by David Brenneman
There's songs today that don't do much to lift up God, others, cause me to lift up my hands and arms outstretched wanting my God to just take me in His arms.
I made a choice many many years ago to push out music that has lyrics that aren't going to help me praise my God. I do not need music to remind me of sins or sinful ways and behaviors, negative thoughts and feelings.
We only see that after the resurrection of Jesus Christ that His Disciples, now Apostles because of their having personally witnessed His death, burial and His resurrection, standing firm in what life tried throwing at them.
Right up to the death of Jesus, we read that the word of God was fulfilled that the Shepherd would be struck and they would flee. So they did.
But after the resurrection and after receiving the Holy Spirit themselves, they soon learned to stand firm.
We aren't Apostles, nobody after them can or will be. Jesus, in the Great Commission, said to them to go make Disciples.
We're told in the Scriptures that all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer. It's something to expect. After all when we came to Christ for salvation we became children of God and enemies of the god of this world. We too are taught, as Disciples, to stand firm. We read in Romans about our calling in Christ Jesus as being irrevocable. We read in Corinthians that we are part of the body of Christ. We read that it's the Spirit who assigns us within the body of Christ. We don't pick our job, role, or position in the body of Christ. We are to be the best at what the Spirit has for us to be doing. To stand firm in our calling in Christ.
But often times we get distracted by the world. We see what appears to be peace and rest in doing something other than our calling in Christ Jesus and pursue whatever it is. We like sheep, go astray, each going off to do their own thing.
Sometimes we get spooked and run. We get bombarded and in our own strength fall flat thinking we're done. We can't keep doing what God called us to do. What does the Bible say? Press on.
We should take to heart what Paul's said.
Press on towards the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. I recently re-saw a video segment of a Christian movie. A football player was called out by his coach concerning giving his best. Through the challenge of the coach he learned what his very best meant. It meant it was going to hurt. Was going to be painful. Was going to mean people weren't going to understand or see him as he thought they would see him.
We're not to run from our calling in Christ Jesus. We are to do our best, our very best, in what we were called to be and do in Christ. To run is to disobey the calling of God in our lives. Adam fled from the presence of the Lord, didn't go so well. Jonah fled from the Lord, didn't fare so well.
You and I are going to be tempted to take the easy way out. We are going to desire a cushy assignment that we will probably even think came from God.
The challenge is to stand firm in Christ Jesus. To stay true to our calling in Christ Jesus regardless of how painful it is.
Take a good look at your life. Did you face something harsh in serving Christ and run away? Convinced yourself that you're done with that? Oh, my Dear Reader. Go back to God and return to full obedience to God's will for you. Satan tried tempting Jesus to take the easy way. To just do this and he would go easy on Him. Nothing that the Apostles faced in serving Christ was the easy way.
Run back to your life in Christ as He intended for it to be with you.
He is the God who stays. He has a job for you to be doing in the body. There's no parts of the body of Christ that are allowed to skate by in service to God. Elements of the body that aren't doing what the body needs them to be doing, but rather leach off the body, are cancers. We are called to be attached to the Vine. We are the branches. Branches that separate from the vine are as good as dead.
Look in the mirror and be honest with yourself. Be bold and ask the Spirit to show you who you're living for. To reveal to you whether or not you are being true to His calling for you.
God's plan and purpose should be lived out in your life. Not your plan and purpose. We're all here under the same plan of God to reach people who have not heard and show them to a right relationship with Jesus. That's the Great Commission. To make Disciples, teaching them to do all that He commanded.
We may run from what God's got in mind for us, but as long as we are breathing, we can run back.
We're not going to add to that crown of righteousness by being what we wanted to be in this life. We will add to it by living out our calling in Christ Jesus. ALL that we did do for self will be burned away. 🔥
What remains that of life that we did in Christ Jesus will be what's valuable.
The God Who Stays
https://youtu.be/e0JgOmoTHIs
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