Worldliness means being preoccupied with temporal matters so that spiritual concerns are crowded out of our thinking. Paul wrote, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” This is not easy to do, given the pull of this world.
We spend our lives leaning on props rather than God. We’re hiding from the truth, of course, but as long as our props are in place, we don’t worry about our alienation. Deep down, our hearts are a lonely void, but we’re too busy to think about it.
Even if we allow Christ to bring us into a redeemed earthly relationship with God, our connections in this world will only be a foretaste of the fellowship that waits for us later. Yet this hope is the single thing in life most worthy of our pursuit.
Our foolishness has worn us out. But God has made possible our return to Him, and it’s only in such a return that the prospect of real joy can spring to life. Here is where our homesick hearts should rest. Here is where we find a perfect Friend.
Real faith has no need to pretend or run away from difficulty. Faith embraces doubt with honesty, recognizing that troubling questions are inevitable in a world where our sins have hidden God’s face from us. Doubts are what make faith, faith.
Our response both to fear and to our ignorance should be simple reverence — reverence that is determined and decisive. Whatever may happen or not happen, whatever we may know or not know, we must always say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.”
The decision to walk with God, disavowing any path except that of His will, is a choice of high and ancient wisdom, one that can be made even by the most lowly. Indeed, it seems to be the lowly, more often than the mighty, who recognize this wisdom.
We should be encouraged by the fact that God is gracious to those who take Him seriously. If we are willing to relate ourselves rightly to God, we need not doubt that a right relationship is what He gave His Son to make possible for us.
Oswald Chambers said, “Believe God is always the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him.” When darkness sets in and doubt makes its expected assault, we must not throw away the confidence that has been granted to us in the sunlight.
Given the death-dealing realities around us, it is hazardous to have a mind that is less than sober, girded for clear thinking and decisive action. But although the difficulties are real, they are not all that is real. May we not lose our bearings.
Christ opened the door to a life much better than what we call “life” right now. Although it is ironic that He gave us this life by dying, that is ...