Being Steadfast to the Lord

Convictions are a funny thing. They can make us take a 180 degree turn on a decision. They are crucial for life because they form the set of principles we live by. Convictions may take time to be formed but once they are formed, it is difficult to change them easily without extra effort. Interestingly, before an opinion becomes a conviction, you never seem to see it as important or relevant, but the moment it becomes a conviction, then all of a sudden it is of utmost importance. Much of what we do today is based on convictions, at least the things we centre our lives on, otherwise we wouldn’t be doing them. Our convictions are what we believe in, what we put our hope and confidence in, in biblical terms, it is our faith. The Bible tells us to be in the constant habit of renewing our minds because failure to do so will inevitably cause us to fall prey to new lines of thinking, producing new convictions that are against the word of God or against the character of God (Romans 12:2). Since our minds are fertile grounds, we ought to be constantly nourishing them with the truth of God’s words which will in turn translate into our daily habits and actions. Perhaps, one effective way a conviction is lived is in its application. The acts that we pose speak louder than the words we say. In fact, as Jesus pointed out, it is by the way we love one another (our actions) that the world will know if we are his disciples or not (John 13:35). Our conviction on loving one another will show in the way we treat one another and that is what will be evident to all. In light of the all that is going on in the world today, I want to encourage us to reassess our convictions, reassess where we stand and where our allegiance is. It can be divisive and partisan in the world having one political party pitched against another but we need to remember that our partisanship is with the Lord. We must always be in the habit of going back to the source and asking how it was in the beginning, the source of things (think Jesus’ response in Matthew 19:8). We have to be marked by obedience which is higher than convictions. Indeed, there may come a time when we may not be convinced about doing something but do it because it is something the Lord has commanded us to do.

I have begun the reading of the minor prophets, starting in a chronological order with Amos. In addition, I am going through the books of Leviticus and Numbers which discuss the institution of worship and of Israel as a holy nation. These books which might seem independent from each other have their author in common and that is God. In both of these stories, God is the one speaking to his prophets: Moses or Amos. What He tells them, must be obeyed, followed and revered. In the way God speaks, say, in the book of Leviticus concerning the punishment for disobeying His laws, we see that God takes Himself very seriously and demands submission from His subjects. Moreover, holiness is very important to the Father, that is why He will not tolerate sin from His chosen people, the ones He has redeemed by His blood, the ones He calls His people. Indeed, to whom much has been given, much is required (Luke12:48). The standard by which the Lord holds His people is different than the ones He holds a sinner who does not know Him. His people have been given much (Himself), therefore, much is expected and required of them. That means for example that, there should not be a hint of sexual immorality among His people like Paul tells us in his epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 5:3) or they should not “prostitute” themselves with other gods who have ear but cannot hear, who have nose but cannot smell or who have eyes but cannot see, gods made by human hands (Psalm 115:4-8). The prostitution also happens with things we have made gods in our lives whether good or bad. Anything or anyone that has taken the place of God in your life is idolatry and an idolater is a prostitute in the eyes of His maker and for such people who once called God their all in all, the judgement is harsher because they once knew the way and abandoned it for personal pleasure. I am not sure if you often think about the fact that anytime you give anything or anyone else more attention than God in your life, you have indeed prostituted yourself with that thing? I don’t think many of us realize how bad the situation is in the eyes of God and how painful it is because of how much God loves us. We need to understand that our relationship with the Lord of hosts is one of love, love that did not start with us and love that is everlasting. It is a love relationship that we are not acquainted with, and so we often want to equate God’s love to the type of love we give to our fellow brothers and sisters or the type of love common in our world today. The Love of God is the sacrificial love that is willing to die for you; it is the passionate love that longs for your intimacy; it is the type of love that grows you and prunes you, presenting you holy and blameless; it is the type of love that satisfies you. Who would not want that type of love? Unfortunately, like Gomer, the prostitute that Hosea took as his wife following God’s instructions (Hosea 1:2-3), we often return to our vomit, to our old ways. Yet, God keeps pursuing us and is ready to take us back in and shower us with His infinite love. However, He requires submission. He will not allow us to come back to Him on our own terms but on His own terms. In the exchanges between God and his prophets like Moses and Amos, we see God never changing but remaining true to His word and promises. For example, in the book of Leviticus, God lays down laws to Moses for the Israelites against sacrificing children to Molech (a false deity) or against going to see a medium or divination (note that this too was a form of prostitution or idolatry). These laws were so that Israel would live as a set apart nation for she was set apart by the Lord. Similarly, in Amos, God promises judgement on Israel because she has committed many crimes, profaning the holy name of the Lord, turning evil into righteousness, priding herself with conquering cities on her own strength when it was the Lord’s doing, rejecting the law of the Lord and going after false gods, etc. (Amos 2:4-16). In both cases, the Lord’s narrative remains the same: repent and come back otherwise judgement is upon you. Failing to follow his commandments brings judgment upon you. The same goes with us today, despite what is going on in our world, we ought to live by the word of God. We ought to obey Him no matter how unpopular it looks or how lonely it feels. Indeed, we are not living for our brother or our sister’s pleasure or acceptance, nor are we living for our family’s acceptance but we are living for the Lord’s. Therefore, let your actions be governed by the word of God. Let your convictions be based on the word of God so that men will see your light and glorify God in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Looking at the atrocities that are happening in our world today, how many of you have committed to praying for countries facing turmoil? How many of you are concerned about showing relief to your suffering neighbour? How many of you even know your neighbour is suffering? I remember a few years ago when there was a blackout due to no electricity in some parts of the city, one of the local churches here was used as a hub for providing shelter to the community in need without discrimination, the only criteria was to have been impacted by the lack of electricity. Why can’t the same reproduce itself amid the rise of evil we see today manifesting in wars, antisemitism, racism, human trafficking and more? God is as opposed to evil as He was during the times of Moses and Amos, so we can be sure that today, He expects more from us who claim to know Him as our Lord and saviour. I cannot tell you what to do, the Holy Spirit will and to some, He has already told you what to do. However, if you do not know what to do, start with humbling yourself in prayer and fasting. I guarantee you, at the end of it, you will know what is required of you. In the words of James, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins” (James 4:17). More than ever, I pray for the boldness to live according to the word of God unapologetically, with love and sincerity, letting my obedience to the Lord trump my convictions however right they might appear (Proverbs 14:12). May this be your prayer too and may the Lord give us the humility to come back to His word and to be changed by Him. Amen.