All in Christian

So many of us make empty attempts at fasting and prayer, or say we believe and then act differently during our days. We call a day Sabbath, but never rest, nor attempt to seek the presence of God in it. In these ways, among others, we dishonor Him, and raise His ire against us. Then without our focus on Him we believe that the calamities that befall us are not meant to be our punishment, and act surprised when they arise. It is time to open our eyes to Jesus Christ, to pray and fast before God as we should. It is time to honor Him on the Sabbath, and call out His name with expectation.

As Christians, how are we living right now in this time of fear and global sickness? Where are we placing our faith, and our hope? Moreover, in whom are we steadfastly trusting? When we suddenly find ourselves locked out of our church buildings, unable to take communion with the other saints, and facing great difficulty, are we looking towards the Lord and asking “Do you know us? Have you forsaken us?” In times of great hardship, and uncertainty Satan finds The hunting easy, but don’t fall victim, because our God is still ever present, and knows who we are... we are His!

Do you witness to others, or are you a teacher, or preacher, of the gospel of Jesus Christ? If you do one or more of these things, or hold any of the other positions of faith... even to the maintenance staff, then you are given a special obligation regarding your diligence in faithfulness, and works, that is above the other believers. If however, you are a believer in the church who is doing well to search out your own salvation every day, you too have an obligation, and it is greater than those who are still lost. Yet all have the basic need to do works in service of our Father, His Son, and His Heavenly Kingdom.

In times of plague, or Pandemic, we are  challenged, and this challenge is multiplied, as sickness races around the world. In such situations we have a tendency to fall into despair, fear, and panic. In times like this we are prone to lose our courage, and feel our strength of faith waning as it is attacked on all fronts by doubt, and the lies of Satan. He tells us such things as “God has forgotten you”, “God is angry with you and will strike you down with plague!”, or “This is too big for God to handle!”, but all of these lies are untrue for those who believe. God’s Word is certainly the hope of the faithful.

We may serve the Lord, pray eloquent prayers, give to the poor, and do all of those other commandments and mercies that God’s Word speaks of, but does that make us righteous? Does that make us Holy? At the end of the day are we any closer to our Heavenly Father? The question in doing any of these things should be this: “Am I doing this thing lovingly, and because I love the Lord?”, and if we stutter in our response, or can’t honestly say “Yes!”, then it is time to stop doing them and look closer at our faith, our heart, and our relationship with God.

Are you proud of the faith you have? Is your nose held high as you look down on the faithfulness of others? Do you go to church thinking “What a great Christian I am!”, or that you have built such a wonderful church building for God... isn’t it beautiful, and He most certainly comes here because of my exquisite handiwork! If you entertain thoughts such as these then my friend, you are teetering on the precipice of hell. God works in us, and our work without His presence means nothing. Jesus prepares a place for us, and we have nothing to prepare for Him, or offer Him, except our humbled heart that longs to believe in Him, and love Him.

When we are in the midst of some earthly challenge, or tragedy, and our prayers have been made, but the answer escapes us, or is not to our liking, do we begin to question God? Perhaps God intervenes, a miracle occurs, but it isn’t exactly what we have envisioned; do we approach Him with indignation and frustration because what He gave us wasn’t enough in our eyes? Well how do we, creatures of time, presume to think that our thoughts, or plans, are more perfect, good, or wise, than Gods will for us?

People argue that our faith is evolving, and God is changing to accommodate mankind’s changing nature, but is that true? When we look at God, and view our history with Him, have we ever seen Him change, or evolve? Some use the coming of Jesus to argue their point, but if we look at the Bible we see that Messianic Prophecy begins from almost the moment of Adam’s fall, and invalidates this as an argument for change. We change, but God remains the same... truth is always truth, good always good, light is always light, and so forth.

There are two ways in which we can approach faith, we can look at the law as they did in the Old Testament, or we can search all our days for the Lord, and do so with our whole heart through Jesus. Some find it more to their liking to have an absolute list of things they must do without fail, and trusting in themselves, gauge their victory or defeat by it. However, others, knowIng those same things, face their shortcomings, and seek after God each day... covered fresh by Christ’s blood. 

Is there anything of yourself that out of love you have given to, or for, another? Is there anything you consider so valuable, or so dear to you, that you wouldn’t consider parting with? We often think that the most precious possession we have is our life, but is that true? Jesus gave up His life for us, and for the love He felt for God. He valued these two so completely that His life was considered less, and thus, at His Father’s request, He gave it in horrific fashion to redeem mankind... even for those who would wound Him. He loved, and He loved something He considered more precious than His own life. 

Glory, honor, fame, fortune, power, these are all temptations valued highly by man’s carnal self, and their control over us can be spiritually devastating, and even bleed over into our physical wellbeing as well. How far would any of us be willing to go for them, or to resist them? Would we abandon our faith for them? Would we drop down on our knees to someone who could give them to us as if they were a god? How do we face such temptation?

Satan is a wily sort, and on occasion he is known to use scripture, God’s own Word,  against us by taking it out of context, or misrepresenting its interpretation. When Jesus came out of the wilderness we saw Satan tempt Him in just this way, and in similar fashion we see this happening today. Scripture is powerful, and the adversaries of faith attempt to string convenient verses together to undermined the truth in God’s Word. Knowing the Word is our defense against such attack. 

Sometimes we are tempted in places that should be safe. Jesus was tempted in His safe place, on the pinnacle of the temple, the house of God, and we can be tempted in our churches as well. Have you ever had a squabble on Sunday morning with someone at church, and found that you couldn’t sleep at all that night... or did you go home smug in the fact that you had really told that so and so a thing or two?