07/23/2020
Are we growing more Intense, and diligent, in our faith with each passing day, or do we approach it like children who become tired with the same toys over time? When we allow ourselves to simply go through the motions of faith, and to lose sight of the immediacy of it, then we can’t possibly experience the fullness of God’s joy, or feel the love that radiates from Calvary. Do we rise each morning in wonder, that is, do we lift our faces towards the heavens thinking that we are a day closer to the coming of Jesus?
“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”
Romans 13:11 ESV
We should look at our faith as living, and not some dead pursuit that lies dormant as we go through the motions of religion, and engage in idle chatter about waiting on Jesus to return for us, when we really don’t believe it might possibly be today. The Jews in Jesus day had become almost lifeless in their faith, the feasts just came and went in tiresome and routine fashion, and the pointlessness of waiting on a Messiah that wouldn’t come today, but when Jesus actually arrived He changed the way of relating and worshiping God. For those who believed in Him, He brought life into the Jewish faith. We should feel that same sense of excitement, living, and life today.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 10:10 ESV
Have you ever considered that our lives would be incredibly mundane if it weren’t for the hardships we face, the suffering we endure, and yes, even the temptations we face? The challenges in our lives cause us to seek God anew with each new one we face, and to approach our days with a renewed vigor for our faith. How would our life be if we had only perfect health, secure and comfortable lives, and every provision we could imagine? How would we know to be happy, joyous, or satisfied if everything was always the same... perfectly apportioned, without need for hope? No, our lives are meant to be a tool by which we come to understand the nature of God, and as we live them out they help us to remain fresh in Him. Every challenge draws us closer to Him, reveals more of His personality, and the life of Jesus shows us exactly how we should form our relationship with Him, and gives us hope in His emanate return.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV
When a child is given everything it wants and faces life without any lack, or hardship, then they lose respect for what they have, and for the hand that provides it. Each day is expected to be like the last; only they want more, and appreciate less. If we look around us today we see a great deal of this in modern western society... it is dying by degree, and can’t judge the goodness of the day against the hardships of the past because they have forgotten those challenges, and have become like bored children, even in their faith... if they have any left. Nothing is sacred, nothing moral, and every foundation subject to destruction. As for Christianity? Well, they have lost faith in the return of the Jesus, the Messiah, just as ancient Jews had lost faith in the His first arrival.
““But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
Matthew 24:36-39 ESV
So how do we choose to face our day? Are our hardships meant to be overcome by our governments, benefactors, friends, perhaps by winning a lottery, or do we trust in God, and pray in the name of Jesus? Do we turn our backs on our faith because we don’t know how to wait on God any longer in the midst of our instant society? Today is a new day, and an opportunity to see God, Jesus, and life, in a new and amazing way, but we need to approach it with anticipation, hope, and by trusting in the Lord. We need to look at our problems and suffering not just for relief from them, but for the presence of God in them, and for lessons of faith that will blossom forth from having lived through them. Most of all, we need to open our eyes and realize that today, this hour, minute, or second, the trumpet might sound and Jesus return. This is how we should approach every day, and every second in it. Are we living this way? Is our intensity in faith growing with each passing day? Is our excitement in life being fed by our desire to hear the trumpet, and see the clouds part
Prayer:
Father, thank you for keeping our faith fresh, and our senses honed as we wait on the arrival of Jesus Christ to claim His bride. Help us Lord to remain faithful, and trusting in you, as we face our many trials in life. Open our eyes Father to your presence, and instruction in every tribulation. Renew us day by day as we live through them with you. Never let our faith falter, or fade away because of our having lost patience as we longed for instant gratification; keep our hope alive Lord. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who gives us understanding of your goodness through the bad things we find in the world, and reveals the evil in sin by the righteousness of your Perfect Son Jesus. Praised be your name in the easy and happy times, but especially in the hard times when we worship you from within our suffering, and find truths about you that we couldn’t see in any other way. Great are you, and greatly to be praised as we celebrate your large and small victories in our faith. You are merciful Father, and lift the burdens from us when they become too much for us to bear. All glory is yours Lord, and your grace the greatest of them all. Hear our excitement in our prayers as we face each day in the newness and joy of our ever increasing faith. Give us knowledge of who you are, and may your a Holy Spirit lead us to ever increasing heights in our love for you. If today is the day when Jesus, returns, we pray that you find us pure, worthy, and washed clean in His blood, so that our judgement will be joyous, and our eternity with you our reward.
“Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”
1 Peter 4:16-19 ESV
Rich Forbes