James 1:27

You Say Following Christ Is Easy?

Responses from onlookers can be unrealistic, critical, misinformed and disingenuous, at best. Most people believe that the lives of those who follow Christ are lives of ignorance, conceit, self-absorption and/or delusional, holier-than-thou attitudes. People, often, consider it easy to follow our faith and live as we strive to live; they are misinformed and incorrect.

Folks also consider our faith to be one of giving up everything fun, becoming “boring” and having all things made off-limits or taboo; this too, is no so. Yes, there are certainly, portions of life which we may no longer partake of, but does that mean we have really “given up” anything valuable or of actual worth? I dare say, we have not. Not that such things are beneath us as we’ve become somehow superior or our royalty precludes us from stooping to the lows of mere paltry people, but that they are not blessed of God and are of the World. We are a “peculiar people” according to the Bible; Dr. Dan Hayden also wrote this explanation:

When the King James translators used the word “peculiar” in 1 Peter 2:9, identifying Christians as a “peculiar people”, this is not what they had in mind. According to A. T. Robertson, the word “peculiar” comes from the Latin word, “pecus” which means “flock”. The KJV translators were simply reflecting the idea that believers in Christ are the unique possession of God — they are His flock.

As followers, believers and children of Jesus Christ, as “Christians”, we are called to a life and held to standards which simply cannot be compromised. We are held accountable by God’s word, the commandments of God and of Jesus Christ and the convictions of the Holy Spirit. No person is excluded from these accountabilities, commandments and guidelines; many, simple decide and desire not to adhere to them. Judgment will be carried out, regardless of whether one accepts & believes or not; this is simply a fact and a rather unavoidable one at that.

What you may not understand about “Religion” is that it is not Christianity and the two have very little, if not nothing whatsoever to do with one another. According to James, this is the extent of religion and its practices and beliefs are observed as follows:

King James Version (KJV)

²⁷ Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world

One might also be misinformed as to the fact that Christians can be and do have, FUN! Often, in fact! We live a life that knows many smiles, laughs and happiness. But we also know one of constant struggles, battles and discomforts. We live a life of servitude, embellished by the constant need to decrease ourselves, so that God may increase and be glorified. We live a life that requires great humility, lacking the pleasures which others find in self-acknowledgment(s), giving all honor to our Father in Heaven.

There are both, wonderful and terrible examples of Christians all over the globe. Painted in so many lights, with countless opinions, views, concepts, disagreements and misunderstandings, Christians are portrayed as the thorn in everyone’s side. Because religion and religious people have marred, if not ruined, the very name of a great people of God. Without dismissing the additional truths, fellow Christians and those professing to be such, have done their disgrace to us, seriously causing all but irreparable damage.

Lest I continue with the chasing of rabbits, may I please submit, our faith is not an easy one to aspire to. We live difficult lives. Enduring, not only the hardships placed upon everyone else in the world (taxes, education, jobs, family life, marriage, unemployment, etc.) while then having the additional requirements of keeping the commandments given us by God. This life, it is not for the faint of heart and “those who endure to the end, shall be saved” is for sure, factual. We must endure, all things, and can, by the very grace of God.

We survive and manage to live an abundant life, if we strive to honor God, acknowledge Him in all things, keep His commandments, and act with compassion, mercy and love. If you really think it is so simple and easy to do as we do, try this requirement for a while:

King James Bible
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

King James Bible
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

You Say Following Christ Is Easy?

Reasonable Service?

From day one until our final day, we are at war. Not one, complete, full day of rest do we ever know. Yes, there are moments of peace and some scraps of solitude, but even in war, there are times such as these. It is easy to become complacent in the easier times, but we must resign ourselves to a state of ever-readiness.

We are battle-hardened, ever cautious, and alert, which leads us to become weary, fatigued and worn down. Some days, it is the most difficult task…simply to raise our heads; but no choice remains. We must and are obliged, to carry onward.

People misperceive the life of a person who has professed Christ and chosen to serve Him. The manner of which we live, our struggles & inward battles make it tough to wear a smile every day. Folks think we have a sense of self-righteousness when in fact, we are truly fighting with our own “self” in order to achieve the humility that comes with the very removal of “self”.

Times will present themselves, wherein, we would like nothing more than to say “enough”! But this is the distinction by which we serve. A “Semper Fi” or “Rangers Lead the Way” mentality prevails. We take up our armor, shields and weapons, each day, without fail, for a just cause. Knowing that “Those Who Dare, Win” and that in truth, “the Only Easy Day Was Yesterday”.

Related articles

• Humility: Imitating the Lord (frted.wordpress.com)
• Serving Without Sinking (challies.com)
• Are You Just Plain “Tired, Weary and Heavy-Laden?” (myviewandopinion.wordpress.com)
• Faith and Regeneration (johntopeab.wordpress.com)

The “Shallow Hal” of Faith

Do you approach faith in such a superficial way? Is Sunday morning the depth of your resolve and dedication? Never wanting or desiring what is truth, to be filled with greater faith and the indwelling Spirit? How many seek only the gratification of appearance and bare-minimums of their relationships with Christ; actually believing that this is enough.

Is your faith in God nothing more than shallow interest? In the alluded-to movie, a man was transfigured from shallow lusts to seeing past his surface observations; the very same will occur to those who seek God from what is beyond first glance.

Such is the depth of God, love of Christ and measure of the Holy Spirit, that they are immeasurable! Fools count it sufficient, being contented while the wise in heart, seek knowledge. A relationship with God is unspeakably rewarding, an outward glance offers nothing more than scratching the surface. If you are not seeing the rewards, you are not digging deeply enough, plain and simple.

Seek the Lord with all your heart, not just your eyes, and you shall find Him. But you will find  He has always awaited you. God doesn’t look for you; He knows where you are and is always near you. Call upon Him, search for Him and He will draw close to you.

But you must endure beyond mild interest, shallow inhibitions and narrow-minded reservations. Jesus is open to you remaining at your door. He knocks and awaits, that He might enter in, dwell and remain with you. This is NOT a figurative suggestion, it is a factual statement. Jesus stands outside the door of your temple, wishes to enter and reside remaining therein.

If you will look inside the Bible, not judging by its plain-looking cover, you will find the depths of beauty, truly within. It is like an outwardly  unattractive person in the eyes of the shallow man or woman…what has it that I want? But if you will humble yourself to learn the truths of its interior, you will know love and fulfillment liken to nothing you have ever shared.

The Gospel is beautiful! Will you remain shallow and refuse it upon face-value and lack of attraction to it? Or will you be man or woman enough to surpass your shallowness?

The reward is beyond your belief…just outside of your sight, in what is called, faith.

God Sees It Differently

God didn’t answer me. God did not do for me, what I asked of Him. How long I prayed and begged and pleaded with the Lord, and for what? In the same boat, with the same hurts and I don’t see any difference! Why should I bother? Why should I believe?

How many people, let’s be real, have faced this? How many of us have honestly said this, thought this or considered these things in our own life? Can it be true, in some ways, that we feel a sense of “left out” or that we are “overlooked”? Does it sometimes seem that the whole of the evil world is flourishing while we are stuck in misery?

When will God look upon us and say “You, my good and faithful servant” and the rewards begin to abound? This is likely to be a subject that is harder to talk about and listen to than some. But let us delve a bit into it.

God tossed Satan out on his ear for his rebellion, arrogance and disobedience. Certainly, the logical thing, in our minds, would have been to destroy Satan right then and there. Such a wealth of sin could have been omitted, prevented and forgone with the death of Satan. BUT, God saw it differently. There would be a service provided by Satan, he would be used to glorify God and play a part in the divine will and plan.

God could easily fix all of our lives and set them into perfection. He is perfectly capable of unlimited miracles, glorious actions, divine interventions, etc. But God sees it differently. It would take little to no effort, by the power of His voice or His very name, to set right, all the crookedness of our life. Whatever our prayers, He could answer them with resounding “Yes, to the nth degree!” All prayers check the yes-box, done, perfection.

Look at all we give up as Christians! It’s not fun, it is hard, it is demanding. I have heard them all, and sometimes, yes, I have empathized with the person. Sometimes, it is quite accurate that we feel like “it sucks to be a Christian” because of what we must endure? What? What have we endured? Jesus endured 33 years of service, sacrifice and crucifixion! What have we done but be selfish, greedy and ask for every day….MORE!!

Now let us look a bit more into this with honesty. This is a time for truthful reflection and self-evaluation if you are feeling any of these things and find yourself relating to this post. Let us examine some of  God’s-Ways and why He may see it differently than we.

During your hardest moment, what were you actions? Be honest about this to Him, not me. Were you resentful or honestly needful? Did you consider yourself thankful for your suffering or hopeful for your deliverance? In your deepest pains were you like Job or like Peter, denying the Lord adamantly before fleeing?

What I mean to pose to you is this, were you His good and faithful servant? Was God able to look at your life and into your heart and see that you truly loved and feared Him like Abraham did? Or did he see wishy-washy, lukewarm and wavering in your heart?  

You see, we often times, cannot see the trees for the forest. We have an opinion of what God should do and why. But God sees it differently. He looks to us to find the example that Jesus set forth for us, in us. He looks to find that in our torments, pains, struggles, etc. that we remain faithful to Him.

It is in the times of our greatest burdens, when we are inches away from breaking, that He sees our truest hearts! This is the time when God truly knows and it becomes perfectly clear, our character and love or lack for Him. He allows us to suffer sometimes and sometimes, God tells us simply…NO! We think we deserve better or more, but God sees it differently. He does want us to have abundant life and to Him, we do deserve better. But He allows us to prove ourselves inwardly to Him, that HE may bless us openly.

We consider it hard to be a Christian and to remain thankful during hardships. But let us keep it in mind…God sees it differently.

This is why I assure you of answered prayer!

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Isaiah 30:19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Matthew 7:8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 18:19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Luke 11:9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last–and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.