Dear Lighthouse,
As we followed my 3-year old son riding his tricycle
down the road with the bright red thread of his underwear top slowly spooling around the left rear wheel I pondered this week’s
e-mail. But let me back up a bit.
Last week in Sunday School we talked about our
faith and our conviction that what we believe in is real, is true, and is worth changing our lives. We saw the wisdom of God in His slow, methodical revelations to Man that He was in authority and control
and His alone is worthy of our faith. Yet, we find it hard to ‘sell out’
to God in our everyday lives. We find it more comfortable to academically proclaim
Jesus as Lord while we practically live out life with an underlying fear that maybe He isn’t – and maybe we are
on our own.
Honestly, we all have our moments when our faith
waivers when we are tested. The Christian life is not the easy road. It is a long and demanding path that leads us through valleys of doubt, fear, and consternation. Yet, I encourage you to take heart – you are not alone. God
is ever-present and His family is here for support.
I think one key to pushing through our daily
worries, doubts and fears is to seek God the moment those specters arise and approach Him with a child-like faith and trust
believing that He is able to save us and the He does truly care for us. These
nagging, evil shadows must have been present from the very beginning for Scripture is replete with encouraging verses like
these:
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. Even though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort
me.” (Psalm 23)
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (I
Pet. 5:7)
“Do not worry about your life … are you not much more valuable than [birds]?” (Matt. 6:25-34)
Jesus brought His disciples to this level of
understanding when He chastised them for keeping the little children from Him on one occasion.
He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder
them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth,
anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:16-17) I believe Jesus was urging us to accept God the way a child accepts life – one day at a time, trusting
in those watching over them, and going about things with intense focus and vigor - which brings me back to my son, Brendan.
Brendan goes about a task with intense urgency
and does not look back, nor does he always think things through! He also loves
Bob the Builder and shows his support for the show by wearing the theme underwear.
It has a red elastic top. One such pair developed a thread which he pulled
out and made a nifty red string to tie to things. After suggesting a walk, Julie
and I walked behind our boys as they sped off on their bikes. I saw what was
happening as the red underwear thread trailed in the air behind Brendan and slowly found the wheel’s axle. I asked Julie how long she thought that would go on and she said, “In the interest of science we
have to find out”! The thread eventually snapped and no one was injured,
but it was comical to think of the possibilities….
But, you know,
this is the kind of life that I think pleases God. No, not unweaving your underwear
on a bicycle! :) No, God honors the life that puts faith and trust in Him to
help us as we set out to do whatever we do. The writer of Ecclesiastes says,
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave,
where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” (Eccl. 9:10) I might mention that this was written to those that did not have the illuminated hope of eternal life with
God that we enjoy today, since Christ’s resurrection. So, now this
verse makes even more sense when we understand that what we do here – who we put our faith in today – will echo
for all eternity. Therefore, we are not to set our course in this life with a
weak belief in God or we will be tossed about by life’s waves and be dashed upon the rocks (Eph. 4:14). We are not to go out with a half-hearted faith in God’s benevolence or we run the risk of falling
away when we learn that a half-faith is no faith at all.
Many people
wanted to follow Jesus when His ministry was ‘on fire’. He had many
people who were drawn to His fame, His reputation, and the lure of the crowd. Their
faith was not in Him though; it was in other things that were transient and devoid of the power to save. One such man came to Jesus and declared he would follow Jesus, but first he wanted to say good-by to his
family. Jesus responds to the man seemingly harshly in order to make a point. He says, “No one who puts his hand to
the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)
From my limited experience farming as a boy I know what happens when you look back while steering the tractor –
you lose sight of where you are going. As I learned to guide the plow I made
many crooked paths because I looked back. I lacked the faith in myself. Jesus doesn’t want His disciples to lack faith and commitment in Him.
So, it is a
challenge to live the Christian life. But God honors the struggle we make. If you have accepted Jesus as Savior I challenge you to renew your acceptance of Him
as Lord. Put your faith in Him and trust.
Keep your eyes fixed on Him who perfects your faith (Heb. 12:2) and set on the goal of your faith – eternal life
with the Father. He knows we’re not perfect, so I believe He will take
care of the times our underwear may be un-spooling! It didn’t stop Brendan
and it shouldn’t stop us!
I encourage
you to live for God this week. Put Him at the center of your thoughts, your schedule,
and your worries. Seek out His people and gain strength from their fellowship. Pray for those in the Lighthouse that we will continue to live faithfully. He cares for you and so do we.
So go out and
make the most of every opportunity; seize the day! (Col. 4:5)
Serving Him with you,
Evan
