The story of the rich man and Lazarus does not have to do with accepting or rejecting Christ. It concerns the reversal of blessings in the future as those who were rich but unwilling to share their wealth are brought low while the despised of the earth are exalted.

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. (Luke 16:25)

Christ suffered much in the world and then was raised to glory. We are to enter the fellowship of His sufferings. We are to go outside the camp with Him bearing His reproach. If we suffer with Him we also will be glorified together with Him.

The willingness to suffer patiently is one of the virtues common to all Christian saints. He who is unwilling to defer his joy until the Lord's time comes for him to experience that joy can never make a success of the Christian discipleship.

All of us march along carrying our cross. Our Kingdom is not of the world. During our pilgrimage we receive countless blessings at the hand of the Lord. But we also are called on to set aside some of our most intense desires. This can prove to be very difficult, very trying. But it also is very necessary. This is how we enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

For those of us who live in wealthy nations our environment is one of much material luxury. Our fleshly desires can be gratified readily. Therefore the Christian churches in the wealthy countries are soft. They are lukewarm in their love toward Christ. The flesh is strong but the spirit is weak.

The Gospel of the Kingdom calls us to a life of self-denying, cross-carrying obedience to the Father in Heaven. We must lay aside the comforts of the flesh and follow the Lord with patience. In many instances we must look to the future for the satisfying of our desires. For the rich this is extremely difficult. They are accustomed to giving to their flesh everything that it demands. The Gospel of the Kingdom is hard on the flesh, and the flesh will rebel if our spirit does not, through the Holy Spirit, keep control of our personality.

In actuality the key to the Christian life is found in the saying, "He that saves his life shall lose it and he that loses his life for My sake and the Gospel's shall find it. It is impossible to be a true Christian until we come to the Lord Jesus and voluntarily lay down our life so His unhindered will may be performed in us and through us. The fact that we must agree to lose our own life before we can consider ourselves to be converted may well be the greatest area of ignorance of our century. But there is no genuine Christian salvation apart from this.

We mourn because our country is filled with sinners who mock God with their abominable behavior. We mourn because righteousness is not filling the land. We mourn because we do not see the reviving power of the Holy Spirit. We mourn because the Lord's Presence is not as tangible as we desire it to be. We mourn because our own conduct and faith often fall short of the Glory of God.

But we shall be comforted. Those who are flaunting their self-will and self-seeking will mourn in that day for the Lord Jesus will give to them the fruit of their doings.

To be continued.