THE WORD 4 ev 1

Today’s reading is Luke 9 (click here for link)

I will follow you, but… Luke 9:61

How often do you respond to God in this way? Sometimes we are just like the two men Jesus calls at the end of Luke 9--we find that at the time of "testing" our faith is a bit uncomfortable. “Yes God, I’d love to do that… but what about…?” If God were to tell you something that seemed to go against your common sense, what would your response be? Would you hesitate? Would you wait and see? Sadly, our experience teaches us that the human mind demands rationale and evidence in exchange for action. After all, no one likes taking a step in the dark. It’s uncomfortable! We prefer to know what we are getting into before we commit. But, I believe the real problem for us is not so much that we often avoid godly action in the physical realm—helping our neighbor, forgiving our spouse, proclaiming the Gospel. Rather our biggest danger is that inevitably our inaction in the physical realm translates over into the spiritual realm of faith. If we get into the habit of always playing it safe—never taking a risk—concerning our earthly work as Christians, how long will it be before we no longer take risks of faith in our spiritual lives as well? The truth is, faith is not dependent upon actions, but our actions certainly do affect our faith. Thus if we allow common sense to be our only guide, faith cannot last long.

The author to the Hebrews says that, “Faith is the certainty of what we hope for and the proof of what we do not see.” To follow Christ in faith means to recklessly throw ourselves upon him. Christ is the light shining in the darkness. Therefore, in the end, we have only two choices in the face of conflict: We either act like pagans or we act like Christians. The pagan mind is a mind of rationale. The Christian’s rationale is blinded by faith. So when the great venture of life brings you to a cross-roads, follow Jesus in faith—no exceptions or reservations. Doing this is guaranteed to make you uncomfortable!

I am reminded of the story of Rahab, the prostitute of Jericho. Rahab’s faith couldn’t have been more uncomfortable on that day the Hebrew spies showed up at her inn. Fear and anxiety surely rushed through her mind. She no doubt asked herself those familiar “yes…but…” type questions. “Yes, I know that the God of Israel is the true God, but what happens if…?” Despite the danger she faced for betraying her city, Rahab in faith recklessly through herself upon the mercy of God. The truth is that faith is only as good as its object. Simply having faith for the sake of having faith is foolish. Faith is more than mental gymnastics. It is a full mind and body experience. Faith stirs your emotions, motivates your body, and instructs the will. Like growing pains deep inside the bone, faith will certainly be uncomfortable at times. But through this wonderful gift we grow into children of God.

Stay warm today,

Pastor Aaron