2008 November 19 « Standing Firm

Are You Ready For Anything?

The beautiful thing about thinking about true preparedness, it covers all aspects of your life. Or, at least it should.

The simple fact is the next few years are going to be full of challenges. Just hearing of wars and rumors of wars, rumors of pestilence, and threats of this or that, can be unsettling – but it doesn’t have to be. The tension in this country alone seems to be at a fevered pitch. The world seems ready to burst at its seams.

Knowing that we are prepared to weather the storms ahead by, first, staying in the Word of God has helped us to prepare both mentally and physically. Do we have a lot of treasure? Not at all. Are we ready to endure, yes we are.

Be assured of your own salvation, know the comfort that this brings. Know what it is like to not worry about anything. Have joy, faith, love, and the abundant richness of peace that comes from knowing. Living this, LIVING THIS, every day brings glory to God.

When all the world seems like it is crashing around us, having that peace will make people hunger and thirst for what is ours and can be theirs through knowing Jesus Christ.

I am not saying to compromise truth, I am saying take the mote out of your own eye first. I am saying – don’t demand that others follow you, blaze the path in your own heart first. If they choose to follow, wonderful. I am saying that God does not need our wrath to help Him accomplish anything.

We know what the Word of God says about the issues of our day. We know what we believe to be true. The Word of God is a sword that divides, but it is not a sword of battle in the natural sense. The Word of God is not something to beat others over the head with. How we should then live is with confidence in the Word of Truth that we know, we need to live it in our lives first – every single day without compromise.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” ~Philippians 4:13

It seems as though some think that if we do not confront the issues of the day we will lose the battle for the hearts and minds of the lost. The way that some confront these issues makes me think that they are living in fear, they are demanding their rights because their life and liberty is in jeopardy. So they confront with anything but meekness. How hard this must be.

The idea that this has become a nation of secularists, agnostics and atheists, makes them bristle. But does this bristling come from a hedonistic desire to have rights and to live in a country where we are comfortable as Christians or does it come from the knowledge that those who oppose Christianity are lost for eternity and are their actions motivated by deep care, concern, and love for the lost? If it is from deep care and concern, from the love of Jesus Christ, then his example is how we are to reach the them. Never did I read in the Word of God where Jesus angrily confronted anyone. Never did he stage anything that mocked the lost and sinful. Never did he do anything that could have been considered to have a angry motive except when the money changers were in the outer courts of the temple.

I grieve the loss of Christian ethics in our society, I grieve moral disintegration, I grieve what will be visited upon the innocent and I know a time of trouble will be visited upon all of us. But even in that time of trouble I will have the peace that surpasses all understanding if I am right with God. And it is that peace that is the light that must illuminate the path ahead.

Our forefathers may have had Christian ideals when they founded this nation, but this was never a Christian nation. We never lived in a theocracy, and this is not the kingdom that we long for, live for, or should be fighting for. We are Americans by earthly citizenship, but we have a dual citizenship. Religion and religious values should influence government and policies through what we bring to the table as involved citizens. But as James tells us, with bridled tongue and meekness. The most that we can hope for here is that the majority of people share in our deeply held beliefs. Demanding that others, who do not recognize or long for this truth, tow the line is demanding something that is not for us to demand. Debating in order to change minds about the need to protect the innocent in a day of evil will not happen unless there is a heart change first. Wipe the dust from your feet and move on.

Hearing and Doing the Word

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
~James 1:19-27

We are living under judgment already. Abortion, lawlessness, sexual immorality, lying, cheating, love of money, these are the judgment. And they will increase as more and more people abandon God for the idolatry of today. Instead of fighting, battling, screaming, demonstrating, and fighting against the judgment that some are taking on themselves, live the peace that is ours.

That is not to say that we should live under the judgment. And we should always be ready to speak about the reason for our hope. We have peace and joy. Those under the judgment will not.

Be ready to heap coals of kindness. Be ready to love your enemy, be ready, be prepared to bring glory to God because you are wholeheartedly devoted to His Son Jesus Christ.

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
~James 3:13-18