The Good Fight
"Without faith it is impossible to please Him." Hebrews 11:6 "To turn head faith into a personal possession is a fight always, not sometimes. God brings us into circumstances in order to educate our faith, because the nature of faith is to make its object real." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, Oct 30
The Lord is the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and He takes great delight in building our faith via the word of God and the exercising of our faith. Without physical exercise, there is no growth in physical muscle and without spiritual exercise there is no growth in the spiritual muscle of faith. Chambers is entirely correct when he says "to turn head faith into a personal possession is a fight always, not sometimes". Paul told young Pastor Timothy, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses" (1 Timothy 6:12). A sedentary Christian is a weak Christian, one who is satisfied with growing in head knowledge without the struggle it takes to grow in heart knowledge.
Theodore Roosevelt, one of the most inspiring stories of turning childhood physical frailty into robust physical and intellectual strength through exercise and hard work, gave a speech in 1910 entitled "The man in the arena". In it he said, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat; who strives valiantly; who errs and may fall again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming.” It is in the fiery fight that the refined gold of faith is found (1 Peter 4:12-13) and God has ordained it to be so. Are we laboring or lounging in our faith? The answer is predictive of our future.
Jesus said to the self-satisfied lukewarm Laodicean Christians, "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous [energetic in action] and repent [of your lethargy]. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (Revelation 3:18-21) Each correction given to the seven churches in Revelation was different but the pathway to repent was the same; "He who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on My throne". May the Lord strengthen our hearts to continue in the fight of faith that we might overcome every obstacle today.
The Lord is the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and He takes great delight in building our faith via the word of God and the exercising of our faith. Without physical exercise, there is no growth in physical muscle and without spiritual exercise there is no growth in the spiritual muscle of faith. Chambers is entirely correct when he says "to turn head faith into a personal possession is a fight always, not sometimes". Paul told young Pastor Timothy, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses" (1 Timothy 6:12). A sedentary Christian is a weak Christian, one who is satisfied with growing in head knowledge without the struggle it takes to grow in heart knowledge.
Theodore Roosevelt, one of the most inspiring stories of turning childhood physical frailty into robust physical and intellectual strength through exercise and hard work, gave a speech in 1910 entitled "The man in the arena". In it he said, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat; who strives valiantly; who errs and may fall again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming.” It is in the fiery fight that the refined gold of faith is found (1 Peter 4:12-13) and God has ordained it to be so. Are we laboring or lounging in our faith? The answer is predictive of our future.
Jesus said to the self-satisfied lukewarm Laodicean Christians, "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous [energetic in action] and repent [of your lethargy]. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (Revelation 3:18-21) Each correction given to the seven churches in Revelation was different but the pathway to repent was the same; "He who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on My throne". May the Lord strengthen our hearts to continue in the fight of faith that we might overcome every obstacle today.
Posted in 1 2 Peter, Chambers, Hebrews, Revelation, 1 2 Timothy
Posted in Repentance, Faith, Fight of Faith, Overcome
Posted in Repentance, Faith, Fight of Faith, Overcome