4>Eric Rank | August 28, 2010
Eric Rank
Discomfort
Our level of comfort in living a Godly way is an indication to us of the ways in which we can overcome the world — if we feel uncomfortable doing what is right, we know where we need to apply our efforts. Having the right attitude in being willing to obey God may not be easy or comfortable at first, but it is critical to obey if we are to inherit the Kingdom of God.
Faith and Doubt
Faith is a necessity in order to keep God close to us in our lives. As
soon as we begin to doubt His promises, we push away Him from providing
us help. Action proves our faith in God, and demonstrates our
willingness to live His way.
Walk in the Light
The Seed
The gift of the Holy Spirit is a seed planted within the lives of God’s called people. To foster the growth of that seed to fulfill its’ potential, we need to be diligent to have the proper attitude, work with it diligently, and acknowledge the responsibility to profit with it. By proving that we can live our lives, growing spiritually with the gift within us, we can rest assured to bear fruit worthy of righteousness.
Glory
Glory, as the Bible defines it, describes a state of perfect spiritual existence as well as an act of praise towards another. The Bible also provides us with specific instructions about how glorification works and to whom it must be directed. By participating in glorifying God with our behavior, we qualify to be glorified in a state of spiritual perfection as well, thereby achieving an important goal in God’s plan.
How to Play
As we work to accomplish our goals in life, we can treat our activity in
different ways. We can do things as a means to an end or we can do things as an
end in themselves. However, each of those approaches alone is problematic if we
desire to live a life that is pleasing to God. A third, and better way to treat
our activities is in perspective, knowing that it is important to keep the end
goal in mind, but also that the means by which we work is how we will be judged.
Failure
Each and every one of us must know how to deal with the reality of our individual failures. All Christians sin, which is the example of failure. Some failures can be catastrophic, while others can be recovered from. How can catastrophic failure be avoided, and how can we recover from the failures that we encounter?
Beware the Subtleties
This year, I was aware and consciously prepared for it, but the sight still provoked me to shake my head in disdain. As I shopped for some household supplies on November 1st, it was impossible to ignore that the jack-o-lanterns present in stores during the previous month had been swiftly replaced with displays of Christmas trees and ornaments. I expected this to happen, but I still hoped for a break from the parade of collateral promoting the man-made holidays so displeasing to God. There is no denying it — the stream of propaganda and celebration of uninspired days following the season of God’s true Holy Days has begun.
While we live in this world, we must be ready and prepared to defend ourselves against the carnally inspired messages, influences and temptations presented to us. The most dangerous kinds of temptations are those which are the most subtle. Participation in the wrong event, even in a marginal way, erodes our loyalty to God. With a constant stream of messages telling us that participation is harmless and that origins are irrelevant, it might be tempting to justify an action, declaring it to be innocent. Nevertheless, we must remember what God inspired in Isaiah 5:20-21: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!”
Don’t be fooled! God can see through the most self-convincing rhetoric we may contrive. While this certainly applies to the participation in man’s holidays, it applies quite generally to God’s laws as well. Compromise occurs when we start interpreting right and wrong based on our own beliefs, rather than what the Bible clearly teaches. As starkly wrong as an exchange of good for evil is, it begins very subtly within ourselves by merely considering wrong behavior as harmless. If you don’t see the danger discerning between right and wrong based on our human beliefs rather than the teachings of the Bible, consider the calamities recorded in the book of Judges, during which time “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25). The times we live in today and the way this world thinks is not so different.
While Satan may “walk about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), we need to remember that he also “transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), preying on the carnal man’s vulnerability to things which on the surface seem harmless, good and right. The subtle compromises are the most dangerous snares to us. Those simple actions requiring a justification of the means for the sake of the end result slowly weaken the strength of our faith.
For this reason, especially as we are barraged during the season of man’s holidays, we must maintain our strength and vigilance. In Ephesians 6:10-11, Paul says this quite succinctly: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Our defense against temptation is only as strong as our weakest vulnerability. The whole armor of God implies completeness in several aspects, not just one. However, by identifying and continuing to improve on our weaknesses, we strengthen our defense.
Strength and Weakness
Weakness, measured by the standards of this world, makes the strength of God perfect in the life of a Christian. Brains, brawn and all kinds of strengths that we may have, are all from God. God’s chosen people are described as the weak, foolish and base people of the world. Yet to God, these weaknesses are counted as strengths when one turns to Him for strength.
