Day 3288 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

1 John 4:4 NIV

That the odds are stacking ever higher in this land of opposition by offense finds for us a strange opportunity to offer what everyone needs whilst being nothing they prefer.

Because the fact of our faith’s matter is that it doesn’t really matter the preferences preferred among this people. As inconsiderate and unloving as such may sound, seems the truth has never been all that inclined to acquiesce to our petty requests. In fact, part of the entire purpose of the premise of His promise is to protest our preferences as they prove us living a life not at all seeking His glory but rather our own gain. And as He is our Creator, He thus deserves our undivided devotion.

Not quite this distracted disinterest we’ve thus far settled to show.

And yet that we have settled for such a gross negligence in the grace and growth department has thus far defined a rather glaring indifference as to where our devotion is directed. We don’t really seem to care to even consider that we are devoted among such divided distances as they all seem to still revolve around us, and well, that still seems to make more than enough sense to us! As they say, if it ain’t broke.

Except we are. Which defines the disaster with which we’re dancing as if some harmless homecoming in which we’re already home and needn’t fear falling into the presence of a benevolence we’ve become either unwilling or unable to accept and respect. Or in all honesty it’s likely some insane mix of the two, unwilling and unable as the first can and usually does seem to precede the second until the second renders the first all but moot as inability becomes in us a blanket excuse used to excuse our spiritual stagnation inside Scriptural illiteracy.

Because if we could read, which we can, God’s Word, which we won’t, then we’d see all this obviousness set in the clarity of black and white, and red, which defines our fall and yet somehow miraculously His faithfulness.

But alas, we’ve set our sights upon achieving the best possible outcome with the least possible effort, and well, assumption is both quick and easy and well affords us a semblance of assuming we know what we’re doing. And that’s good enough to live by, apparently. Evidence and past performance might provide some obvious objection, but hey, who are we to stifle our selfishness long enough to listen to what reason has to say anyway? No, onward, downward, ramp up the dishevelment and let’s let this life unravel!

For what though?

What is the point of such a gaudy giving in? We consider questions like this all the time in these posts, the how’s and what for’s of our insanity as seen and selected in our serving sin. The answers are always all rather obvious as Scripture’s truth just has this way of making everything seem somewhat rhetorical. But still it seems to not be making much of a difference either in the ways in which the world lives nor the ways in which we serve.

And that’s what I feel this need to look at today. The way we serve, or rather if we even are serving as called to. Because I think the reality is that there’s entirely too much fear alive inside to make us anything close to anything that could be considered servants. There should be no fear in our hearts, our minds, our words if we contend that all the above are leaning on and growing in the One who we say saved us. Because both for what and from what has He saved us if we still sit inside a fear that’s near crippling?

Did He save us from only the suffering our sins have earned? Seems that’s what we all share inside this faith in Christ. And that’s good, because yes, yes He did. He did die to absolve our sins and set these souls both free and again alive so as to use the freedom to walk by faith in this place. But there’s where the confusion seems to come flooding back into our considerations. If He did set us free from sin, for what? What are we to do with this newfound freedom? Sit idly upon the sidelines while the world rages against Him and rips itself apart?

Seems sort of sad if you think about it.

Because if He set us free and gives us daily a new hope of a home entirely unencumbered by the depravity and decay of this one, then why not those around us too? Are we to just assume salvation such an individual outcome that we’re not to play any part in letting anyone know that they can have a part of His promise too? Is such not basically what we’re saying as we sit on the outskirts and try to skate by without getting hurt?

Indeed, it does kind of seem that we’ve settled for a salvation from sin without finding the following freedom to serve unafraid and unashamed. We sort of kicked that idea off yesterday, the lack of shame which should be seen in our service, in our surrender, in our soldiering onward into this most blatantly bleak battleground within which we remain. Because while He did indeed die that we might find our freedom redeemed from the sinful enslavement to which we’d sold it, He didn’t give His life only for us to get ours back.

He died that we might live for something with these lives He’s given us back.

But what are we doing with them? Is there seen such a violent insistence upon the salvation of everyone that we refuse to even pretend a fear of pretense or persecution? Or rather are we not carrying onward as if still walking on eggshells afraid to wake the slumbering sinful? Do we not live like we’re afraid of this world every time that we refuse to speak the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help us God? And if we do in fact avoid any of His Word so as to not hurt or offend, are we not then obviously agreeing with what the masses insist we agree with?

That opinions and feelings are more important than this opportunity at a faith that finds for each who believe a new life lived without fear, and too lived forever inside His most impossible peace?

Yet therein lies the problem, the masses do contend as such. We’re told and see clearly every single day that most are worried, and therefore insist we be as well, far more about their own opinions and preferences than their eternal resting place. Most are considerably more concerned about their ideals being idolized than destroying every semblance of every idol that has dared set itself up in God’s place in our lives. The vast majority are entirely, eternally stuck inside this lie that says they’re already living in freedom as if freedom is actually nothing more than doing anything we want.

There’s a much bigger freedom than that, and we claim we believe that, but if so, what are we doing about it?

Well, some days it would seem not much, Because the issue again is that whole ‘masses’ part. The reality is that most don’t like what we have to say in regard to this truth that even we ourselves don’t really like hearing sometimes. It hurts, grinds, grates, goes against many things we’re still going for. It’s the rebuke that makes redemption seem somewhat obnoxious to us. All of us. And there again is the entire problem!

God’s Word, God’s Way, God’s will all go against us. They all go against all of us because all of us have sinned and fallen short of His glory in all these lives lived seeking our own glory. Everything defined in Scripture and thus deserved by its Author demands we deny ourselves to the very tune of taking up crosses that only do one thing. And we all know what that one thing is. But none of us want that one thing done because to die is to stop living and the way we’ve been going sure seems to be living a pretty good life.

And so nobody wants anything to do with anything anyone may have to say if any of it is said from souls set on fire for faith and their Father.

We are up against an entire world that’s made it perfectly clear that our faith is entirely offensive simply because the truth it’s built upon as the truth utterly obliterates our opinions, but it’s those very opinions that have become to us gods that we’ve grown to serve as if gold waiting to be polished. And so as we find ourselves dying to grow in Christ in light of His dying to grow in us, we find suddenly our being ushered into service within a war we’ve long ignored.

And we freak!

Because who wouldn’t? One day you’re bouncing along doing your thing and then, BAM!! Brick wall baby! He decimates our divided devotions and leaves us understanding that He deserves far more than we’ve been. And alongside that opening of eyes through a softening of hearts back to the point of beating again we find this realization that we’re now who we’ve long hated. The freaks. The weirdos. The fools following a faith that finds freedom only in serving the God that most of this world pretends isn’t real.

And since we know that this world thinks Him imaginary and therefore our faith insanity, they’re probably not going to like this new life we’re called to live all that much!

But why do we care? Again, we contend that He saved us. From what and for what though? From sin, okay. Good start. But for what? Only that we might be free? Cool. What about everyone else though? We see a world that desperately needs this same freedom as sin is thriving in ways that’s driving millions to their eternal death. This world needs bold believers unwilling to be afraid or ashamed of their faith. And yet we are sometimes. But why? Why are we afraid of speaking the truth, of reflecting His light, of hurting some feelings if it means saving some souls?

Is it not simply because we look at the odds? Indeed, it seems that we’ve been assimilated into assuming that life and its being lived is a numbers game. Anymore it’s like our entire existence has boiled down to the number of followers we have and how many likes we get. And we know that to get those likes and gain those followers who seem to hang on our every word, thus obviously panning to pride, we’ve gotta do and say and be and believe only what they like.

But this world hates our faith and the truth upon which it stands.

So here we are in this world that loves everything we’re now learning to hate as He teaches us to cling to what is good while coming to hate all that’s evil, but yet we’re still stuck thinking that they need to like us, love us, follow us if we’re to matter or mean anything. Social media has really screwed us up! Because in this new mindset it’s made for us, we see only the opposition, the offense, the opportunity to avoid both and gain a whole world loving everything we do. But what will that profit us?

To gain the whole world does indeed cost a soul because we can’t serve both God and man. And because mankind has made their choice perfectly clear within what they did, and would happily do again, to Christ, it does seem that the odds are against us and stacking ever higher.

Indeed, in a world filled with people who hate our faith for the truth it speaks and therefore us for such audacious sharing of such blatant offense, it does seem as if we’re living upon a line destined to fight against the majority throughout the majority of this life spent inside this good fight. But friends, faith ain’t about the numbers but rather the size. Because you see, while this world is filled with millions perhaps even billions of people who hate our faith and thus our sharing of it, and while that sort of unbridled if not religious hatred has and therefore may in fact again inspire some to act upon such disdain, we don’t really have much to fear.

Because if we say He saved us from death, can He not then save us from everything else this world’s hatred may try in order to shut us up?

See, that’s the point I’m getting at for today, we actually don’t have anything to fear. Because the truth is that if we fear God we shall fear no man because again, faith ain’t found in numbers but nearness. Friends, the fact is that this is a big world and the odds against us are therefore also big as it’s a big number of people who don’t like and/or won’t understand our faith nor our sharing of it. But God’s bigger. And so we needn’t live afraid or ashamed of these odds seemingly stacking higher and more hateful against us as it’s a matter of who’s fighting for us, not the many against us.

So let this hate us, harm us if their hatred needs to. It’s okay because nothing this world can do is big enough to alter or undo God’s good plans for us. If we are His people then it simply doesn’t matter how many people hate us because of it. If He is for us, who can be against us? Because if He is for us then all He is is behind us, beside us, and as the cross contends, even ever before us. He will make a way right through the middle of as much hate as this place can offer up. He will get us to the points, places and purposes of His purpose for us.

And simply put, can’t nobody do anything about it because ain’t nobody going to stop what He started nor unravel what He’s long intended.

So let the hate come, let it come in waves as droves of disdain roll and race our way. He is still God and we are forever His and He Himself has said that He shall lose any the Father gives into His care. Thus we don’t need to care about what this world thinks because of what our faith knows. We know that He is greater than anything and everyone in this world. And while the arrogance ruining this place will undoubtedly hate that, guess they’ll just have to deal with as He’s still as faithful as He’s always been and He’s done proven He will go even to the grave to save and shelter those who seek refuge in His redemption.

Let us today be so bold as to seek that refuge my friends. Because while this whole world may eventually come to hate us because of our faith and His deserving our sharing of it, we need to always remember that this world can’t stand against Him.

No matter how many of them stand together against us.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold