

The truth is that God is there, chose you specifically for the trial, does care, knows the exact length it will last, and is more real than the circumstances that cause us to lose hope.  But how do we keep these truths in our heart when we come to the place of stumbling.  The stumbling Apostle Peter has some great insights for us on that topic:

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble (2 Peter 1:10 NIV).

Do what things?  Go back five verses:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8 NIV).

When we focus on growing in goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love, we will not stumble when God decides to do something we never expected.

If I focus on my circumstances, I’ll stumble.  If I focus on the truth, I’ll stand.  It’s up to me, which is why I am not a victim to anything or anyone, but more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus.