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Does it ever seem like the Christian life is nothing more than walking uphill or paddling against the current or facing a headwind everywhere we turn? It seems as if we can never catch a break on the easy side of things. Whenever we let down our guard or pull back on the throttle, we find ourselves quickly downhill, downstream, or downwind, not a place we want to be spiritually! Anything and everything are challenging to the Christian walk. Of course the resistance of the sin nature, the world system, or demonic forces to the things of God might have something to do with that. We can’t seem to win for losing. Can’t we just coast once in a while?
The truth of the matter is I’ve never gone downhill, flowed with the current, or caught a tailwind in the spiritual realm without getting into trouble spiritually. And when I live for the Lord everything presents itself as an uphill battle, paddling against the currents of the world, or flapping my feeble wings of faith against some strong head wind. Does that pretty much sum up your experience as a believer, too? Truthfully, most of my spiritual obstacles in serving God have been solely because of me making the wrong choices; choices that cut against the grain of Scripture; I've no one else to blame but myself.
It doesn't require being spiritually savvy to figure out that Christ-likeness and worldliness are butting heads at every turn. This is more than clashing lifestyles; this is deep seated world view differences that create division. “For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 Jn2:16-17). At its basic level it is brief versus forever.
In reality Christianity is contrary to everything the world system represents! You can’t blend in when you hold to biblical standards that are contrary to the world. The world simply doesn’t agree with our words, ideas, opinions, viewpoints, philosophy, objectives, or standards. No matter how friendly at times, it still remains our spiritual foe that stands in total opposition to all things pertaining to God. In fact the world can be downright antagonistic, confrontational, and dangerous for we are engaged in a great spiritual warfare of universal proportions being played out on the stage of earth.
As believers we stick out like a sore thumb as some kind of fringe element group. We just don’t fit in. But isn’t that the way it is supposed to be? I mean light and darkness do not mix after all! I get that. But in a world that is consumed and occupied with spiritual darkness, we are seen differently. We may see ourselves as pilgrims and sojourners of the Light, but the world views us as a bunch of unloving killjoys journeying across the so called land of the sinners with solemn stoic faces, segregated from the unclean, tolerating sinners and desiring to leave this sinful earth for the joy of heaven. You kind of get the impression the world wants to help us along in that endeavor by our sometimes counterproductive self-righteous behavior and indifference to their spiritual plight. I don't get that; are we sending the wrong message to a "God so loved" world?
The world is obviously not thrilled with our message of repentance because for them it smacks of arrogance and intolerance even though our message is from God who they really don’t want to hear from anyway. They like their sins more than the need of what they consider to be a ridiculous notion of salvation. So resistance for us should be as natural as gravity if we intend to carry out, in the love of Christ, God's will for our lives. It makes you wonder how much opposition we bring upon ourselves and how much is generated by being a true and genuine witness for Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.
Let’s make a 180 degree turn back to that “he who does the will of God abides forever.” The world isn’t interested in that kind of stuff, but we are; and that’s what really makes us truly radical to the world! Solomon concluded “I know that everything God does will endure forever.” So whatever we do in the will of God, follow me here, has an everlasting quality (1 Jn 2:17b); whereas everything outside the parameters of God’s will is temporary in nature as far as eternity is concerned (1 Jn 2:17a). This gets back to that brief versus forever concept again.
In fact God’s decrees have the properties of eternality, perfection, and immutability (unable to be changed) – “nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.” This is what makes doing God’s will so rewarding and exciting – there is eternity behind it, in it, and in front of it! So we can tackle those uphills with a downhill mentality, paddle against the currents with a downstream attitude, and soar against the wind with a tailwind feel, for it is an everlasting work that withstands the fires of judgment, all courtesy of the Holy Spirit of God!
Paul asked, “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom 8:31)? Omnipotence surely carries some weight, don't you think? And Paul further declares that “We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Rom 8:37). Sure, there’s resistance alright in doing the will of God. I don’t think it will ever be easy or will abate this side of eternity, but the will of God is worth the struggle and worth the fighting for. It has eternal value whereas everything outside the will of God fizzles eventually.
Doing the will of God for your life has an everlasting feel about it you won't get from anything else in this world; it has significance and the full support of heaven. You can carry that truth all the way to the bank of heaven that everything God does will endure forever so that people will fear Him; it's worth putting up with the resistance. Don't quit; the best is yet to come! <><
Doing the will of God for your life has an everlasting feel about it you won't get from anything else in this world; it has significance and the full support of heaven. You can carry that truth all the way to the bank of heaven that everything God does will endure forever so that people will fear Him; it's worth putting up with the resistance. Don't quit; the best is yet to come! <><
