I read a funny story that at the same time communicates
a great reality about our God! There were two soldiers that participated in the
Western Army war games. They had been ordered to make their way to a bridge,
and guard it. They were told to stand on duty at the bridge until relieved.
They went and they guarded…and guarded...for three days and three nights
without food and without blankets. On the fourth day they were FOUND! They were
guarding the wrong bridge!
We laugh…but must admire their commitment to their call as solders!
Jesus was such a person, committed to His call:
Luke 9:51 Now
it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He
steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,
Our Lord had “tunnel vision” when it came to what
He had committed to do for the redemption of mankind! That same tenacity is
again expressed in His last statement to his disciples before He returned to
Glory:
Matthew 28:19–20 Therefore, go and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to
obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you
always, even to the end of the age.”
Many remember the command to disciple, but forget the promise
of verse 20: “And be sure of this: I
am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The commitment of our Lord to be present with us all the way
into eternity is so important because the war we are in will attempt to wear us
down and tempt us to quit! How many believers I have counseled say they feel
they are “all alone!” Nothing could be further from the
truth!
Jesus is fully committed to us and will walk with us through
every trial, even the ones that are caused by our own failures!
2 Timothy 2:13 If
we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
This Truth should bring us assurance to remain in the race
until the end! No matter the weight of the circumstances, the depth of hurt or
the guilt the enemy sows into our life, Jesus is committed to being with us
until He brings us to Glory!
Consider how Faithful He is to us:
{1} He is Faithful in His work.
1 Thes. 5:24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will
do it.
2 Thes. 3:3-4 But the Lord is faithful, and he will
strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord
that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command.
{2} He is Faithful in the difficulties of this life.
(a)
Understanding
John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a
servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you
friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
(b)
Chastisement
Psalm 119:75 I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair; you disciplined me
because I needed it.
Proverbs 27:6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted
(c)
Testing
1 Corinthians 10:13 The
temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God
is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.
When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
(d)
Persecution
1 Peter 4:19 So if you are suffering in a manner that
pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who
created you, for he will never fail you.
Even when we sin against Him, He does not turn on us! Instead
He is faithful to be with us and offer us fellowship again!
{3} Sin
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Satan tries to use our emotions to make us feel abandoned and
all alone. Stand against that lie! The vision God has given you to serve Him is
not only given by the God of the universe…it is guaranteed by Him! Just cooperate!
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we
profess, for he who promised is faithful.
The So What: This
week commit that loved one to the Lord because He is faithful! Take time to see
God's faithfulness in all four aspects of His teaching; Let God's faithfulness
be the foundation of your fellowship with Him.
Many times it was too easy to say that 'oh well, everything will be okay soon. just hold on to your faith!' But people going through tough times count every seconds passed as a victory and every second to come as trying times. As if claiming all of God's promises aren't enough, everyday is a battle of real survival. Many times I wished it would be the last one, only to realize another day to live. Depression steals my joy every tick of the clock, yet God knows I stand fighting for my last. At the end of every day, I am thankful God stood by me. His Word lit my way until I close my eyes and bid for a miracle to happen overnight. Until God brings me home, I chose to live His way.
ReplyDelete