My heart broke as I read a blog in which a man wrote about
the death of his faith in God. His story was compelling! A boy from his
youth group died tragically while this man stood watching. As the life
drained from that boy he prayed for a miracle that never came. He said that was
the moment when he concluded that God was not Who he thought he was. I not
going to blame that man for failure because I believe it more likely to be true
that he was inadequately equipped. His Christianity, as he describes it, was
largely based on ‘experience’ rather than being constructed with both healthy
reason and acceptance of Divine Mystery.
It is important to ask if the roots of our faith are deep,
if our hope in God is built on solid rock or just feeling some `good vibes'.
In many churches Christians are not being trained to live for Christ, or
to aspire to greatness, holiness, and unwavering commitment. Instead,
they are hyped up on emotionalism, sentimentalism, and a great ‘worship’ experience!
Even more tragic is that many do not know the difference. Rugged
faith is founded on God's revealed truth, the holy Word. It is
strengthened by daily decisions that are made in alignment with that Truth.
And, it will stand up when tragedies, cancer, disappointment, temptation, and
mystery come our way.
Paul urged Timothy to let a rugged faith develop. "My
son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ... endure
hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." (2 Timothy 2:1,3, NKJV)
Those are not texts often preached in our American churches. Our
sermons are as padded as our pews! Make no mistake. God is not asking us
to seek out misery for miseries sake, but He is telling us to get into
training, to do the hard stuff – with an eye on growing up into spiritual
maturity.
How many prayers have you prayed asking God to take away the
tough choices instead of courage to live through the circumstances with faith and a focus on eternity? When we try to avoid hard
choices and steep pathways we will inevitably have an under-developed faith.
When we step away from service that demands sacrifice, or run away from the
work of forgiveness, or refuse to face the hard facts about our sins and
weakness, we make faith unnecessary. Yes, many of us choose wide
detours that keep us on smooth highways that keep us from breaking a holy
sweat! But, those choices also make our spiritual muscles non-existent.
Jesus will lead us through deep valleys as well as onto high mountains. He will
take us through seasons that cause us to hunger deeply for more of God.
He said "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow
gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who
choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is
difficult, and only a few ever find it." (Matthew 7:13-14, NLT)
That message is counter to our culture and mostly falls on
deaf ears. Americans want it all now and value happiness far more
than most everything else.
Perhaps you wonder, why work so hard to own what I cannot
see or hold in my hands? The answer is found in our destination.
Heaven is our true home, not this present world. We live kingdom lives
now so that we can enter the Kingdom gloriously at Christ’s return or the
moment of our death. Will we live like Abraham? "By
an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place
that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By
an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger
camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise.
Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal
foundations—the City designed and built by God. " (Hebrews 11:8-10,
The Message)
Disciple, do not be seduced by the preachers who promises
perpetual prosperity and unending happiness. Such
"Christianity" will break down when real adversity shows up;
and it will. If your ‘faith’ is shaped around 'Bible study' that is just a
search for the daily promise, prayers that are little more than ‘bless me,
Jesus’ - you’re headed for a crisis and a likely loss of ‘faith.’
Isaiah says that real faith is shaped around real choices to connect with
God and do His work. (Pause here and ask the Holy Spirit to make these
words live. Now, read on.) "Then when you pray, God will
answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you get rid of
unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s
sins, If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the
down-and-out, Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed
lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give
you a full life in the emptiest of places— firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll
be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll
use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from
out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old
ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again. " (Isaiah
58:9-12, The Message)
If your life is blessed today, praise God and begin to 'lay
up treasure' in Heaven, by building a rugged faith that will stand when the
world around you crumbles. The steady practice of spiritual disciplines
produces a harvest of righteousness from which we can be sustained in the lean
times.
Worship faithfully, not the `god' of your
imagination, but Awesome Lord of Glory found in Isaiah's visions, at the Cross
of Calvary, and in the dungeon with Paul.
Learn the Word and really eat the Truth,
meditating on it, so it is driven down deep to the core of your soul. Don't let
religious jargon that sounds like the real thing replace the Truth that will
keep you in times of trials.
Here's a word from the Word. Note especially the outcome of
a rugged faith. "It will bring you much praise and glory on the day
when Jesus Christ is revealed."
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God
raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we
have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you,
pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your
faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation,
which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad.
There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a
little while.
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is
being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more
precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials,
it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ
is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen
him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a
glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation
of your souls." (1 Peter 1:3-9, NLT)
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