What if?

I have mentioned before that one of my favorite devotionals of all time is Oswald Chambers’ “What My Obedience to God Costs Other People.” I find comfort in hearing another struggling servant acknowledging that it is often far harder to watch our families, friends, and others suffer than it is to suffer ourselves. They may suffer the loss of our time, the loss of respect from others who think Christians are strange, or a number of other losses.

We don’t want to hurt people by speaking the truth in love. Our flesh would avoid those conversations if we could. But if the Spirit calls us to a task that causes someone else to experience loss, bruised feelings, or other pain, we have a choice. What is going to win out- fear of God or fear of what man may have to endure?

Today, many are holding back the truth from nonbelievers by leaving out part of the message of salvation. Repentance is a prerequisite for having an authentic life-giving and transformational relationship with Jesus Christ.  You and I hold this treasure of what a personal relationship with Jesus Christ has done for us and what it can do for others; we cannot keep it to ourselves. And it is deceptive to hold back one crucial step that will be a barrier for someone else fully knowing Him.

We should be engaging the culture but not bowing to the culture. What if Daniel had done that? What if Daniel had said, “Things are different today. My circumstances are different from my parents’, so I cannot use the words and the law they passed down to me that made me the man I am. I am in Babylon now. I must adapt to the culture.”

Daniel was polite to Nebuchadnezzar and respected him as the authority over him. But that authority stopped short when Daniel was asked to do things that went against the teachings that had been passed down for centuries. Daniel was winsome and admired because he did not compromise, allowing him to be imbued with power.  Through his Godly practices and unwavering obedience, he kept his communication channels clear with the Lord. It was by being different he gained the ear and the respect of Nebuchadnezzar.

If Daniel had placed value on fitting in, we would have missed one of the greatest examples of courage of all time. We would have lost a great lesson in how God will take care of us in difficult circumstances if we will persevere to obey.

Today we live in world that seems as alien to us as Babylon did to Daniel. He chose you and me to live in this particular culture at this particular time. The love of Jesus should always be shining out of us to the lost around us but so should the Truth, the Word, the full salvation message. 

What if Moses had come down from the mountain, seen the calf, and said, “What is this really harming? We just have different versions of worship.  If it makes them feel comfortable to have this in their lives, maybe it will keep them coming to worship. They can worship God and this calf. I am not going to tell them they have to choose. “

Over the last three weeks, I have been in a battle over the messages in my blogs. I have lost subscribers and almost lost one of the friends I love most in the world. Satan knows what to use against us. He knows what we don’t want to lose. I have had two different computer problems that completely shut down my computer and my ability to get the message out. One took days of my being online with puzzled technicians who said they had never seen the issue. When our enemy can’t stop us directly, sometimes he just tries to wear us down. But here we are.

I have not lost all subscribers; you are here. The tactics have not worked. God is sovereign.

I am writing this because I am so grateful that Oswald Chambers shared his insight on loss with me. We are together in the fellowship of His sufferings. We are all going to suffer and endure for the Gospel more and more as the return of Jesus draws closer. The cost will be great to us if we are true to our Lord and His teachings. Think it not strange.

12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. I Peter 4:12-13