The dictionary defines the word ‘adventure’ this way: “an undertaking involving unknown risks, an exciting or remarkable experience.” On this Monday morning a new week of adventure begins. Despite our best plans, we do not know what Friday will bring us, whether we will look back over the days with pleasure or sorrow, do we? My preference is predictable, controlled. Feeling ‘out of control’ is one of the most stressful things in life for me. Chaotic situations call a response from me to impose order or if that is not possible, to escape at the earliest opportunity.
The God I serve does
not submit Himself to my rules, my expectations, or my controls.
He invites us to
live the adventure that is His will.
Who can fully explain why God does what He does?
Joseph is one of my favorite OT characters. His life was full of adventure, not all of it enjoyable, but in it all God was accomplishing HIS purposes. As mysterious as it may appear to us, God even used the sins of others to accomplish His plan. He used scheming, jealous brothers to get Joseph from the sheep fields to Egypt. He used a wife looking for an affair to take Joseph from Potiphar's comfortable house to the Pharaoh's palace! Wasn't there another way, a less painful route for Joseph to become the one who would save his people? Apparently not!
Let me be clear. God does not make anyone sin or do evil. James
assures us that "God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt
anyone." (James 1:13, NIV) But, the mystery of faith includes acceptance
of the fact that where evil rises up, our God is capable of using it to His
purposes.
This mystery is at the heart of the story of the Cross of Christ! An
ugly method of torture, used by the Romans to impose order through terror on
their far-flung empire, became the means that God used to offer up Himself for
our sins. He allowed Himself to become the object of sinful, cruel,
scheming, selfish people and from all that came something too wonderful for
words. Evil men crucified Christ and, as they spilled His blood on the earth,
love and life blossomed. Rational? Not really! It is revealed Truth,
accepted by faith.
Now, I must say that in this adventure called ‘life,’ we
must not be passive, must not let ourselves drift along on the currents. We need not surrender to it all, just trying
to make the best of a bad situation. We are invited, by Jesus, to become agents
of Heaven, full of the Spirit, people who expend effort to establish His
kingdom, to defeat sin, evil, injustice, and cruelty wherever we find these
things. We do this even as we know that
He works through suffering to make us more like Himself. Our best response to this
adventure of life is to remember this: "We live by faith, not by sight."
(2 Corinthians 5:7, NIV) Does that seem
a daunting challenge?
Know this: He does not ask you to muster up such faith on
your own. Paul, whose life was an
adventure of apparent failures mixed with success was inspired to tells us that
"the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know
what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings
that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows
what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony
with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together
for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for
them.
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his
Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them,
he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing,
he gave them his glory." (Romans 8:26-30, NLT)
The following words were scratched into a wall of the Warsaw Ghetto by an unknown Jew during the Second World War. Death was all around. The face of God was obscured by terrible darkness. But, faith was there too. Take a look.
"I believe in the sun, even if it does not shine.
I believe in love even if I do not feel it.
I believe in God, even if I do not see Him."
Ask God this day for faith to walk the adventure that is
life, without fear, boldly trusting Him to lead the way. Here's a word from the
Word.
"What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is
going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. … So, you see,
it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him
must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek
him. … It was by faith that Moses, when
he grew up, refused to be treated as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to
share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures
of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of the Messiah than to
own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the great reward that
God would give him." (Hebrews 11:24-26, NLT)
Let’s take on the adventure confident in the reward for the
faith-filled! Have a great day!
(Video of this blog at this link)
_______________
All
The Way My Savior Leads Me
All the way my Savior leads me
What have I to ask beside
Can I doubt His tender mercy
Who through life has been my Guide
Heav'nly peace divinest comfort
Here by faith in Him to dwell
For I know whate'er befall me
Jesus doeth all things well
For I know whate'er befall me
Jesus doeth all things well
All the way my Savior leads me
Cheers each winding path I tread
Gives me grace for ev'ry trial
Feeds me with the living bread
Though my weary steps may falter
And my soul athirst may be
Gushing from the Rock before me
Lo a spring of joy I see
Gushing from the Rock before me
Lo a spring of joy I see
All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father's house above
When my spirit clothed immortal
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages
Jesus led me all the way
This my song through endless ages
Jesus led me all the way
Fanny Jane Crosby
© Words: Public Domain
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