Faithful

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Today’s the day I've been dreading.

It’s the saddest part of the book (The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan), and I can hardly hold back the tears as we approach the chapter where Christian’s companion, Faithful, dies after being falsely accused, beaten, chained, and persecuted. Even the children’s version is difficult to get through.

So, why not skip over this part and spare my grand-littles the anguish? Because, while it’s a good thing to insulate children from some of the cruel injustices that fallen people meat out on one another, we cannot isolate them from trying to understand the broken world they live in. At some point they are going to be confronted with the reality that human beings can be incredibly evil. Who better to help them navigate those rough waters than the ones who can point them to the only Answer that makes sense?

Faithful's Trouble

Faithful lived up to his name, as he refused to be influenced and enticed by false ideology. By exposing the real enemy and his deception, he drew the attention of the residents of the wicked prince's city. He wouldn't recant or compromise the truth, and for that he paid the ultimate price. But, what he gained can’t even be compared to what he lost.

“We know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Cor. 5:1)

The Driver

Tim Mackie (Bible Project) asks the question: What energizes faithfulness for God’s people when faithfulness means constantly swimming against the culture we live in?

Scripture is filled with examples of those who were faithful and those who were not. The reason the faithful ones were full-of-faith, remaining steadfast under bleak circumstances, is because they had a clear understanding that their human experience was temporary. They knew that whatever cruelty or injustice they faced wouldn’t last forever. And that energized them with the courage they needed to persevere and to the end.

But, if we’re honest, we know we need more than that. We need something more if we’re going to be faithful in our marriages, faithful parents, and faithful in every situation as we engage our culture and swim against its strong current. We don’t need less than a faith that enables us to see beyond the now; we need more to motivate us to dive into the storm. Our faithfulness is not enough.

What we need is the faithfulness of God. Armed with the assurance that He is steadfast we are fueled to engage the seemingly impossible.

In Deuteronomy 7, God calls His people to conquer the inhabitants of the land He promised them. The Hebrews were vastly outnumbered, untrained, and lacked the resources for battle. The odds were against them on every level, but Moses reminds them that they weren’t chosen for their numbers or ability. God had set His love on them, and He was keeping an oath that He swore to their fathers. Verse nine says, “Therefore, know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” It was the assurance of God’s faithfulness that drove their ability to faithfully discharge Moses’ orders.

Faithfulness Is A Fruit Of His Spirit, Not Ours

We cannot sustain our faithfulness to God apart from His help. Marriages fail, parents abuse and abandon, friends disappoint, and people exploit and betray one another all the time. Our ability to secure and maintain any kind of faithfulness hinges on one thing: God’s faithfulness. Even when we fail, His Spirit reminds us of the fact that He never will.

2Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

In this passage, the Apostle Paul knows he is about to be martyred for his faith in Christ, so he wants to admonish Timothy to remain faithful. Paul acknowledges Timothy’s “sincere faith” (1:5), but he’s also been with Timothy long enough to recognize his weakness (timidity) and he lovingly rebukes him. He wants to encourage Timothy to be faithful, so he tells him to“be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,” “be a soldier,” “be an athlete,” “be a hardworking farmer,” “be a diligent workman,” “be a vessel for honor and flee youthful lusts,” and “be a slave of the Lord.” In chapters 3-4, Paul continues to infuse strength into Timothy by saying, “continue in the things you have learned,” and “preach the word.” He wraps it up by telling Timothy that he’s ready to die, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (4:7)

Paul remained faithful to the end, and he wanted to encourage Timothy, that with the help of God’s indwelling Spirit, he could do the same.

Separation Is Not Forever

Faithful and Christian were both warned that they would suffer at the hands of wicked people. They were even told they could lose their lives. But they believed the faithful words given to them by the King in the Good Book, and were assured that if they lost their lives they would be immediately transported to the Celestial City and live forever with the King.

Paul said as much to Timothy when he told him, “…For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.” (2Tim.2:11)

No child goes to sleep dreaming of becoming a martyr, but they should be able to drift off thinking about all the heroes (real and fictional) of the faith, and how their lives made a difference for the Kingdom of God. The real super-heroes are the ones who are willing to dive into choppy waters, and with God's strength, swim against the evil current - all the way to the Celestial City.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” (Heb.10:23)

The angels came to escort Faithful into the presence of the King, where all His children will gather one day to celebrate His never-ending faithfulness.

I’m glad we didn’t skip this chapter.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Our Present Comfort

(by Lorie Codispoti)

“Look how far you’ve come.”

“Everything’s going to be okay.”

If I had to pick two phrases I can hardly stand hearing, these would be listed among my top five.  

The words have a tendency to feel comfortable on the tongue, so I understand the tendency to invoke the familiar. But, it’s like the needle of a record player that finds a comfortable divot in a well worn vinyl record. (Remember those?) Like a broken record, it settles into the space and repeats over and over until you want to take a sledge hammer to the ensemble. 

People can be like this. They hope to comfort by repeating familiar phrases, but it seldom works. I usually try to prepare myself and smile through the urge to scream when I hear these well worn, well intentioned cliches.

And, truthfully, there is a time and place for these statements. We all need to be reminded of how far we’ve come, and that there is a greater glory that awaits - a glory that will dwarf every bit of suffering we endure in this life. The reality of these truths, however, is not minimized by the fact that they bring no comfort whatsoever when spoken at the wrong time. Gasoline is needful, but not when poured on a fire. 

Here’s the problem: When you are in the middle of intense anguish, trying to fix your mind on the past (how far you’ve come), or the future (things will be okay) simply does not work. How many fire fighters do you know who bring a sqirt gun to a blazing house fire? 

My pain is present and the comfort I need must also be present if it is going to strengthen me for the battle.

Here’s the solution: Our ever-present Comforter. 

God knows when to remind us of how far we’ve come and encourage us with what’s ahead, but He also knows the importance of reminding us that He is present with us in the fire. 

Remember what happened when the fire was fueled for those three Hebrews who refused to bow to the king’s edict? Did their friends show up during visitation hours and point out how far they’d come, and assure them that everything would be okay? No. In fact, I only read about One visitor - the One who was their “very present Help in time of need.” (Psa.46:1) God is not the Friend who visits with empty platitudes. He’s the Friend who says, “I’ll get in there with you and whisper words of life into your spirit."

When God gets in the fire with us, His words of strength bring the needed comfort to our hearts. True, they are words that reflect the goodness of the past, and instill hope for the future, but the difference is that they are given while being present in the furnace with us. Only God has the power to do that. His is the only record whose divot I welcome. 

Before the risen Messiah ascended, He assured His disciples that He would always be with them. (Mtt.28:20) He could offer this assurance because He alone paid the price for it. He was willing to take our sin upon Himself, which would separate - for the first and only time - He and the Father, in order to guarantee that we never, ever, ever, have to experience that kind of separation from Him.  

"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. (Zeph.3:17) (One of my very favorites to remind me that God is present and mighty “in the midst” of the flames.)

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isa.41:10)

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deut.31:8)

"I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken." (Psa.16:8)

"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." (Psa.23:4)

The next time you plan to visit a friend who is suffering through a tormenting trial, memorize the lyrics on this record. Set the needle in the groove so that it repeats over and over in their mind. These Words will get in the fire with them, remind them of “how far they’ve come,” and assure them that “everything is going to be okay” - all because of Who is present with them in the furnace. 

GloryUsgate.blogspot.com

Everyone Believes Something

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Everyone has a doctrine (belief system). And behind every doctrine is a god that is worshipped.

For Christians, our doctrine is based on Scripture; it identifies our God and articulates our beliefs.

God is the Author of Scripture; He inspired and produced it.

“All scripture is inspired by God…”( 2Tim.3:16) (The Hebrew word communicates that God literally breathed His word into the writers.) This inspiration is not subjective (based on human experience or interpretation). No. God’s word is Objective; its inspiration is inherent because of its Author.

Scripture is used to convert and sanctify us.

For example, look at how God uses one chapter of the Bible to express how it conforms believers:

In Psalm 119, God's Word... cleanses our hearts (vs.9), gives us direction (vs.10,24), protects us from sin (vs.11), provides strength & comfort (vs.50-52), gives us wisdom in relationships (vs.98), shows us how to be godly (vs.104-105), is our refuge in times of trouble (vs.114), and offers genuine peace (vs.165).

If one chapter has that much influence, imagine what the entire book has to offer.

So here’s my question to unbelievers: Have you taken the time to really consider the claims of Scripture? Would you be willing to use your skepticism as a launching pad to investigate those claims with an open heart? Most of the unbelievers I've talked to prefer to speculate rather than investigate. Are you willing to look at the historical evidence that verifies Biblical events? Because, whether you're agnostic (no-knowledge), atheist (anti-theism), or hold to some other non-Christian belief, you can’t park your reason in the spot marked: “not enough evidence.” That spot simply does not exist.

Friend, if your doctrine and your god fail to lead you to objective truth, then consider whether you’ve taken a wrong turn and parked your heart in a lot that is scheduled for demolition.

I am not a biblical apologist, but I can give you a reason for the Hope that we Christians have residing within us.

Don't delay. You only get one life to know Jesus as your Savior. After that you will only know Him as the Judge who extended the mercy that you rejected.