putting God to the test

In the wilderness Satan tempted Jesus to jump off the pinnacle of the Temple, since God had promised that he would send his angels to rescue his servant, so that none of them would dash their foot against a stone. I know Jesus was going through the same temptations as Israel of old, but unlike them, he was succeeding as the true Israelite, the unique son of God. At the same time we in Jesus live in many ways parallel to his days then. Notice Jesus' answer: "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (from Deuteronomy 6:16)

We are all tempted, and sometimes we think it's okay to give in in little ways. We know God is a god of grace and there is always forgiveness, and that no matter what we do, God has promised never to leave us nor forsake us (though we very well, in our sin, may be leaving him). And somehow we believe that we need something that God has not given us. So that in effect we are doubting God's goodness and provision for us.

But the heads up here is that we must beware of putting God to the test. We can test and try God by our sin. When we make decisions that are questionable at best we do what Jesus refused to do: we jump off the high place and think there will be little or no consequences. God may give us what we want, but send judgment or discipline on us because he wants us to repent.

In what ways might we be putting God to the test? Is it presumptive on our part to assume that God will bless our disobedience, even in little things? Do we see that when we do this we are in effect doubting God's goodness and provision to us?

the unknown

On our journey in Jesus there is always the unknown and fear which we can wrestle with over that. It may not be over just the general unknown, since none of us know all that will happen today or tomorrow, much less the following year, or decade. But it can be over problems and trials that have come and hit us, and make us wonder what is next, imagining at times, the worst case scenario.

This is not to say that the worst case scenario such as a loss of job, or even death, will not overtake us. But it is to say that God is with us in Jesus to see us through, so that on the other side we come out looking more like Jesus.

That is so to the extent that we trust in God through Jesus, and hold on to God's promises. As God bound himself with an oath to Abraham which meant that if God didn't see his promise to Abraham through, a promise that to Abraham seemed less and less likely, then God would destroy himself. We can rely on God's trustworthiness, and that he will fulfill all his promises to us given in Scripture, through Jesus, as we simply commit ourselves to him.

Our faith may indeed be small, weak and wavering, but like a wobbly tire at the top of the hill as it begins to go down, becomes straight, steady and gains momentum, so God can help us to become strong and steady in our faith, even through the hard times. So that like Abraham of old, our faith will be a part of who we are, unshaken and unsettled by life's inevitable changes and trials.

This knowledge can help us face the unknown when we're not sure of what lies ahead. We need to put our faith in God through Christ, and commit our way to him, knowing that he is faithful and will see us through as we seek with others in Jesus to follow him.

What would you like to add to this?

do or die

There are certain times and places in life where one is at an either/or. Too often we would like to avoid such places, and negotiate life on our own terms. Yes, we want God's will, but we also want our own way. Of course the two don't mix.

Sometimes I'm especially weak, and "under it", "under the circumstances." But by God's mercy and grace I can come to realize that I can't afford to be "under it"- for the sake of others. No matter what I'm going through I need to rise above it, in Jesus by the Spirit, for others.

As Paul tells us in God's word in Romans 8, if we live by the flesh, or the sinful nature, we will die, but if by the Spirit we put to death the (mis)deeds of the body, we will live. By faith we either do the good works God has for us, sometimes under much duress, or we lapse into faithlessness, or a weak faith, which can hardly "take hold of God" in prayer.

I hope to be among those who after receiving God's promises, do the will of God- and then receive what God has promised! God grant us the grace and perseverance that by faith we may be counted in that number.

What might you like to add to this?

time

An important and necessary element to consider in the walk of faith is simply time. Time is essential for many reasons, but that doesn't go together well with our push button, instant everything society and culture in which we live. We want what we want now, and we can get it. But the walk of faith is different.

It is a walk no less, and requires an ongoing faith which in itself requires patience. It's an ongoing faith in God and in the promises of God given to us in Jesus. It's a faith in which the process might be more important than the answers that faith await. A mature faith will keep looking to God no matter what else is going on around us.

I'm glad faith is what is needed and not perfection. I must keep trusting God and looking to God both in my heart, and by what I keep doing, even when I know I don't have it together inside. Faith is not about moving on because of circumstances, but is more about moving on in spite of them in this life.

So time can bring about the answers we look for. Or move us toward them. The answers we're looking for being the ones God has made plain are his will for his people from Scripture in and through Jesus.

So for me this means in a true sense, slow down. Though I can't slow down in some of my work, slow down in my attitudes toward God and others, and even toward myself. God in time will make all things beautiful in the end in Christ. And that's a process in the new creation in Jesus, which begins now.

What thoughts would you like to share on this?

love's hope

In Paul's description of love in 1 Corinthians 13, we read that "love....always hopes." This love Paul is referring to, is the love that alone gives value to what we do in Jesus. It's a love that has hope for every person because of God's grace in Christ.

It's easy to lose hope for someone. We may be seeing no progress, or them growing worse, and we falter in despair over them. Paul does put faith, hope and love together, as the most important aspect of how we live out our lives in God during this life. A triad that can't be broken.

As we love God, then we're to love others, and as we love them we're to do so with faith in God, hope in God's promises, and a love that acts on that: in prayers, loving words and deeds for others.

This hope that comes from God is one assured of his good promises being fulfilled. And one that in love hopes in faith that all will enter into the joy of this reality beginning in this life, in Christ.

In some small measure we may have lived this out by faith, for others. I hope to grow in this, so that this is a characteristic that marks my life. And is at least a reminder to me when I feel like giving up on someone, of love's hope in Jesus. And the difference it's made in my own life.

What would you like to add here?

walking by faith

Walking by faith and not by sight in the context of that Scripture passage, means that we anticipate the promise of being present with the Lord in our present condition apart from him, and the new home we will have. Perhaps the passage speaks of the intermediate state between death and final resurrection, but it certainly speaks of an existence after death. And as N.T. Wright expresses it, we as Christians are destined for a new "life after life after death." Meaning resurrection of our bodies.

Too often I live as though I want to hold on with all my might to this present life, almost as if that is all there is. Of course it is faith to say it is not, because one can go only on promises allegedly received from God through Christ. Though there are evidences both external and internal for believers of the validity of faith in Jesus.

It's not as though we shouldn't see death as an enemy. It is not God's intention for humanity, and indeed Jesus by his death destroyed death. While we don't want to fear death, since we know it doesn't have the final word because of Jesus, we most certainly don't welcome it, either. Except for those who long to pass on, experiencing disease or the end of life.

To have new covenant faith as given to us from the New Testament, we need to learn to live with a future orientation. We need to see that already the future in the new creation has broken in, even into this world in Christ, its completion in fullness to be known in the resurrection of our bodies and of all creation through Christ.

I need to do this by continuing to focus not on this old world which is passing away, but on the new world, evident to us by the indwelling Spirit, with the promise that that Spirit will give life to and raise up our bodies, just as Christ was raised from the dead. What has begun now will be perfectly fulfilled in an even more dynamic existence. This old, decaying creation will paricipate with God's children in a new creation which we both live in now and await.

Of course those who insist that all reality is only what meets the eye, are not going to receive any of this. Such include atheistic science and a rigid naturalism which actually rules out any god and whose hope and practical belief is that science eventually will explain everything. And maybe indeed science will end up with some explanation of everything, though one should never imagine that any knowledge in such endeavor can be complete and final. And even if it could be, we Christians believe there's more to life than meets the eye.

This is important for us all, and in my case it is good in fighting against recurring anxiety bouts. While we want to live responsibly in this life, yet we want our existence here to be lived out in view of the life promised to us in Jesus, begun now by faith and through the Spirit.

Both in my thinking and most certainly in my walk, I am especially in process on this as you might gather from this post.

Would any you have something to share from your own thoughts and reflections on this? Or anything related?

looking ahead

As we look ahead at the turning of the calendar, I wonder what kind of thoughts and expectations we may have for the new year. And from where do these thoughts and expectations come?

I look forward to this new year, because I do so trying to look to God's promises to me and to us in Christ as my basis for seeing more change in my life. This alone gives me hope. Never any kind of resolution I may make, which I am guaranteed in time to break.

Looking ahead should embrace more than just our personal lives. We need a bigger scope and picture. Praying the "our Father" prayer daily can help us, as well as learning to pray with that in mind. And keeping in view the first and greatest commandment and the second like it, called by some of us, "the Jesus Creed," is helpful in this, as well.

What would you like to add to these few thoughts on looking ahead?