“May I abide in you”. That is the cry of my heart. Although, this is a touching cry and longing, it does not matter how pious my words are, it does not matter how true my words are, it does not matter how deep my words are, nor does it matter how heartfelt my words are unless and until they are followed by actions, they mean nothing. The profession must be followed by the action. We cannot just say something or wish things into happening, we have to “work” at making those things a reality. Such is the life of faith the Lord has called you and I in Christ Jesus. I am realizing with sadness that the more I cry out to the Lord to know Him, the less I will know Him if I don’t pursue Him myself purposely, intentionally and with discipline. Knowing more of Him will not happen overnight, I will not just wake up loving Him more (although that has happened to some at conversion, sustaining that level of love however is not possible without “work”). Indeed, knowing more of Him will happen over time as I continually, steadfastly pursue Him through my actions. Like James told us “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” (James 2:18). In other words, the evidence of your faith is in your works. Therefore, a true measure of my love for the Father is in my obedience to Him. Jesus said it well, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). Today’s post is as much a challenge to me as it is to you to push pass the flesh, that is how you feel, what you see, how you think, what you hear, smell, eat and actually do the work that the Lord is calling you to do: obedience.
One of the best slogans in my opinion is the Nike one which says “Just do it” essentially, it encourages you to do whatever it is that you want to do and think you cannot do. It calls you to not overthink it but to go into action. It is often used in the area of sports since Nike is a sports brand. However, the same can be used in the spiritual life. Many of the spiritual disciplines that we are required to do are only done by doing them, not by wishing we did them. For example, if you are slacking in prayer, how do you suppose you can grow in prayer? You guessed right, by praying. You just have to pray, no one becomes a prayer warrior by just wishing they were one or by someone praying for them. Even if the person had a prophecy over their life of becoming a prayer warrior, if he or she does not begin to pray, there is no way that person can ever become a prayer warrior. Last week at church, in his attempt to explain faith, the visiting pastor who preached used the analogy of a muscle. He said something to the extent of “faith is like a muscle that if not exercised overtime will become weak. The more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes.” That was a great analogy to me, it made the idea of faith visual and clear, not abstract. Like anything that requires exercise, at the beginning, it will be difficult, you will want to stop but if you persevere, a few weeks and months later, you will be amazed at what you have become. This is what I want to help us see today. We are called to perseverance, we are called to endurance, we are called to never give up. Why? Because our Lord and saviour has never given up, he never quit. For that reason, you and I have the privilege to be called children of God for we learn in Philippians that Jesus Christ “…being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death —even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8). Had Jesus not endured the pain, suffering and shame that the cross brought, we who believe in him today would not have been reconciled with God, we would still be in judgement because of our sins. But thanks be to God —through Jesus Christ our Lord! As it turns out, our reconciliation to God was costly and a hefty price was paid for that to happen. Today, the only thing standing in the face of your reconciliation with the Father is your incredulity and refusal of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross on your behalf. Indeed, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart, run to him because today is the day of your salvation (Romans 10:9-11).
Our lord and saviour did not quit, we too, cannot quit. By dying on the cross, Jesus became our example in every aspect of life. He did everything that we are expected to do and he did it without any sin or fault. We are imitators of Christ, that is who we are. Christ’s obedience to the Father led him to death, ours should lead us there as well. After all, we are called to offer our bodies as “living sacrifices” which invokes the idea of dying to ourselves (Romans 12:1). The best part in all this journey is that Jesus Christ has secured the victory for us! So, our efforts will lead to success because we are already victorious. The fact that we have the victory over sin today helps us to see the light and momentary suffering as just ephemeral. We are able to see beyond our circumstances and rest in the victory that Christ has won over death, and sin on the cross. It is quite a different sight when you fight knowing that you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. This realization and understanding does not come in one go, it comes with exercising your faith, it comes with growing in your knowledge. In the book of Hosea, God tells the nation of Israel that he delights in “steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). In other words, knowledge of God is to be sought above offerings and sacrifices to the Lord. The Lord desires us to know Him more and more, He wants us to know who it is that we are worshipping, who it is that has saved us, who it is that gives us the breath of life every day, who it is that renews his mercies on us every single day. That is the type of intimacy we are called to experience with God our Father. To experience that, we must exercise our faith, we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling, we must not let the book of the law depart from our hearts instead, we must meditate on it day and night (Joshua 1:8). Indeed, like the psalmist, we must have our delight in the word of God and we must meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:2). Again, our delight for the word should cause us to see the word of God as a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path”, it should cause us to fear the Lord, it should cause us to see His holiness, might, strength and power, it should humble us, it should cause us to see our filthiness and above all, it should cause us to love the word as we see throughout Psalm 119. I believe by now you get my point, you have to walk in the newness of life God has given you in Christ Jesus. You were created to know God intimately, you were created to be victorious, you were created to be humble, you were created to forgive, you were created for goodness, you were created for joy, you were created to glorify God, you were created to trust in the Lord, you were created to display the fruits of the spirit.
So then, how do you move past your feelings and desires to concrete actions? Simply, by making an action plan and sticking to it. Without action, your faith is dead. More than what you feel or desire is what you do for the Lord. Your action plan does not have to be elaborate, you can start small with just one action that you seek to accomplish every day and increase it as you go. The beauty is that, God himself will meet you halfway, scratch that, He will be with you throughout the process. If you ask Him, He will come and strengthen you so that you are able to persevere, He will enable you to be disciplined, He will push you to keep going. How then will you start exercising your faith today? What concrete actions will you start doing today to grow in your obedience to the Lord? How will you program yourself to meditate on the word of the Lord day and night? How will you discipline yourself to pray? Maybe get a likeminded brother or sister to help you in this task and together you can spur each other on to love and good deeds? Do whatever is necessary but by all means, do not fall into laziness. However, if you fall, remember that although the righteous may fall seven times, he rises again (Proverbs 24:16). Remember also that the Lord is with you, the One who is the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13), the one who created all things and for whom all things were created is with you (Colossians 1:16). Your success is guaranteed. Onward mighty warrior!
A Word Aptly Spoken 