Throughout life, I have been continually inspired by the lives of men and women who display faithfulness and joy in the Lord, and I think I am starting to realize why.
For one thing, it is the exception, not the rule. The hippies became yuppies in droves as the real world jaded them to their ideals, young lovers replace their fire with complacent companionship, and Christians fade from fiery zeal to utter normalcy. I am reminded that integrity is possible when I see people who become increasingly committed to, rather than disillusioned by, their convictions. However, the question still remains: why are there so few? Why does the fire die more often than it grows? Are the ones I revere as examples of faith—or those whom the Bible calls a “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1)—really just foolish idealists still left dreaming while the rest of the world has woken up? I don’t think so. I think they are the ones who get it.
So, what is the difference? In the case of Christians, the difference is the source they appeal to for perseverance.
Two views of Christian commitment
Many of us see Christianity as our own commitment to God. I hear that repentance is the act of turning around, and I resolve that I will stop following my way, and I will begin following God’s way. At this point, I join all my fellow Christians in patting my back for such a courageous and selfless act.
They will say, You have died to self? You have surrendered all? You have committed to carrying your cross down the narrow road, without ever looking back?
To which I reply, most humbly, “Yes, I have done all these things for Christ.”
The following weeks are an exciting succession of doing all these things. But then, the cheers die down, the bills pile up, my significant other is difficult to love, and my family is trying my patience. Not to mention the fact that my fellow church members are continually getting on my nerves. At this point, I begin to get tired.
I don’t give up on my faith, and I try to say as many things as I did in the beginning as possible. However, the truth is that the fire has departed. I find that the store of burning wood in my heart was merely kindling. That’s all. And though it caught quickly and burned fiercely, it has been spent. I find that my commitment to God has failed, and I have become complacent.
Why does this happen? It is because my commitment to God will always fail.
God’s commitment, not mine
The truth is that Christianity is not essentially about my radical commitment to God. Instead, it is rooted at its very core in the amazing truth that God is committed to the good of His children for the sake of His own glory. My commitment to God might fizzle out every time. But God is an everlasting source of strength, and, if you believe in Him, His strength is always for you, not against you.
This is the faith that lasts. It is moved, not by its heroism, but by God’s mercies, which are given to us freshly each morning to meet the trials of our days (Lamentations 3:22-23). We are not impressed by our love for God, but we are moved to worship by God’s love for His glory—and for us. This is both our joy and our assurance. Praise be to God!
4 Comments on "Ever-Growing In Life"
I think I get what you’re saying. Basically, we grow in our faith because God has done the work, and is doing the work, and not myself?
Exactly! Our joy is in the fact that God loves us enough to grow us and keep us. If you do radical things to show your love for God, thank God. I get this idea primarily from Philippians 2:13. Thanks for reading, Matt.
Praise God for His faithfulness that is unmovable. Though we fail in our commitment, He remains a strong tower. May this reminder bring us joy and assurance.
Amen