This is Why Good Things Happen to Bad People

Why do good things happen to bad people?    

Why do bad things happen to good people?   

Two of the most common questions regarding faith.    

Most people would say that they don’t believe in God because they don’t understand how a god could let bad people get good results.    

It’s an understandable question!      

If we are being governed by a power who is outside of time and able to do absolutely anything…     

Why do bad people get more money and good people get cancer?     

Why do bad people get healthy children while good people lose their child?     

Why do those who have faith suffer heartbreak and misfortune while nonbelievers experience promotion, wealth and popularity?       

I understand the frustration!     

You feel like,   

If there really is a god… he sure doesn’t pay attention to what’s going on.      

We see this same frustration in Psalm 10:1-11.         

“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord. The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them. He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.” His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the secret places he murders the innocent; His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless. He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; He lies in wait to catch the poor; He catches the poor when he draws him into his net. So he crouches, he lies low, That the helpless may fall by his strength. He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.””         

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.       

Those who do things the wrong way end up with prosperity!        

Someone who never considers God and only focuses on themselves, end up successful in their endeavors.      

They do wrong against us and they still have the sun shining on them.   

It’s a terribly poor way to get people to want to know God, if they know that bad things will still happen to them and good things will happen for nonbelievers.       

Don’t you just want to know why?          

I actually have the answer, if you are interested…           

So, are you?       

Here it is then!        

This is why good things happen to bad people.       

Let’s look at the life of a nonbeliever, who seemingly had it all when he focused on what he desired!        

Saul of Tarsus.       

He gives us some information about himself in ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.            

Saul was a zealous Jewish Pharisee who honored God’s law.      

Let’s see how zealous he was!     

“As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.”         

‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.     

“Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”          

‭‭Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.            

““I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.”                 

‭‭Acts‬ ‭22‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.        

““Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.”           

‭‭Acts‬ ‭26‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.           

So, according to scripture…  Saul was a little crazy!        

He was so passionate about Judaism that when Jews started following Jesus, he had to stop it.        

As with other Pharisees in this time, his fervor for Yahweh, kept him from accepting Jesus.      

He interpreted the scriptures differently and he already had an idea of what the messiah was going to be like; and Jesus didn’t fit the image he created in his head.     

Similarly to many religious rulers, Saul thought he knew God’s ways and he did not think God would send someone like Jesus to be their Savior.        

Saul had a stubborn dedication to what he thought he knew about God’s word, and he was only acting out of a desire to be zealously faithful.      

However, in his resolve, he had no problem harming Jews.      

As a result of his passionate pursuit, Jews were put in prison and even killed.     

He hated followers of Christ.       

He did really terrible things but he did them because he thought that he was defending Yahweh.     

Saul pursued a life of outstanding leadership in the Jewish faith and he achieved it.     

He was a Pharisee to the Pharisees.            

He was like a religious superhero to the Jewish people.      

Passionate, blameless and fearless.     

I can imagine that every young Jewish boy, looked up to Saul.        

Saul fixed his focus on defending Yahweh, at all costs!        

What he thought about God was paramount and he was not in a position to learn something about God, that he didn’t already know.   

He was stuck in his ways and ready to fight to prove that his way was right.         

In the direction he fixed his gaze, he headed in that direction.      

He pursued leadership and became a leader.    

At some point, he decided to pursue knowledge concerning God’s law and he now was the ruler of all religious rulers.     

What his primary goal was, he went in that direction; and nothing steered his attention away from that goal.      

Until…            

Something stole Saul’s attention in ‭‭Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭3‬-‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.        

He encountered Jesus.       

This picture was painted vividly for us.         

Saul was headed in a particular direction, with eyes fixed on where he wanted to go.     

Suddenly, Jesus came and took him off track.      

Saul no longer had his eyes fixed on the goal he once had…       

In fact, he was unable to see after meeting Jesus, so he was literally incapable of getting his life back on track.       

He had to change his focus in an instant.      

Which is typically what happens when anyone encounters Jesus.       

When Jesus shines light in our life, it throws us off!     

We don’t have the same goals anymore!   

The things that were paramount before, become unimportant.     

The plans that we had made previously, are not fitting now.       

Everything changes when you meet Jesus!             

“And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”          

‭‭Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.           

The course that Saul’s life was on, turned in a whole new direction, instantaneously!         

He immediately stopped oppressing Christians and started preaching about Jesus!           

He became a Christian, who was now persecuted, in the same manner that he previously persecuted Christians.        

His goal was no longer religious rank or zealous dedication in the Jewish faith.        

The goal for Paul was now to lead people to Jesus, regardless of the cost.          

Paul’s goal went from earning salvation with works and status to teaching the world that only through Jesus’ death and resurrection, can a person be saved.       

He focused on the fruit of the Spirit instead of just checking off all of the boxes of the Ten Commandments.    

When Paul was focusing on tormenting Christians, he successfully made them suffer.        

When he fixed his eyes on Torah and tried to gain right-standing with God, he certainly moved closer to this goal.           

He moved in the direction that he was aiming towards!        

Likewise, when he focused on teaching people about Jesus, many nations became Christians.      

When he focused on loving people as Jesus loved him, he faced persecution and still reached out to people with love.       

His goal was preaching the gospel, even if he suffered as a result of it, and he successfully suffered.         

When Paul was an oppressor, he had status, respect and support from religious authority.            

Paul was a Pharisee to the Pharisees, so he was most likely living very comfortably.          

He had friends in high places and was a very esteemed religious figure.           

We would probably say that in his time,   

Paul had it all!    

Someone who was doing terrible things, was still successful.      

A Christian, during this era, would probably look at him and say what we say…            

“Why do good things happen to bad people?”          

Why does God let him get away with this?       

God let’s Paul persecute innocent followers of Jesus and live a comfortable life, while Christians are still living poorly and now are in danger of persecution.           

We see both sides of the coin in Paul’s life, when he becomes the very thing that he once tormented.       

Paul endured suffering beyond belief, as a follower of Jesus.    

He tells us in ‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭24‬-‭27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬…                 

“From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—”.          

The same Jews who once supported him and commended him, were now persecuting him.         

Now Paul is “the good one”.      

Paul isn’t tormenting anyone anymore!       

He is loving all people better than ever before!          

So, why did he suffer so terribly?    

He suffered as a “good” man, yet he was supported, honored and comfortable as a “bad” man.       

This makes perfect sense!               

I’ll tell you why!        

He headed in the direction that he was focusing on.           

When he aimed to be a religious leader, he achieved that.        

Then, as he aimed to become more like Jesus, he also achieved that!      

Suffering does NOT mean you were unsuccessful!             

When people choose to make their goal in life, serving themselves and doing anything it takes to live the life that is most comfortable for them…          

They are successful in that goal.             

Where you stare, is where you steer!             

So, if you choose to make Jesus your goal in life and focus on loving people well and bearing the fruit of the Spirit…              ‭‭

You will be successful in that goal!          

However, this looks different than we think.         

Loving like Jesus means putting others before yourself, even if it hurts.        

Growing closer to Jesus and bearing fruit is gained in very difficult ways!         

love,    

joy,  

peace,  

longsuffering,  

kindness,  

goodness,  

faithfulness,  

gentleness,  

self-control…     

All of those amazing qualities take immense training!         

Training that oftentimes feels like suffering, in the moment.             

The suffering of a person who is aiming to gain this fruit, is nothing to be upset about!          

It’s actually proof that God is moving us closer to our goal, as a follower of Jesus!         

Suffering is proof of success!        

We do move closer to our goals!            

Whatever goal that is.           

God allows us to seek and find!      

Those who passionately seek selfish prosperity, status and supremacy, will most likely find it, because you move towards the direction you’re steering in.    

That’s exactly why selfish people who only care about what they could gain, actually gain tremendously.                       

This usually steers us away from the faith because we see that those who seek Jesus have less prosperity than those who disregard Jesus.     

We think that we are doing something wrong, based on our circumstances.               

This leads some people to change their focus in life to achieving their own comfort and prosperity, instead of fixing their eyes on Jesus.           

We are seeing this all wrong!        

The opportunity that God offers to the wicked is the same opportunity He offers His followers!       

We actually get the same results!       

The selfish move closer to their most important goals.           

The true follower of Jesus moves closer to his goals.             

The self-serving gains pleasures for himself because that was his goal in life!  (though, the gain is extremely temporary.)         

The committed follower of Jesus gains wisdom, trust, peace, perseverance, faithfulness, longsuffering, true love, and the stored riches of salvation!      

So, if you are wondering why “good” things happen to “bad” people,   

Just remember that, what you view as good, may not be what’s best. 

What seems like a terrible thing to fall upon a faithful believer, may not be bad at all…         

It may just be the very thing that will bring your closer to your goal of becoming more like Jesus!          

It might even be the very answer to a prayer of yours…   

You just can’t see it yet!         

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”            

‭‭I John‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.            

“For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”     

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.