Living in Faith, Trusting in God
“God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim 1: 7)
The problem
with Christianity today is that it has become timid, refusing to proudly and
loudly profess faith in the Lord our God.
When Christians refuse to live their faith, faith will not survive.
It’s rare to
see anyone who will even bow their head in prayer before a meal in a restaurant
and even more rare to hear someone say grace out loud. They are unwilling to draw the attention of those
around them by giving thanks to God. They would instead say to God, “I love you but only when no else one is around to see or hear.”
The life of
Jesus was life of ministry toward those who were lost. He didn’t condemn, but offered new life. Yet, it was expected that following Jesus was
a public journey, not something to ashamed of.
He gained many followers but also many enemies and it cost Him His life
on the cross. The religious leaders saw
Him as a problem to be resolved, and the solution was to crucify Him. How wrong they were.
Christianity
blossomed and grew quickly as documented in the Acts of the Apostles as well as
the New Testament letters. The faith
spread to the far corners of the world and that same faith, which the religious
leaders had tried to silence, is still strong in many today.
But where
are the Peters and Pauls of today? Where
are those who are willing to stand up for their faith even in the face of
death? I’ve often thought of my own
reaction should I be faced with the demand to deny Jesus or die a horrible
death. It is my prayer that God would give
me the same strength that has given the holy martyrs throughout history; that I
would have the strength of faith to trust completely in Him.
If Christians are too meek, too timid to even say grace in public, how can our faith continue
to grow or even exist? We must be bold, we
must trust in God, and we must be willing to stand and say, “I Choose Christ!” regardless
the consequences
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