And yet a man cannot simply do what he wishes. He must honor his commitments.”
–John Deacon (A Man Called Justice)
“But let us who live in the light keep sober, protected by the armor of faith and love.”
–1 Thessalonians 5:8 (TLB)
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“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” –Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
Does this depict your life? Good question, perhaps a hard question. There are those who think they can come to Jesus, accept Him, and continue to live the way they want–in their old lifestyle. No, no, no–those things have passed away. We are now in Christ. We should be doing what the Father wills, not what we want. As Andrew Murray wrote, “Do nothing of yourself, but only what the Father shows you. Fix your gaze on Jesus as the Example and Promise of what you shall be.”
The CEB translates the middle portion of the above verse, “And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son.” We live by faith, and it is the faithfulness of Christ that keeps us, that sanctifies us, that helps us in the midst of our infirmities, sufferings, sorrows, and trials. Faith is not a ‘blab it and grab” walk having everything and anything you want. It is entirely the opposite, faith is sacrifice to the will of God. A.W. Tozer says, “Faith is the least self-regarding of the virtues. It is by its very nature scarcely conscious of its own existence…. Faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all.” If we are in Christ, we do not look to the right or to the left. We do not gaze in hunger and longing at the things of the world, but we do all for Christ.
The words of Jessie Penn-Lewis, who was involved in the great Welsh revivals of the early twentieth century, “God can do such a work in us by His Spirit, that all that He commands us to do will become about naturally, and not because we feel we ought to do it. To make up your mind to praise God may be good, but it is very much better to be so filled with the Holy Spirit that you cannot help praising!” I remember Annie’s Uncle John would be taking a nap, or doing some routine chore when all of a sudden, a rushing praise from deep within him would gush forth–“HALLELUJAH!” Now, I’m not saying that we should interrupt the boss when he is outlining the day’s work with a rousting “hallelujah” but I am saying while he is telling us what we are to do we should be bursting within ourselves, praising God and thanking Him for the opportunity to serve Him in our work today. (However, there are times when I want to “clog in the kitchen”.)
One of the greatest battles we face is the riddance of self. No, we don’t go through life with blinders on, but maybe they would help us at the beginning of our trek with the Lord, some more than others. Distractions are all around, yet we must stay focused on the work of the Kingdom, on the Lord Himself. Are you serving Him to the best of your ability where you now work? Where you go to school? Where you find recreation? Need I remind you of the words of Paul, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Colossians 3:23, NIV) Don’t be bothered by the distractions, or as Thomas Traherne said, “Leave the trash and vanities of the world, to live here in communion with the blessed Trinity.”