“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7).

The Christian life is one of adversity. The Bible tells us that this is of a necessity and is the result of living a Godly life (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus said that the World hates us because it hates Him (John 15:18-23). As so this is our portion in this World as we identity with Christ, showing forth His Life in us.

But we need not to despair when we are facing mountain-sized obstacles and trials of faith brought on by the World. We have the assurance that Christ has already overcome the World (John 16:33) and that He causes us to be triumphant (2 Corinthians 2:14). Our text gives us comfort and a word of encouragement to “let go and let God” do what He has promised to do – care for us.

This message may be stated in the form of a mathematical equation:

Trials plus Christ equals Assurance

Taking each of these factors as a point for discussion, we can get a better understanding of our relationship with Christ as He has promised to bear our burdens. We can come to see that the battle belongs to Him, and that He will make us to be victorious in our Christian life.

In the previous devotion, we looked at Trials. Today we look at the second part of our equation: Christ.

Christ:

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

We’ve taken a look at trials and seen how some of our problems are in fact beneficial to us. But this is only true if we apply the second factor or our equation to our problems. That factor is Christ. Jesus tells us that tribulation is our lot in this world. That’s all there is to it. We’ve seen that this opposition comes as we are identified with Christ. The world hates Christ, and so we are hated by association.

But then Jesus gives us words of comfort by telling us that He has already overcome the World – it has been overcome! Christ is greater than the World. He’s greater than the tribulations; the trials; the persecutions; the problems; the worries; the woes; ANYTHING that the World will bring against us. Great peace is possible to us regardless of the problems we face, because Christ has already won the victory.

“Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)

As we apply the factor of Christ to the factor of our problems, we see that there is peace in Him because He is greater than our greatest problem; and that He has already overcome the World, the source of our problems. Not only has Christ already overcome the World, but He also causes us to overcome, as we are baptized “in Him.” As we become One Spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17), we are able to overcome all of our trials by His Power.

God’s Power at work in us “always causeth us to triumph in Christ.” The victory that Christ has won is given to us – every trial; every test; every obstacle – we always triumph because He causes us to. We are again faced with the Sovereignty of God as He Reigns over everything. He causes us to be victorious over the World, to walk in His peace, as a witness of His victory, the knowledge of which is unto God a sweet savour of Christ – to the saved as well as the lost (2 Corinthians 2:15-16).