WHEN FAITH MEETS REALITY
You can always find out how serious a person’s faith is by the things they do. Faith is always self-revealing.
This is the greatest crisis in Christianity in our time. People say they believe. People say they trust God. People show up at a church service week after week singing the praises of God, but when they leave the building, walk out into the real world, most leave their faith in the pew.
Consider these thought provoking questions.
When your faith meets the reality of difficult economic times, do you give 10% of your income to God’s kingdom works, or like the vast majority of Christians give less than $74 a month?
When your faith meets the reality of a flawed, imperfect husband, do you submit to his authority in compliance with 1 Peter 3, as Sarah did to Abraham, win him with your gentle, quiet, respectful spirit, or has loud-mouthed feminism infected your faith?
When your faith meets the reality of the busyness of life, do you still carve out time every day to seek the Lord and pray or just let it slide and abate?
When your faith meets the reality of your feelings and emotions, do you obey God’s word despite how you feel, or simply do what your feelings tell you to?
When your faith meets the reality of the seductions of this consumer driven culture, do you abide by the financial, value principles of the Word of God, or cave into the world’s materialistic, idolatrous greed?
When your faith meets the reality of a disobedient child, do you attentively correct and discipline your child in the Lord’s way, or minimize, downplay, or yell and shout?
When your faith meets the reality of so much going on, do you still make the time every day to devote yourself to reading the Bible, or are you like almost 82% of American Christians who only read their Bible on Sundays at church?
When your faith meets the reality of the laziness of your flesh, do you discipline yourself, making your body do what it doesn’t want to do?
When your faith meets the reality of confusing, overwhelming circumstances, do you actively trust God through it, crying out for His help, or tap out, finding worldly ways to cope?
When your faith meets the reality of an ungodly workplace, do you practice your Biblical values and beliefs in the marketplace, or compromise and hide?
When your faith meets the reality of so many disappointments, heartaches and pain, will you still thank God every day for all He’s done for you and given to you?
Our faith must not be negotiable, or it is worthless. Our faith must be the defining issue of our lives. Christians cannot continue to compromise with this world, with its values, its beliefs, or its practices. What happens when your faith meets reality? Does it shrivel and wilt, or boldly do what others won’t?
We must be a people who take the Word of God seriously! Read it diligently. Obey it vigorously. This is the only path that honors God! It is the only path to blessing, peace, joy, strength, vitality, and endurance.
Will you choose to be part of the real faith minority, or stay in the phony faith majority?
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
