A couple of years ago, a missionary visited our church to talk about his organization’s work in an African nation where Christians are routinely murdered, women and girls are raped and disfigured, and where the missionaries themselves are marked for death. Doing right by sharing the gospel in a place like that is risky, to put it mildly.
But the Christian life lived well is a life of risky faith. Sometimes that involves a call to a foreign mission field or some other dangerous ministry, but it also takes risky faith to turn the other cheek or forgive with no guarantee you won’t be hurt again. It takes risky faith to obey God when it makes little sense to your natural way of thinking or to stand up for the truth in a world of compromise. So, how can you trust God more as you seek to do right in a world where doing right is risky?
Today’s Readings:
Joshua 5 & 6
Psalm 42.6-11
Proverbs 13.19-21
Luke 9.18-36
The Cost of Doing Right
Joshua 5 & 6:
The Hill of Foreskins
Joshua and the people were preparing to go in and conquer the land God had promised them. But first:
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins (5.2-3).
The fact that this second generation had not been circumcised was another symptom of their parents’ disobedience. But they could go no further without obeying God and performing this covenant ritual. This must have been a memorable (after all, the hill was named after it) and solemn ceremony.
It was, also, a huge step of faith, since this mass circumcision made them vulnerable to attack. In Genesis 34 Jacob’s sons convince the men in a whole village to get circumcised by promising to allow their sister to marry her rapist. While they were weak and in pain, they killed them all in revenge.
Doing Right by Obeying God
God watched over them, but humanly speaking, it was a risky decision. Risk is, often, a reality when you step out in faith and do what God has called you to do.
When you forgive and turn the other cheek, you risk being struck again (Matt. 5.39). When you stand up for the truth, you risk being persecuted (Matt. 23:34-36). When you do what’s right you may be targeted.
Just ask Barronelle Stutzman or Jack Phillips. Many of you know those names. Barronelle is a florist from the State of Washington and Jack is a baker from Colorado. Both of them are followers of Christ targeted for their religious beliefs and their refusal to provide services for same-sex weddings.
When the Cost of Doing Right is More Personal
Sometimes, persecution, pain, and rejection come from our own families and those closest to us. That can hurt even more deeply.
Speaking the truth and doing right can be costly personally. Being rejected and misunderstood by those you love hurts. It hurts a lot. And though we must guard our own hearts (Gal. 6.1-4), there are times when we can’t keep silent.
Proverb 26.4 says:
Do not answer a fool according to his foolishness,
Or you will also be like him (NASB).
There is no use arguing with a fool. You just end up with two fools. But verse 5 tells us that doesn’t mean we can always ignore what is said or done. Sometimes we must speak up for what is true and right.
Answer a fool as his foolishness deserves,
So that he will not be wise in his own eyes (NASB).
But we must be quick to forgive and keep our eyes on the Lord no matter who mistreats us. Otherwise, that hurt can be the seed that grows up into a root of bitterness (Heb. 12.14-15 ).
Doing Right Doesn’t Mean Looking for Persecution
Although living a faithful life can be costly, it doesn’t mean we should go looking for persecution. We need to be wise and prayerful. Rod Dreher, in his book The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation says, “Not every challenge in the workplace is a hill worth dying on. Not every office is the Roman Colosseum.” He goes on, “… Christians must exercise wisdom in these cases. Life is full of compromises, and not every one turns a believer into Judas. Claiming religious persecution unnecessarily will not help the cause. Instead, it will provide the secular world with grounds for claiming that all concern for religious liberty is a sham.”¹
Preparing for the Cost of Doing Right
So, how can we prepare for a life of risky, even costly, faith? First, we should know some things.
We should know that, if we belong to Him, God will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13.5). We can count it all joy knowing that the testing of our faith produces Christian maturity (Jas. 1.2-4). And we need to know the character of God. If we don’t understand the love, mercy, and grace that the Father has for us, it will be hard to stand in tough times.
Second, we need to be prepared for battle. The Christian life is a life of spiritual warfare (Eph. 6.12). We need to get familiar with the armor of God and know how to put it on (Eph. 6.10-17).
The Armor of God
We need to wear the “belt of truth” by getting rid of anything in our lives that will hinder us from having victory in the battle. Unforgiveness, bitterness, jealousy, and the like have no place in a believer’s life and will hinder your walk and spiritual growth. We must replace them with God’s truth.
Next is “the breastplate of righteousness.” Christ’s righteousness is given to us at the time of salvation but we need to walk in that righteousness by walking in grace-powered obedience.
We need to have “our feet shod with the gospel of peace.” The Roman soldier’s boots had nails to grip the ground. Knowing that we have peace with God keeps us gripped and grounded.
God’s Word is our “shield of faith.” Obedience to the Word and a good understanding of biblical doctrine, including the character of God, will protect us from the fiery darts of the wicked.
For the believer, “the helmet of salvation” is our assurance of salvation. We are to rest in His finished work not our own ability to do good works or keep ourselves saved.
And we need to have that sharp two-edged sword which is the “sword of the Spirit.” At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we need to read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it so we can use it against the world, temptation, and Satan’s lies.
Fight Fear with Fear
In the book, Courage: Fighting Fear With Fear by Wayne & Joshua Mack, the Macks remind us that the fear of God destroys all other fears. Jesus said:
27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows (Matt. 10.27-30).
The more we cultivate a desire to please God, the more we get to know Him, and the more we obey Him, the more we’ll lose the fear of what people might think, say, or do.
And the byproduct of knowing Him, especially understanding His sovereign care for us, will be the ability to trust Him with the circumstances of our lives.
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 42.6-11:
Life’s Waves & Billows
The psalmist understood God’s sovereignty—that He is completely in control and that trials ultimately come from Him—either because He caused them or because He allowed them. Verse 7b, “… All Your waves and billows have gone over me.”
Even so, he trusted in God’s love and care for him through it all.
The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life (v. 8).
We, too, need to understand that no matter what God has allowed in our lives, He has our good in mind—part of which is conforming us to the likeness of His Son (Rom. 8.29) by developing the fruit of His Spirit in our lives (Gal. 5.22-23).
Proverbs 13.19-21:
The Companion of Fools
He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed (v. 20).
We can never underestimate the power of associations (1 Cor. 15.33).
Luke 9.18-36:
The Glory of God in Christ
What a scene that must have been on the Mount of Transfiguration! The three disciples had been asleep so it was probably night. It says that Jesus’ face changed. It shone with the glory of God, His robe became white and glistened. The word “glistened” means “emitting light.” According to John MacArthur, it suggests a “brilliant flashing light like lighting.”
And while Peter, James, and John were still trying to get the cobwebs out of their brains and process what they were seeing, a brilliant cloud enveloped them and God the Father spoke (Matt. 17.5). Picture that!
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about parenting from the foot of the cross, how we can be too busy and distracted, viewing all of life through the lens of Scripture, and how our thinking affects our emotions.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. If this post spoke to you, I would so appreciate it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.
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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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