John 15:2
“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”
Life without hard times is not realistic, and life without hard times will be fruitless. Everything needs adversity. The plane needs the adversity of the headwind so it can fly. The ship needs the adversity of the wind so it can sail. The engine needs the adversity of the spark so it can run. The weight lifter needs the adversity of the weight so he can gain strength. Adversity is simply resistance, and resistance builds.
In the verse above, God shows us why we need adversity. He compares the Christian life to the grape vine. The grape vine must be purged if it is going to bear fruit. The whole purpose of planting the vine is so that the owner can have fruit. Yet, in this comparison, you can see several reasons why a Christian needs adversity.
First, you need adversity so you can see your weakness and His strength. Without adversity we will become filled with pride. Adversity tends to show us that we cannot make it without Him. Adversity reminds us that we are the vine and God is the husbandman. Adversity will help you to keep yourself in proper perspective.
Second, you need adversity so you can remove what is hindering your fruit bearing. The verse above shows us that God purges us. What is the purpose of the purging? The purpose is to remove those things that will rob us of our capacity to grow. I have found that every time I go through adversity God shows me something that is hindering my Christian life. Adversity often has a way of showing us a part of ourselves that we never saw before. When we see that ugly side of ourselves, we can then go to work on it and remove it so that we can be better Christians and bear fruit for God.
Third, you need adversity so you will abide in Him. You will never survive without abiding in Christ. I find that adversity pushes me back to the Scriptures and to my knees in prayer. This is good! You may not like the adversity, but you will certainly like the time you get to spend with the LORD. Adversity will push you to abide in Christ so you can find the answers you need.
Fourth, you need adversity so you can bear fruit. The reason adversity causes us to bear fruit is because we realize our weakness and need to remove those things that are hindering us, and it gets us to run to Christ for help; thus, the result is fruit. When you get these things working together, you will find that your life will produce fruit for Christ.
Fifth, you need adversity so you can bear more fruit. Here is the whole purpose of your adversity. God doesn’t just want fruit, but He wants more fruit. Once you start bearing fruit, God will send more adversity your way so you can bear more fruit in your life. In other words, God allows you to endure adversity so He can increase your potential. Every time you endure adversity, it allows you the opportunity to use that adversity to help others; thus, you start bearing more fruit in your Christian life.
Christian, I can certainly understand that you don’t enjoy the adversity you face, but that adversity is there to help you bear more fruit in your life. Your adversity is there to help you reach your greatest potential. Instead of fighting the adversity in your life, embrace it and find a way to use it so you can become more fruitful. When you see the fruit that comes from your adversity, then that will be the day when you will be thankful God sent adversity your way.