Okay, so all around me recently situations have been screaming...what is wrong here??
I have been on my face before the Lord in prayer because I am really, really sad for the Body of Christ. Many situations have been creeping up revealing that perhaps within the Church we don't trust the Lord like we say we do...like we Tweet that we do, like we post that we do, like we Facebook that we do, like we sing in our comfortable Sunday morning worship time that we do.
Within my circle of friends (and I have a pretty diverse little group :-), there have been some pretty valid circumstances arise which might cause fear. I'm not going to prance around it, the election certainly began part of it, and do NOT get me wrong, there are many policies and laws which concern me. I am watching people that I deeply care for be hit financially due to some of these policies...I am watching and hearing of businesses closing, of freedoms being encroached upon. However, where does our security lie? I am really concerned that within the American Church our idol has become our "security"...our financial security, physical security, emotional security, medical security, security in our freedoms, IRA, 401k, college savings plans...you name it - in America, there is no doubt we love our security. But, are we trusting in it more than we are trusting in Him?
If we follow Him, here is what I can find in Scripture that we are told and promised:
persecution
that we will be hated ("if they hate Me, they will hate you")
hardship
no "place to lay our head"
our home is not here
taking up our cross (a method of torture not savings)
Paul had...jail, beatings, no home, traveled to preach the gospel, was shipwrecked
And yet...we have the Holy Spirit, so we are told not to fear, to be joyful in ALL circumstances, to love our enemies, to BOLDLY proclaim the gospel...and we are told NOT to look like the world.
How different do we look? Or do we look just the same because we are too scared to do all that He has called us to do? I recently read an amazing book by John Piper in which he says that the Western Church is full of wimpy Christians - please, Lord, don't let me be a wimpy Christian. Oh, how I pray that He would strengthen us and equip us and strip us of our idol of security so that we can truly live for the only thing that counts - eternity.
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You're so right, Nikki. How many more times do I pray for physical safety than for spiritual security? It's a gripping thought. The "safe" church in Laodicea with their convenience and comfort made Jesus want to throw up. I echo your prayer for our idols to be destroyed and our trust to be in the Lord.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your relevant thoughts!
Good words. Hard words. And I tend to agree, and see it in myself far too often.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I agree. And I pray with you, too, "Lord don't let me be a wimpy Christian." I don't want to be what I see around me. I want my doctrine to affect my life. As I have heard many times, my walk to match my talk.
ReplyDeleteI agree, good words. How different do we really look? Thanks for posting. :-)
ReplyDeleteNikki. How amazing to see your family of seven beautiful children and such a heart for Him. They are gorgeous. I need more pictures of you!!
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