Skip to main content

Repost: Faithful One

Originally post: November 5, 2010

I have been revisiting many of my old posts and I have found that my younger self is encouraging my older self.

In this post the words I typed back then are still so true today and I'm glad I could remind myself of that.

So without further ado... Faithful One Updated




The life of a Christian is not, I repeat, is NOT an easy one. Choosing Christ is not an easy choice. Living of the world however is easy because that is how our nature is inclined. The Bible says, 

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. 

We as Christians are to be partakers of Christ's suffering. Jesus' life was not an easy one. His choice to die was not an easy one. So why do we assume that our lives, if we truly want to live a life according to the will of our Heavenly Father, will be easy? We believe this because we are misinformed.

We suffer not because God hates us or because He is a cruel God but so that through our test we will be able to lead someone else through theirs. How could Jesus comfort the sick if He had never been Himself? How could He sympathize with the poor if He had never been poor Himself? How could He understand sorrow if He had never wept a single tear? How could He ask someone to be willing to give up all they have to follow Him if He hadn't been willing to give up His life to follow God, the Father's will?

All God asks of us, as we walk this narrow road is to be faithful because He promises to be faithful to us, to the end. I know how easy it is to throw in the towel, wave the white flag, give up when it just feels like life is crashing in on you. I have been there and I have watched family members, church members suffer from cancer, illness, death, financial hardship. And it is in these time that character is built and you get to test the temperature of your relationship with God. 

I wish that I could say that I have stayed consistently faithful to God but I cannot. There have been times I have stopped praying. Times I have stopped reading His Word. Times I questioned what He was doing and what I had done to deserve what was happening to me. But even in those times God was with me and He brought into my path others who encouraged me to keep going. I have been blessed to have some great models of faithfulness to and in God in the midst of hardship. Their faith energizes my faith. 

It is easy to bail when things aren't going the way we thought they would or hoped they would. That's what the world says to do. But its not about success the way this world measures it. Its about how God measures success. I'm reminded of Paul who spent most of his adult life in prison but his faith in God never wavered. James 1 says, Count it all joy when you face challenges. If we stay faithful to the One who set us on the course in the first place God will bring us through. We are all part of this big amazing fabric called the Kingdom of God and while we may never see all the fruits of our labor while we are alive, the Kingdom WILL be furthered by our faithfulness and trust in the authority and wisdom of the Almighty and we will be blessed be by God's faithfulness to us.

Even as I typed this 6 years ago the Lord was ministering to my heart than as He is now. He's asking are you ready for me to take you places you never thought you'd go? Are you ready to cast aside all the plans you have created to take my plan for you and own it and see it thru to fulfillment? Are you ready for the tests, the struggles, the pain, the sorrow that I promise will make you better, stronger, more Christlike? When I said yes I didn't realize the tests I would face and continue to live through but He has been with me each step of the way even when I stopped holding on, He never let go.

Let's be clear here, DON'T go looking for suffering. And don't think that good things don't happen to the people of God. God takes care of His people, make no mistake. But when suffering seems to come knocking at your door what are you gonna do with it? Are you gonna let it defeat you or are you gonna run to the arms of your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to give you the strength to make it through?

Remember that God will ALWAYS be faithful to you. He is the Faithful One. He promises to never leave nor forsake. He has a plan for you, to prosper you and to give you a future and a hope. Do you trust Him to work out whatever it is? It isn't easy. Jesus proves that. When the Father asked Him to die and He knew it would be awful because He would be separated from God for a moment when He took on all the sins of the world but He was faithful. Now He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven His relationship with Father restored. Our reward for our faithfulness will be far more amazing then anything this world can offer if we put our faith and trust in the Most High God.

Its not easy but its WORTH IT.

The Unlikely Missionary
DHW
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Praise Break - Ghost Town (Freedom)

The earth was new, a great frontier The perfect place to spread his fear So satan set up shop to draw them in Bright lights to display all his wares "Come on in, forget your cares" That devil knew just how to package sin People came from far and wide Not a guilty soul denied But before they knew they'd been deceived They'd step inside and never leave They said his eyes were black as coal His voice a shudder to the soul He preyed upon the broken and the proud He told them they were lost for good No one loved them and who would Before too long he owned that fallen town And from inside the gates they'd wail: Who can save us from this hell? And as their hopes turned into tears He laughed and all his demons stood and cheered Then down a dirt road from the east Came one, they said, could slay the beast But did not fight with bullets or a sword They called him Mercy and at his side A thousand angels chose to ride And a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Expectation in God

  So now wrap your heart tightly around the hope that lives within us, knowing that God always keeps his promises!     -Hebrews 10:23, Passion Translation   I was taught that expecting God to give me things or do things for me was bad. We’re told to ask God for things but, in the same breath, not expect Him to give them to us. It was in the name of piety but how backward is that? Especially because it contradicts God’s Word. Then on the flip side, now we tell people to "Name it and claim it" but that leads to disillusioned Christians disappointed that God hasn't granted their wishes. God isn't a genie. That contradicts God's Word too. How many of us know the scripture, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you? ( Matthew 7:7-8) If this is true, which it is, doesn’t that create expectancy? Doesn’t that mean I should expect to receive something? Of cour...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Year End Reflections

2016 has been very... (insert whatever and how many adjectives you want) Many of those who started the year won't finish it and many who didn't start it will live to see another year. The political, financial, personal, professional and emotional landscapes for most as 2017 looms may not look promising and at the very least daunting. But hope... Hope is, in my opinion, as necessary to life as air. Hopelessness is a deep pit that can swallow you whole. When our hope is built on shifting, sinking sand it is very easy for us to lose it. But.. MY hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Blood and Righteousness... God is still God. The sun still rises and sets. Jesus is still risen from the dead. So therefore I will always have hope because money, people, things, leaders, bosses, jobs, empires, nations pass away but inspite of our best efforts to destroy and eradicate God from our world HE STILL LIVES and HIS PROMISES are still TRUE . I dare not trust the sweetest...
Post a Comment
Read more