My Testimony in Brief, Withholding My Usual Attempt at Literary Sauce
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
I am a professional worrier. I tend to push my worries as far as possible outside of my realm of responsibility in order to excuse my inaction and my lack of faith.
God, in His grace, actually used this fallen tendency. When I was 12, at the height of the Cold War, I heard a preacher on television talking about biblical prophecies about nuclear war. I realized, by God's grace, that this world was temporary and vulnerable. I was afraid, with some tiny percentage being genuine fear of God.
Also by God's grace, my father was present and had God's Word in his heart and on his lips. Rather than easily tell me that death was not something I needed to concern myself with, he affirmed that, yes, one day you will die. The conditions making that certain have been in place for much longer than the Cold War or the state of Israel.
The point, he said calmly, is not HOW we die but that we live and die knowing that Christ is trustworthy to a degree and kind that man never will be. He explained Romans 8:28, to some degree making clear that our love for Christ needs to be greater than our love for the world. If our interest is bound up in Christ, death of the self or the world order is not something we fear. Any events are going to bring us closer to Christ.
My new heart is convinced of this by degrees and provocations. Christ has continued to show Himself faithful both in forestalling World War III and in coming between me and the consequences my sins, including fear, deserve. He has continued to convince me, in fact, that I have His righteousness.
Because of this, because when the Father looks at me He sees the purity and active goodness of His Son, the Father has pledged Himself that it would be unjust to do anything but continue to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
I am a professional worrier. I tend to push my worries as far as possible outside of my realm of responsibility in order to excuse my inaction and my lack of faith.
God, in His grace, actually used this fallen tendency. When I was 12, at the height of the Cold War, I heard a preacher on television talking about biblical prophecies about nuclear war. I realized, by God's grace, that this world was temporary and vulnerable. I was afraid, with some tiny percentage being genuine fear of God.
Also by God's grace, my father was present and had God's Word in his heart and on his lips. Rather than easily tell me that death was not something I needed to concern myself with, he affirmed that, yes, one day you will die. The conditions making that certain have been in place for much longer than the Cold War or the state of Israel.
The point, he said calmly, is not HOW we die but that we live and die knowing that Christ is trustworthy to a degree and kind that man never will be. He explained Romans 8:28, to some degree making clear that our love for Christ needs to be greater than our love for the world. If our interest is bound up in Christ, death of the self or the world order is not something we fear. Any events are going to bring us closer to Christ.
My new heart is convinced of this by degrees and provocations. Christ has continued to show Himself faithful both in forestalling World War III and in coming between me and the consequences my sins, including fear, deserve. He has continued to convince me, in fact, that I have His righteousness.
Because of this, because when the Father looks at me He sees the purity and active goodness of His Son, the Father has pledged Himself that it would be unjust to do anything but continue to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Comments
Post a Comment