"WHEN
I NEED TO BE FAITHFUL"
BY
TERRI ALTHOFF
We are all brought into this world as tiny infants, free of worry.
Someone who is loved, nurtured, and taken care of.
Suddenly, as we begin to mature, the world becomes an obstacle.
We are faced with some of the scariest feelings one could face – fear,
rejection, disappointment, hurt, hopelessness and loneliness just to name a few.
Yes, we all experience happiness, joy, love and security, but for many of
us the negative feelings at times seem to outweigh the positive.
God wants each of us to live our lives with good health, prosperity and
ultimately happiness.
Many of you ask, “How can this peace and happiness be found with all of
the trouble in our world?” As we
reflect on the events of 9/11, we wonder how those who fell victim to that
devastating day could remain hopeful and have the strength to move on.
We look at some of the devastating experiences that we have had or those
of our loved ones and ask the same.
We know of the story of Job, an innocent many, who despite all of his
sufferings never gave up his hope and love for God.
He continued to keep believing in a loving fair God. Many questioned his integrity, his wife even wanted him to
curse God and die for his sufferings. But
Job, only replied, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
It is hard to suffer as believers as you continually give your life and
heart to God. To many, it just does
not make sense. But let’s look at
Christ who died on the cross for our sins.
He endured great suffering for our sakes as the ultimate example of
faith.
God does not guarantee us a life of luxury and ease.
But he does promise peace and a blessed assurance that he loves us.
God wants us to enjoy all of life, not just its destiny, but the entire
trip. This is plainly stated in
Ecclesiastes 5:18 that “What has been seen to be good and fitting is for one
to eat and drink and to find enjoyment in all labor in which he labors under the
sun all the days which God gives us.”
We have the opportunity to see past the trials and tribulations that we
as believers face. But one of our
problems is the mentality of “This is it!
My life couldn’t get any better than this,” when things go well for
us. We like to think that things,
especially pleasant things, are never going to change.
We get into our comfort zone, praising God for his goodness and then
putting him on the back burner thinking that we no longer need him.
Before we know /it, we are faced with another trial of human suffering.
When we win a victory in our life, we like to think that it ultimately is
the end of our troubles and we will never go through a battle again.
We must remember that the Lord is constantly telling us this isn’t so.
Our lives will continually revolve around facing each trial that we are
given. We get through one, and are
faced with another. Why, we ask,
does God allow us to face one problem after another?
God does not want us to suffer, he wants us to hold onto our faith in him
by letting go of our control and allowing God to take control.
We are to cast all of our cares and anxieties upon him because he so
loves us.
So fellow believers, what is faith?
Colossians 1:4 tells us that “Faith is the leaning of your entire human
personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in his power and wisdom and
goodness.” We are to abide in
him, to let go and give to him completely, by putting our trust and confidence
in him. Faith is the belief of what
has been unseen. The only thing
that God requires of us is to believe. By
believing we cleave to, trust, rely on and have faith in him and our Savior
Jesus Christ. If we truly have
faith in God, if we lean our entire being on him in trust and confidence to his
ultimate power, wisdom and goodness, we will not be anxious for anything.
God does want us to have the peace and joy that he has to offer.
Let your requests be known to God and have faith that he is listening and
will care for your needs according to his will for your life.
We as Christians believe that Faith in God gives meaning and purpose to
human life. This is so true, as by
faith our lives do have significant meaning.
By faith we are set free. Because
of this faith we can overcome even the worst of obstacles.
No matter how hard the road ahead may be at times we know that God is
just waiting for us to lay it at the cross.
Give it to him, never taking it back, and watch your faith grow as your
life circumstances begin to change.
I close with a scripture from Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” Remember believers that as Christians we are to always be faithful, knowing that we are loved and blessed by Gods infinite love.
Terri's email: talthoff@blazenet.net