2 Corinthians 4:1-4
Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we're not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don't maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don't twist God's Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God.
If our Message is obscure to anyone, it's not because we're holding back in any way. No, it's because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won't have to bother believing a Truth they can't see. They're stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we'll ever get.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
My mom tells a story about playing baseball with neighbor kids when she was growing up, and one kid would always have an excuse handy when he got up to bat. If he swung and missed, he would start saying repeatedly, “I didn’t break my wrist!” – meaning he didn’t swing through, so the attempt didn’t count in his estimation! He thought he could have another turn, as long as the swing had not counted. In other words, he didn’t bother believing the truth and chose to think what he wanted.
I’m not sure how well this worked for the boy, but I know it doesn’t work with God. We can’t make up our own rules or twist the truth to fit our own advantage and expect God to merely go along with us.
Let’s face it… things are not always going to go our way. And honestly, God has made no secret of this to Christians. There are clear indications throughout the Bible that the life of Christ’s disciples will be peppered with obstacles and challenges. Sadly, more than few Christians decide to deal with this by 1) throwing up their hands at the first sign of trouble, and 2) masking their faith and trying to manipulate God, so that they can be one person in His presence and another in the company of those who might choose to judge or ridicule them for their faith. Like the kid on the ball team who had a ready excuse for a missed swing, we are “all in” when we connect with the ball, but ready to turn tail and run when anything goes awry.
We can’t have it both ways… and we shouldn’t need or want to do this. God has done so much for us. He will never give us more than we can handle. So why would we fear the challenges and road bumps for even a minute? Every time I have faced a “hard time,” God has strengthened my faith. Every time I have fallen down, He has lifted me.
I have yet to encounter anything God could not handle on my behalf. And yes, there have been times when I’ve put on a mask and played games… and tried to manipulate God into seeing things my way. But more and more, I have learned that my ideas are never as wise as God’s. My attempts to fix things almost never work out – and certainly never in situations where I should have listened to God in the first place.
We need to be “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” Christians… the kind who trust God for everything and deal with whatever challenges come our way. The life of a Christian is not easy, nor perfect in the way we would anticipate. God is not punishing us by allowing tests and struggles to come our way… but He is teaching us how to trust Him for the outcomes. Every swing “at bat” is not going to result in a home run. We are probably going to “miss the ball” and “strike out” a good deal of the time. How we react will say a lot about our faith… and whose truth we really believe – God’s, or our own. And this will be our message – to ourselves and to others. What is your message today?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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