Have you ever heard someone say, “Jesus is all that
I need?” It sounds so spiritual; doesn’t it? I would be the first to argue for the
sufficiency of Christ in all things,
but I would be careful in making statements like the one above around others in
a boastful manner because ground zero is but a hair’s breadth away from any one of
us should our Lord decide to hinge the protective hedge in our lives. What if
Jesus reduced you or me to the level of ground zero like He did Job that all we
had remaining was Jesus and perhaps a spouse who foolishly encouraged us to curse God
and die (Job 2:9)? Would we have the
spiritual character to respond like Job, “In all this Job did not sin with
his lips” (Job 2:10)?
Doesn’t loss of possessions, death of a
loved one, and sickness offer us a glimpse of a darker side of life? It seems to shatter
the jaded look on how prismatic and wonderful this earthly life is if we are honest without trying
to cling to a humanistic optimism that seeks to throw anything negative into a
closet and says in New York fashion, “Stuff happens; forget about it!” Yeah, forget about it until
you take a look around ground zero, and things are an achromatic wasteland! And we are devastated by the scope of the destruction in
our lives. With unbelievers, I understand this approach of positivism for they do not seek comfort from the truth of the Scriptures, but I fear as believers that we often
fail to realize that we are engaged in an all-encompassing spiritual warfare where collateral damage is a part of the conflict in living for God in a world of darkness! No one is immune from this war, nor is there any place of neutrality on terra firma that serves as a “safe haven.”
Fortunately for us, because of God's sovereignty, even collateral damages from this global conflict are measured! Let’s be
upfront with this; Rom 8:28 can even be a challenge to our faith because of the spiritual warfare that is continually raging around us and will continue to do so on this side of eternity!
Here is what I am leading up to; bad stuff can and does happen to good people who love the Lord. Negative experiences can enter our lives like a flash flood and undermine our confidence in God's Word and even God Himself if we allow our faith to be swept away with doubt and unbelief, leaving us shell-shocked and spiritually dumbfounded. When a calamity hits home can we
still sing “How great is our God?” The Word
of God, the great truths and promises of Scripture, seem adventurous and easily embraced academically until we are confronted with the storms of life.
For instance, I just lost my husband or wife or a son or
daughter; I’ve lost everything, or my suffering is becoming unbearable. Where is
God when I need Him most? It’s in these moments that unless the blessed truths of
Scripture have already been appropriated in the life they can become acrimonious and disposable, not worth their salt. It is difficult to encourage or comfort a heart that is empty of the Word. People who are not usually comforted by the Word will struggle when calamity hits.
Whenever I had become bed-fast and felt wearied and whooped and that my spring had sprung, God's Word encouraged and strengthened me to be resilient; even though I have sensed the reality of this world and longed for the unreal reality of heaven to be with Jesus. It is not the pep talks of getting better or “I am praying for you” that lifts me up. Though I cherish the prayers of those saints who know how to get a hold of God, it's the great truths of Scripture hidden deep within my heart that prevents me from getting depressed and energizes me in moving forward and breaking free of the gravity of self-centeredness and orbiting around the divine purpose of Romans 8:28 and not self-pity.
A spiritual adventurer is one who
rejoices and sings praises to God of the glorious truths of Scripture, but for
some reason had failed to appropriate those truths in life. Such a spirit has fanciful, impractical, unrealistic lofty ideals of God though he or she may
quote Scripture of their faith in Him. Somehow they have imbued their mind
with some kind of spiritual idealism that Christianity is some surreal, adventurous,
chivalrous quest for the glory of God. Crusaders, like soldiers, change
their perspective of battle when oozing blood and death become part of the calculus. Adventurers are not engaged in the battle or go in harm’s way for the cause of
Christ. This impractical idealist, having a Don Quixote spirit, will abandon the fight when the bullets start flying or the first
sign of blood. The adventurous heart will not be fruitful on the day of battle but will flee like a dog with its tail between its legs like the apostles did when God the Father willed that His Son was to be taken by His enemies and mishandled, mistreated, torn, and crucified...
Because we are engaged in a great
spiritual conflict that has been raging since the Fall of Adam, there is nothing adventurous about war. In my experiences in Special Forces, I
have never heard of any decorated warrior ever mentioning anything about being in harm's way as something adventurous, only as something that was necessary. I think the difference
between an adventurer and an actual Christian is the verb appropriate. A simple definition would suffice here; appropriate is to
take possession of. In our context, it would be appropriating the great truths
of the Scriptures into our lives, not merely singing or quoting them. Appropriating means that the Word of God
becomes the absolute authority and sufficiency in all matters of faith and
practice in our talk that matches our walk.
So when the negatives come our way we
can respond as Job, “In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong”
(Job 1:22). Oh, when was the last time you ever heard someone say, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity” (Job 2:10b)? I have never heard anyone give that testimony during a crisis. And by the way, Job did not have the full revelation of God; his
knowledge of God was limited and handed down by oral tradition starting with
Noah! We, unlike Job, have the full written revelation of God!
Receive, keep, abide, observe, trust, and
believe are all appropriating verbs. Let me give just two passages to help
illustrate taking possession of God’s Word without comment.
"How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter
than honey to my mouth" (Psa 119:103)!
"Your words were found, and I ate them, And
Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your
name, O LORD God of hosts" (Jer 15:16).
From a spiritual warrior's perspective, war is anything but being romantic and adventurous. Let me add one other descriptive word,
but it is a powerful one that illustrates that appropriation is taking place in our lives –
fruits; Jesus told His disciples that they will know others by their fruits (Mt
7:16a). James, the Lord’s half-brother was straightforward about those who just
talk about their faith, “You say you have faith? I will show you my faith by my
fruits” (cf. Jas 2:18). Faith without fruits is dead (cf. Jas 2:20). The Word of God is only adventurous until it becomes an actuality in the life. Until then, it is a love issue (cf. Jn 14:15). <><
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