All in Living Faith
08/05/2023 - The Simple Five Letter Answer to - "Why Lord?"
Is what God is doing, or not doing, in your life a frustrating mystery? Do you pray for a certain thing over and over again, but it doesn't seem to be heard? How about the troubles in your life; does God's plan for you regarding them confuse or stump you? Well don't feel alone, and let's explore this mystery today.
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 hear the call, and go to the altar where, in that magnificent moment, we give ourselves to Jesus Christ, but when we do so are we fully prepared to live Our life as He lives His? We know where we are coming from; the life of the world is fresh in us, but do we see the light ahead, and feel the love and joy that awaits our next step in Christ, knowing that it will be met with temptation and suffering? can we possibly see all that is expected of us, and what awaits us, and still want a relationship with Him?
Having spoken to some who claim to be Christian, and yet struggle with Jesus having risen from the grave, I am now careful to ask... Do you stand watching at the cross, and do you carry Jesus to the tomb? Then, do you return to the tomb after the Sabbath to find the grave empty, and believe He has risen? In this way I know their faith., because who are we, and who is Jesus without the resurrection? Where is our hope? Where is our victory? Where is our promise of eternity? Without the resurrection we are doomed to return to the grave day after day to tend to a body, and mourn the dead.
Do you ever feel like one of the lesser believers? When work is handed out at church do you always seem to get the mundane tasks, or the grunt work? If so then rejoice and don’t lose heart! Faith is not like everyday worldly life... in faith the least shall be first. You are like the camp of Dan, and although you bring up the rear there is great importance in that. These are the most humble, most unsung, and yet most dependable of all.
Are you a blessing to the Lord in all the things you do, the praise you give, and the worship to enter into, or do you just do good and moral things? Do you look to God for provision, healing, salvation, enlightenment, and other such blessings, or do you consider these things to be the result of the moral life you lead, and of your own doing? You acknowledge God, you believe Jesus Christ lived, but do you believe that they are just as as alive and active in your life today as in the times of the early saints? What is your expectation of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in your life?
Are you being a disappointment in your faith, and a worry to God? This is one of those questions we should ask ourselves from time to time. Ephesians 4:17-32 contains guidance for us pertaining to the new life we are living in Jesus Christ. Our question then becomes, are we living it fully as the Holy Spirit reveals and teaches us, or are we causing our God to worry over us?