hardship – La Vista Church of Christ

They Were for Testing

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:57:46 +0000

by Zeke Flores

"They were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of Yahweh, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses" (Judges 3:4).

Judges 3 explains something important. Yahweh allowed certain nations to remain in the land as a test. Not a trap, a test. Israel’s obedience wasn’t theoretical; it had to be lived out in real situations with real pressures. Their environmental challenges revealed their hearts.

This feels uncomfortable because we prefer a life without tests. But God uses challenges to expose what’s genuine. Israel’s response showed whether they trusted Him or blended in with the surrounding culture. Sadly, they often chose the easier path and adopted the practices of the surrounding nations.

The chapter then introduces the first judges, each raised up when Israel cried out. God didn’t abandon them; He responded to their repentance. But the pattern shows that obedience is healthiest when it’s proactive, not reactive.

In your own life, tests aren’t signs of God’s absence; they’re opportunities to demonstrate trust. When pressure comes, you choose whether to follow His commands or drift toward convenience. Tests reveal loyalty, but they also strengthen it.

Facing Life’s Challenges

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 19:47:29 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Facing-Lifes-Challenges.mp3

by Raymond Warfel

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The Storms in Life

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 17:16:54 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/The-Storms-in-Life.mp3

by Raymond Warfel

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Handling the Hurdles

Jeffrey Hamilton — Wed, 13 May 2026 20:13:10 +0000

by George Hutto
via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14 No. 8, August 2014

“Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” (Matthew 18:7)

The in-laws had given us that peach-colored leather couch, and brother Jim Underwood went with me to get it. The sleeper was too long for closing the tailgate on his Ranger, but its weight assured us that it would stay put. However, on Interstate 20 just this side of Douglasville, the road wind was more than we had anticipated. The “bump” from the back alerted us to the catastrophe that was unfolding behind, as three lanes of Hondas and eighteen-wheelers were suddenly subjected to a living room-sized stumbling block, right in the middle of the road.

This life-changing event illustrates what Christ was talking about. Life might be going “wide-open,” nothing ahead but clear skies and blessings, when, through no fault of our own, everything is suddenly in peril.

The word Jesus uses is “scandalon,” sometimes translated as “stumbling block” in the New Testament. He said, “It must needs be that offenses come.” Scandals, offenses, traps, shipwrecks -they happen. The Bible provides guidance on handling these hurdles. And we need it.

Hopefully, we can simply go around. That is what the folks behind us on 1-20 did (“You’re lucky. I looked away for a second, and when I looked back, there was a couch in front of us!”). They were safe and skillful drivers.

Lot, on the other hand, was reckless in pitching his tent toward Sodom. As they say, we have to learn from the mistakes of others, because there isn’t enough time to make them all ourselves (Romans 15:4).

Lot simply invited catastrophe into his life “for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds...” (II Peter 2:8). Not much imagination is required to see obstacle after obstacle between Lot’s family and godliness. His wife, ironically, was indeed turned into a pillar of salt. And the scandal which followed was just as real. Stumbling blocks were just a way of life for them.

Those who live recklessly as Lot did will not take care about what they watch or hear. Television, the worldly message of music, and the theatre will become stumbling blocks to them. The friends they chose will present temptation, not spiritual encouragement. The Lord would have them choose better associates.

“Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (I Corinthians 15:33).

Some obstacles must be overcome because there is no way around them. When I told my couch story to a friend, he had a similar story. He lost his couch on a crowded bridge and just kept driving. The folks behind were left with no choice but to navigate through couch parts in just one narrow lane.

The context of Jesus’ words centered on children. “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Mt. 18:6). Children do not get to pick the families into which they are born. On their first excursions into the world, they rely on those older and stronger to protect them. They must be shielded from offenses which would divert them from the course of innocent godliness.

When those hindrances do come one’s way, parents and teachers who train the young hope that temptation, vice, and sin will be overcome.

One of the most telling passages of the human condition is Genesis 4:7, where Cain is told, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” The obstacles of anger and resentment had fallen into his path, and his job was to overcome them.

Of course, removing stumbling blocks is a priority. I have been surprised, as I confessed my rash moving episode, to hear other stories of tumbling lawn mowers, floating treadmills, and jumping cows. Tying things down has become a way of life for many of us.

The byproduct of free moral agency is a world in which anything can happen. “Time and chance happen to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Security for ourselves and those around us will be of our own making and the grace of God(Psalms 23; Philippians 2:12).

Our words must be pure and edifying (Colossians 4:5-6). Our examples must be worthy of emulation (Romans 14:21).

Jesus is not happy with those who wreak havoc in others' lives.

Difficult Years

Jeffrey Hamilton — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:59:31 +0000

by Zeke Flores

In Genesis 47:9, Jacob tells Pharaoh, "Few and difficult have been the years of my life."

This is not self-pity; it’s honesty shaped by experience. Jacob has walked through conflict, loss, fear, and hardship, yet he stands as a man preserved by God.

This teaches us that a life of faith is not free from struggle. Scripture never promises ease. It promises God’s presence and faithfulness through every circumstance. Jacob’s testimony is not that life was smooth, but that God sustained him when it wasn’t.

This perspective helps us interpret our own stories. Hardship does not mean God has abandoned us. Difficulty does not negate blessing. God’s people often walk through trials, yet they are upheld by His grace.

If your journey has been marked by difficulty, Jacob’s words remind you that God’s faithfulness is not measured by the absence of struggle but by His presence within it.

How Can There Be “Evil from the Lord”?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 21:34:17 +0000

by Roger Campbell

Sometimes, students of the Bible are shocked and confused to read in the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit at times describes the thoughts and actions of God as "evil." For example, in the Book of Jeremiah alone we read that Jehovah "brought" evil (Jeremiah 4:6), He "thought to do" evil (Jeremiah 18:8), He "framed" evil (Jeremiah 18:11), He "pronounced" evil (Jeremiah 26:13,19), He "purposed to do" evil (Jeremiah 36:3), and He "did" evil (Jeremiah 42:10). In each of these passages both the King James Version and American Standard Version of 1901 speak of the "evil" that the Lord planned and carried out.

First, there are many words in the Bible that have more than one meaning. Their meaning in a particular instance in the Scriptures must be determined by the context in which they appear. So it is with the word "evil." When we read the word "evil," perhaps our first thought is that this signifies wickedness, sinful action, that which is wrong or evil from a moral point of view.

The word "evil" does carry such a meaning in many biblical passages. For instance, in the days of Noah, the thoughts of man's heart were only "evil" continually (Genesis 6:5). Is the Lord God guilty of thinking and doing that which is "evil" in a moral sense, or does He do that which is wrong?

Consider three biblical statements that show that God could never think or act in an evil (bad, wicked, immoral) fashion:

"...the LORD is upright: he is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him!" (Psalms 92:15). Since "all unrighteousness is sin" (I John 5:17), and there is no unrighteousness in God, then there is no sin, and thus no wickedness or evil in His character;
"What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid" (Romans 9:14). Again, no unrighteousness with God means that He could never do that which is not right;
"For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth" (Psalms 33:4). That being the case, Jehovah could never be guilty of doing that which is wrong or evil in a moral sense.

If God is not capable of doing that which is wicked, then why does the Bible speak of Him doing "evil"? In the Old Testament, the word "evil" is often translated from the Hebrew word ra, which can mean "bad" or "evil." But it can also mean "adversity, affliction, calamity, grief, harm, sorrow, or trouble" [Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, word #7451]. This information helps us realize that in the Bible "evil" can be used in the sense of adversity, affliction, or calamity, and in such instances it does not refer to "evil" in a moral sense.

When the Bible speaks of God framing, bringing, or doing evil, the meaning is simply that He did that which, from man's point of view, would be counted as adversity, punishment, disaster, or affliction. The Lord does not, and cannot, do that which is wrong or immoral. Thus, the "evil" that He works is that which, from man's vantage point, is some type of punishment or bad and unpleasant experience.

The New King James Version updates some of the verses in Jeremiah. The KJV and ASV state that the LORD brought "evil" (Jeremiah 4:6); the NKJV states that He brought "disaster." The LORD thought to do "evil" (Jeremiah 18:8); the NKJV says "disaster.' God framed "evil" (Jeremiah 18:11); the NKJV again says "disaster." Jehovah pronounced "evil" against His people (Jeremiah 26:13,19), meaning that He planned to destroy the nation of Judah; the NKJV says that He pronounced "doom" against them. God's "evil" was simply some type of disaster or doom for His rebellious people.
When Job's wife called upon him to "curse God and die" (Job 2:9), Job's response was, "What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10). When Job spoke of "evil" coming from God he had reference to the disaster of losing his children and livestock. By speaking of evil that the Lord sent to him, Job was by no means accusing God of doing that which is immoral. How can we be sure of this? The Bible declares, "in all this did not Job sin with his lips" (Job 2:10).

Three closing thoughts. First, if something is evil in the sense of being wicked or against God's will, then we need to abhor it and abstain from it (Romans 12:9; I Thessalonians 5:22). Second, the Bible never contradicts itself. If God can do no wrong, yet He is said to do "evil," then our explanation of His "evil" must not contradict the many plain biblical statements that point to His flawless character. Finally, let us never under any circumstance accuse God of wrongdoing. Let us never allow Satan to place a doubt in our minds about God's holiness and righteousness!

Adventure

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 17:37:25 +0000

by Zeke Flores

Perhaps the most effective employment ad was also one of the most bizarre and unlikely. It reportedly read, “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger. Safe return doubtful.”

You wouldn’t think there would be men lining up for that job, but the employer was overwhelmed with responses. The recruiter allegedly said, “𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘶𝘴.” The employer was Sir Ernest Shackleton, and the “job” was for men to assist in his expedition to the South Pole. Or so goes the legend associated with the ad. While we can’t be 100% certain such an ad actually appeared, it’s not difficult to imagine.

It not only appealed to the adventurous spirit in most people, but also to the deep-down courage and desire most have to achieve something great, no matter the cost. For the men who followed Shackleton, they certainly experienced hardships they had never encountered before. Still, they made history and achieved something far greater than they might have by staying home. The ad appeals to the heroic and determined nature in every one of us, but it is up to us to dig down, turn it up, and persevere!

It reminds me of Jesus’ words in Luke 9:23 where He appeals to people to deny self, take up their cross daily, and follow Him. Jesus calls men and women to a dangerous journey, the way of the cross. But we don’t go without a Leader. As Shackleton would lead his men on that hazardous journey to the South Pole, in a much larger way, Jesus went before us and blazed the way we should go.

Through the centuries, many have responded to the call of courage by forsaking all to follow Jesus. Paul was one, and the list of hardships he endured (II Corinthians 11) attests to his unswerving dedication. For many others, there were times of darkness and constant danger, but their commitment to the mission prevailed. Ours can too. He continues to call for those who will follow Him regardless of the cost.

Will you?

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23).

"Are they servants of Christ? -- I speak as if insane -- I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death" (II Corinthians 11:23).