2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
As we deal with the challenges to our faith, we must turn to our Father in prayer and ask Him for endurance. If we will do this in the name of Christ, He will give it to us. This is one of the perks that comes our way by being participants in the Covenant of Grace. JN 14: 13-14, “And I will do whatever you ask for in My name, so that the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask Me for anything in My name, I will do it.” I would like to share a real story of endurance of faith that isn’t over yet.
A friend sent in a prayer request about of married couple who are fellow members of her congregation. This couple had adopted a little boy three years ago and were in the process of adopting another child, a little girl from Columbia named Hannah. Just before they left to go down there for the adoption, the wife was told she was pregnant. They went down to Columbia and were there for about a month. Suddenly, little Hannah took ill and went home to be with the Father. The couple held a funeral for Hannah, but that was not to be all that happened down there. The wife took ill and was mistakenly diagnosed with meningitis. This actually turned out to be a severe sinus infection. It was also found that the wife actually was not pregnant, but had received a false positive on her pregnancy test. Anyone with less faith than this couple would have given up or turned in anger upon God. But not this couple. Instead, they found out that an abandoned children’s home was in the process of being renovated with plans to open this Fall with a full-time nurse, cook, and psychologist on board. This home will house 50 boys and girls, ages 6-11 in Bogata. The couple found out about another little girl, ten-month old, Daniella, who needs a home and began to inquire about adopting her. They are now back home in MN and are having a “celebration of life” service at their church to celebrate Hannah’s life and to raise money for the children’s home being renovated. This is just one example of the kind of endurance and strength of faith God will grant people, if we will simply seek Him out for it.
We were told that to remain faithful, we would have to walk through a narrow gate and along are hard road to travel by Christ Himself in MT 7: 13-14. Where is the motivation to do that? It comes from God. The motivation is revealed to us in 1 JN 2: 15-17, “Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. Everything that belongs to the world-what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of-none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live for ever.” As difficult as suffering for faith is, it makes sense that we are not served by putting our reliance on ephemeral things that will go off the scene never to be seen again. On the other hand, when we remain on the hard path to travel, we are placing our faith in the Lord. He is only too willing to walk beside us giving us His hand there. If we are unable to walk but remain true to our faith, I believe He will pick us up and carry us. What happens depends on our willingness to stick to the covenant promises we have made.
Christ has told us that we can’t serve two masters in MT 6: 24. “No one can be a slave of two masters; he will hate one and love the other; he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” I might say that this principle certainly applies to serving God and serving the world. That is why God tells us through Paul in RO 12: 2, “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by the renewal of your mind.” Our parent-apostle, James, minces no words on this subject in JAS 4: 1-4. “Where do all the fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your desires for pleasure, which are constantly fighting within you. You want things, but you cannot have them, so you are ready to kill; you strongly desire things, but you cannot get them, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have what you want because you do not ask God for it. And when you ask, you do not receive it, because you motives are bad; you ask for things to use for your own pleasures. Unfaithful people! Do you not know that to be the world’s friend means to be God’s enemy? People who want to be the world’s friend make themselves God’s enemy.”
It is clear that we have our strength to endure our trials, illnesses, temptations, and other challenges to our faith from God. David understood this, which is why he so often turned to God pleading for strength, endurance, and protection from Him. Moses also understood this, because He also turned to God when the people put so much pressure on him with their grumbling and complaining. I assure you that Moses didn’t know ahead of time that God would provide manna [EX 16: 15-16] and water from a rock [ EX 17: 6]. He simply trusted the Lord, and the Lord gave him both the provision and the endurance to deal with his situation. Christ never did anything without the Father’s instructions, and He obeyed them perfectly. Paul tells us in 2 COR 11: 23-33 about his long years of suffering. We know that he endured in faith even to his own martyrdom. God has given us all these stories and more in the Bible, so that we might understand His will, be encouraged by the faith of these people, and choose to endure through our own trials. To help us do this, He gave us the tools to fight spiritual warfare in EPH 6: 10-18. We must examine our lives and see how willing we have been and are to turn to God, use the tools He has given us, and endure in faith through the challenges to it. There is no question He is eager to see us come away from the fray victorious.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before You today in humility to acknowledge our need to endure in faith in the many trials we face. You have told us to do this and offered Your help in so many wonderful ways. Through the stories from the Scriptures mentioned above, You have allowed us to see how You provided for those who were challenged in them. Your own Son answered the prophecies found in PS 2 and IS 53 that He would be Your chosen Servant and King. He never did anything without seeking You first and obeying You completely. Because of His example in the face of the greatest suffering ever experienced by anyone, He set an example for us to follow. You told us in RO 8: 29 that He is the “first among many brothers” to be resurrected and brought back to You. That gives us hope. He endured in faith, and that is exactly what You did, honoring Him in heaven. His suffering was the work of the cross, opening the way to salvation for all of us. We are more grateful for this than words can express, Dearest Lord. You have equipped us for victory over the adversary and commanded Your Son to intercede on our behalf in the Holy of Holies in heaven with You. For this and so much more, You deserve what we offer today, our eternal adoration, worship, trust, obedience, glory, honor, loyalty, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen.
The Lord directs me to write more tomorrow about the strength of faith that God gives those who obey Him. With all that I have said today, it is hard to miss the love that God has for each of us. He gives me great pleasure in repeating this message to you and in examining the Scriptures with you that reveal the many manifestations of his love toward His creation. We can take real comfort in claiming Him as our one and only God; He also has the pleasure of claiming each of us as His own too. Peter and I also send you our love.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn