Following Christ has brought so much to my life--a hope and a purpose, a solid foundation, a clear path to walk, a promise of eternity, the touch of God Himself--but sometimes it doesn't seem like enough.
It's not enough when justice does not appear to be served.
It's not enough when Christians don't act like Christ.
It's not enough when I get tired of fighting.
It's not enough when the world behaves so much like, well, the world.
When evil triumphs. When power and privilege corrupt, then corrupt more. When people who have made wrong decisions make worse ones.
Living went so much more smoothly when I went with the flow, when I let the world carry me along rather than buck its trend, even though I know its trend leads to destruction.
Anyone who tries to follow Christ is subject to this:
I am afraid that, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds might be led astray from devotion to Christ.--2Corinthians 11:3
In the end, an expectation of ease leads to evil. It happened to Adam and Eve. It happens to us.
We have got to understand that our lives as Christians will be hard and will not get much easier this side of heaven. That's why God warns us that He has to be enough. Always. Just Him.
Or:
Since they did not think knowledge of God worthwhile, He gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done.--Romans 1:28
God gives us peace, but peace does not equal ease.
As odd as it sounds, peace comes from not giving up, from arming ourselves every day, from admitting that the world is Satan's territory and a hostile place, then living in it as God's own.
Ease and comfort come with living in Satan's world as Satan's own, and this I cannot do.
I know the truth. I already took the red pill. There is no going back.
Lord search me; test me and know my anxious thoughts.--Psalm 139:23
I feel the same...no matter what...He trumps all.
ReplyDeleteEase of expectation leads to evil... that'll preach. In fact, the young man preaching at the church we visited today said this, "God isn't interested in our comfort; He's interested in our character."
ReplyDeleteBoy, Cheryl, your young preacher is so right. A shock to the prosperity gospel folks, I'm afraid, but much more beneficial in the light of eternity.
DeleteWe're not on this world for ease, are we? Have you heard the song, "My God is enough; I've proved it o'er and o'er."
ReplyDeleteYes, I have, and yes, He is enough. Good to hear from you.
DeleteWhat an interesting approach....and perfect verse...
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing!
AMEN!! There is absolutely no going back. And, just as you indicated, we/others cannot just come to Him and then sit back and relax. We, whether we see it clearly this way or not, are warriors, servers, watchers, keepers. Very little/few relaxing moments, unless HE pours that over us over and over. Thanks...
ReplyDeleteWarriors, servers, watchers, keepers. Yes, all of them--the last two as much as the first. Abide.
DeleteThis is a reminder we all need, I think...but I also think it matters *how* we arm and go out into the world. I think as Christians we tend to bark up the wrong trees, thinking there's a political solution to the evils of the world, beating our heads against secular walls that may never come down--instead of working heart to heart, person to person, listening to where people are and meeting them there instead of approaching evangelization as a crusade, so to speak. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I'm not giving up on the Gospel, but I'm shifting the way I try to share it.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. Evangelism as a crusade, at least in this country, seems to do less and less good. Witnessing has become an empathetic one-on-one activity. We, that is Christians as an entity, have done ourselves so much harm by using God's word apart from His love. Every time we witness, it's like we have to undo it all first.
DeleteThanks for stopping. So glad it made you think. Even if we don't agree, thinking about what God has for us is so good.
ReplyDeleteNice. I've taken the red pill too. Thanks for linking up today!
ReplyDelete"Living went so much more smoothly when I went with the flow..." Yep...and ouch! Glad I took the red pill too! Thanks for linking up to the spotLIGHT series.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post.
ReplyDelete