Day 3170 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV

It’s easy to lose hope, to lose happiness, to lose heart in this darkening world demanding we too display the shadows they prefer.

But that’s a death we don’t have to agree to unless we want to. Because while the world around us is dying every day in every way imaginable, we don’t have to. No, actually we’ve the chance to be changed back into the breathing again. We have the opportunity to overcome death and live for life again. We’ve been invited to be among the few who flee the foolishness that keeps the foolish fumbling. Yes, we have the chance to choose life despite the world seeing it as only the death of everything they’re living for.

In this place that judges by appearances, sure, a Christian's walk may seem to offer little in the way of reward. It's rather limited, extremely so in comparison to the apparently limitlessness of worldly interests. It asks of us things that most don't even know to contemplate let along actually consider choosing. Leads us away from the known into the uncertain, a clearly difficult thing for the many who know only to walk by sight despite their unseen blindness.

See, we live in this world of unconsidered contradictions surrounded by people who think all of life and how it should be, can be, must be lived is all up on the surface. It's all about what shows, what's seen, what isn't. And when that outlook is allowed to undermine our opportunity for greater understanding, well the results of those risks will not be understood either. All because of this gross complacency relying upon the seen.

But as they say, appearances can be deceiving. Yet I reckon that's part of the beauty in this path that demands we walk not by sight.

Because deception just doesn't really have a chance to impact our outlook anymore. Not when life is finally seen through the eyes of a soul brought back to life, a life then spent in awe of this gift we've been given which literally keeps on giving. Like, forever. It's unending, this mercy we've found, the freedom it brings, the joy it sings, the hope it holds inside the promise that we'll always be held.

Yet it's a rather strange blending of emotions found in response to this faith's response to our past irrationality. While it's wholly joyous and increasingly magnificent, there are also parts that are rather heartbreaking. That all these things, these changes, these refinements in light of rebuke's work, these moments of growth found by souls learning life all over again, they all take place mostly inside.

Now, that's not to say that there aren't any external reflections toward which to point of our having been pointed in a new direction. There is a noticeable radiance to those who finally find the light of life and dare walk into it. There are more smiles to be seen, a peace pervasive across the faces of those who take the risk of wondering if there really is a deeper measure of meaning to a life now lived outside of oneself.

But for the most part, the most radical parts of this renewal are all found and felt inside. And despite how hard we may try, it's all but impossible to explain all this through words. Especially to those many we walk amongst that discount language in preference of vision. Yes, we live in a world where words are great, but a picture paints a thousand of them all at once.

We talked about that not long ago, a few days. It's this common human conception that has many convinced that seeing is the only logical means of believing. And when up against that kind of opinion, well, safe to say we've our work cut for us. Because again, this Christian faith follows a path deniably degrading to a world convinced that seeing is believing. Because when they look at us and how we begin to change the way we live, they don't believe it.

Because it makes no sense.

By all accounts it seems this path leads us only away from everything. From past passions to present priorities, it changes every macro in our mission. It alters everything down to the words we say, even the cadence in which they're spoken. Christ came into our lives like He came into that temple, intent on flipping things upside down. And thus the world looks at us as if we're living wrong side out.

There's this grating that's felt because of this faith tearing the scales from our lives. And when seen through the eyes of those who find comfort inside complacency, then yeah, it looks as if we're wrong. Because it's hard. Because it hinders. It limits. It demands. It destroys, everything we've ever been or tried to be. It's this great big blender that divides to the separating of bone from marrow as if to help us see just how deep sin had set in.

And this world doesn't get that. Any of that. The willingness to change. The choice to let go. The surrender of control. The confession of sin. The unashamed assault on what's had us ashamed. The boldness to walk into the light knowing everything will be seen for exactly what it is, no more hiding. Makes no sense to those who feel as if they've found freedom.

But sadly, freedom has been compromised into a cliché, an assumption, this proverbial carrot that keeps us chasing after it as if it's something that must be found, as if it exists someplace we've not yet been. Yes, so many see freedom as this ideal way of life wherein there are no rules. But a lack of responsibility, reason or reality is not what makes freedom so unhindered.

No, freedom is far deeper than what this world knows of it, because it exists below the surface where the soul is. And that's a place few find themselves unafraid to venture.

See, truth is this world exists in this constant state of fear. Fear of the truth. Fear of consequence. Fear of failure. Fear of the truth of our failures coming forth and bringing their consequences with them. Everyone everywhere is afraid of something, if nothing else, just afraid to admit that they're afraid. Because it's weakness. It's loss. It's concession. It's failure in the most fatal and forlorn sense of the phrase.

And so for them to see us not only thinking about running into the light where our lies will be confronted, but boldly racing into that opportunity to have ourselves challenged seems crazy. On the surface. Why step into the fire? Just might burn the pretty picture we’ve spent so long painting.

But you see, in Scripture we're told pretty early on that, "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” And this message repeats throughout those pages, a concept clearly crucial in this call to construct something no longer as if playing with sandcastles.

That's the great controversy posed by Christianity. It exists, and/or rather calls us to exist beyond the surface. To refuse the flesh. To walk in a freedom not found in being focused on feeling our folly fulfilled. To deny self to the point of grasping for any opportunity to take up our cross where self is simply unconsidered. To dare try to see as God does, looking not to what looks good but toward what simply is good.

Because in this world, this idea of freedom that has everyone living as if they've not found it yet will keep them from finding it. Because they'll only do as all have always done, look to what looks good. To what feels good, sounds good, tastes good. Yes, humanity will live blinded by these senses we think tell the full story, all because to our limited understanding, it seems they do.

After all, if we can't see it, can't hear it, can't touch it or taste it, how can we be sure it's good? And contrastingly, if we can see that something looks good, feel that it feels good, taste and realize we like the flavor, then where's the risk of failure?

Well, it's everywhere. How? Because it demands we stay insistent upon this assumption that we know something. It demands we remain convinced that we're the ones who can determine what is good and what is not. It keeps us on the throne, making the choices as if we're the ones who decide the outcomes. It's an arrogance embodied inside each of us. Right where our pride wants to keep it.

Because we always want to look good. We want our lives to seem good. We want our words to sound good. We want our walk to be considered good by whatever external opinion we can find. We want that, need that, crave that constant validation. But why? Why do we always need the praise and applause? Why do we care so much about what everyone else thinks about what we're doing?

Is it not only because we're not quite so sure that it's what we should be doing? Is it not in order to have others see us, agree with us, tell us that what they see is good so that, because seeing is believing, then we can be certain that we're good enough?

Leaning on mankind to keep us upright and reasonable is about as intelligent as lighting your bed on fire just to keep yourself warm at night. Going to lead to problems!

Because there's never anything considered other than what keeps folks comfortable. There is no renewal of anything. Everything this world does is done in stagnancy. It spoils as it sets at rest unwilling to start doing anything. All because most agree that they needn't do anything other than what they've already done.

And so whenever those masses see us over here striving every day to lose more of ourselves that we might find less of this world in us, we seem escapees from a mental institution. Why admit we're wrong? Why agree to let go? Why embrace all this loss of selfishness and standing? What's the point in sacrifice? How can we gain anything in giving up all we've tried to gain?

Outwardly our lives seem as if we're losing everything that everyone else sees as gain. We lose the will to grin and go along. We lose the ability to partake and participate. We give up and walk away from the welcome. We sell off things we own, things that we once believed helped to define our worth. We rid ourselves of this world and its ways little by little, day by day.

And from those on the outside refusing to look in, it looks like death. All because it's the opposite of the life they all know.

But just below the surface where they'll sadly stay, beyond the lies they still believe, past the point of caring about self and 'looking out for number one', right there under the deception of appearance is the existence of the freedom that they're all looking for but will forever fail to find. Because it can't exist in us nor in what we look like, not even in what we do.

No, this freedom is found in Christ, because where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. And while as we discussed yesterday in regard to our being but temples of the Holy Spirit, we walk among many who are only temples to themselves. This place is filled with people who are their own gods. They live for themselves alone. And so this other way we're going just doesn't make sense.

It seems to them that we're wasting away as our external is stripped of everything they're mummifying themselves with, everything in and of this world. But their hope is dying every day that they think they either have it or can find it in something or someone in this place. Ours though, it's new every morning when we're met with a fresh-baked batch of His benevolence.

That hit me this morning. Yesterday was worldly day for me, better part of this past week has been. Focused on things around me. Worrying about what other people are doing. Looking at the surface of the lives of those not living mine, all leading to my failing to live mine according to what I know to be right and true. But this morning God got me up. Gave me a word to say, a message to post, a verse to discuss.

Renewal is freedom because freedom is only found in not being held hostage by yesterday. But that gift can only be had in hearts that have no hold on this world anymore.

When we finally agree to stop living our lives for only what's seen, we can finally see that He's always been right there ready and willing to turn our lives around for the betterment of everything we are. We find His Spirit breathing life again into these dry bones, just like He did at the start. And once we taste the hope that His Spirit brings, everything else we've had and held before just can't leave fast enough.

This world doesn't get that, and because it's a mystery to most, they'll fight against this work He's begun in us. Because they want us to stop being so weird. They want us to stop worrying them with what they're starting to see. They want us to quit speaking these new words, this new message. They still want Jesus to go away, and so as we go in Him because He's growing in us, we'll make less and less sense to this senseless world.

I wanted to share this one today because we're heading into a time wherein things are going to be hard. The pressures to give up, give in, just conform again will increase as the world descends deeper into depravity and despair. But hold fast. Stand firm. Cling tight to the Holy Ghost. Because despite it meaning that the world will come to see us as being among those freaks they fear, we should be more afraid of losing this hope we've found growing in us than of losing the praise of those not living our lives.

We live these lives, not the world. Do not let anyone convince you that you're doing this wrong. If all we do is done for Christ, we're headed the right direction. And just because it goes against the grain does not mean that we're making a mistake. It just means that we're finally learning to stop making them.

Seek the path that brings you new hope, new peace, new joy every single morning. Because the road this world is on, seeing before believing, will only lead them to new mourning every morning.

We don’t have to agree to lose heart because we’re giving it back to the One who can make it new again. And while His work will seem like death to those living in death thinking that sin is all life is about, we know otherwise because we don’t see things through only our eyes.

No, we’re learning to see everything through His Word, His Spirit, His Son. The Way. The Truth. The Life.

Doesn’t matter if anybody else thinks this makes sense. If our hope is new every day, we must be doing something different from a world where hope is dying. And that’s all the reason we need to keep going: To see where this constant hope is coming from.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold