What-on-earth-am-I-doing moments

Have you ever stopped and wondered whether God actually exists? Is the Christian way an elaborate pretence, a means of coping with life? I guess it would be ok to live with such a deception if it provided things like safety and autonomy. But true Christianity does not.

Take safety for example. In many parts of the world, it is not safe to be a Christian; you can be killed for declaring the gospel message. Yet in such circumstances Jesus tells his children to take the good news and “proclaim it from the roofs” (Matt. 10:27). He says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (v28)”. Put another way, we must show by our obedience that Jesus is to be valued more than life itself. To do this, we must believe that God exists, is in control and has the power to do what He has promised; namely, to raise us from the dead just as He raised Christ from the dead.

I have not experienced such an extreme test of faith. Not that we experience tests of faith that are any less real. Think for a moment of the young woman who chooses to forgo marriage till she finds a man that loves Jesus as passionately as she does. Has she set an unattainable standard? As the years pass, the pressure to compromise mounts. Does the Bible really require her to marry a Christian? Can God be trusted? Is Christianity a game? She looks so different to her peers with their whirlwind romances, live-in partners and elaborate weddings.

But that is the point. If we believe that God exists; if we obey His commands; if we believe His promises, then our lives WILL look vastly different to those around us. We serve a different God. True faith will affect your motivation, the car you drive, the clothes you wear, the way you spend money, where you live. And you will experience regular what-on-earth-am-I-doing moments; pivotal moments when you desperately hope that God proves faithful and good, making the danger or sacrifice or suffering worthwhile.

The Bible says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb 11:6). So faith in God points others to the fact that God exists and that He is good. Faith provides visible evidence that God’s rewards are by far the most satisfying. Moreover, when we rise above those what-on-earth-am-I-doing moments and trust God in spite of everything – that is when we are pleasing Him the most. Indeed, it is THE ONLY way to please Him.

Cheers for now - Ian