“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26
The life of faith in God is designed to be a thrilling adventure. I know that idea is the polar opposite of the picture that religion has tried to paint down through the centuries and definitely contrary to how the devil has portrayed serving the Lord. Still, if you read the Scriptures and look at the lives of great men and women of faith, you see that a life with the Lord is one wonderful expedition after another!
Unfortunately, that’s not how most of us live, is it? No, most Christians seem to trudge through life, barely getting along, waiting for the other shoe to fall, anticipating the “next” bad thing to happen in life. We’ve made a walk with Jesus a case study in drudgery, not realizing how disrespectful that is to him and how poorly that represents who he really is to the lost in this world. A life lived full-out for the Lord is ultimate fulfillment and, dare I say, fun to boot.
Last week we wrote of the tendency of many in our day to live “on the other side of the lens.” So many people today, Christians included, have stopped living life the way God intended and have instead decided to live vicariously through the actions of others. Instead of living a life of faith, a life “full-tilt,” an engaged life, they’ve decided to be a spectator and watch the exploits of others through the lens of a phone or television.
We have become a generation of watchers, of observers, of those who get their kicks from the safety and security of our personal spaces. This has led to the previously mentioned drudgery felt and displayed. It’s a sad state of affairs, especially when there’s such a better option available to us all—the life of faith, the life of casting all our cares, the life of total trust in the love of the Lord!
There is a better style of life available to all, but to live that life it will take a willingness to fight for it. The devil isn’t just going to roll over and allow us to enjoy what God has provided. If that were the case, everyone on the planet would be healthy, provided for completely and born again, right? Of course!
No, to live your best life, you will have to apply your faith in God on a daily basis; there’s just no way around it. With that said, though, when you think about it that way, why would you want to get around it? Faith demonstrated in our lives is pleasing to God. He loves it when we put our trust in His promises to us!
Why wouldn’t we want to live this way? Well, chiefly because it’s not the easiest path to follow. There is risk involved in living by true Bible faith. There is trust required, and as fallible humans, we know we will probably fail from time to time. Who likes losing, right?!
Here’s the thing, though: God is pleased when we take risks associated with following Him wholeheartedly. Think about the parable of the talents explained in Matthew 25:14-30. Who did the Lord praise, and who did he condemn? He praised the doers, the risk-takers, who took a chance to do what the master of the house desired. He condemned the one that played it safe but, in reality, doubted the character of the master and wasted talents by not using them at all.
Now, I know that stepping out in faith and doing what the Word of God directs can be “scary” at times. Our Bible is an accurate record of human history, and being such, it is full of stories of people messing up. And so many today are paralyzed by the fear of failure. Just know this: there’s no reason to be afraid to fail when trying to serve the Lord with all you’ve got. Remember Peter’s walk on the water? Sure, he failed and began to sink, but he actually walked on that water for a while and that’s more than can be said for anyone I know personally! What’s more, when he did fail, the Lord was right there to bail him out. If Jesus did that for Peter, he will do that for me and you as well.
Brothers and sisters, we are going to have to risk some things to get the job done in these last days. The harvest is there, but too many Christians are afraid to step out into the field for fear of failure, loss or ridicule. There’s nothing to fear. Jesus is our safety net. Let’s determine to serve him full-tilt in our lives from this day forward.
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.