To God's chosen ones...
The journey is long, the hardships many - and the pursuit is noble, worth our very lives. Our path is not for the weak, the coward, the proud, or the swift ... it's a path that wanders through many dark places of the soul and of this world; fording rivers of sorrow, coursing the jungles of persecution, sailing across oceans of fear, climbing mountains of disbelief, and weaving through valleys of death as we go. Why is it so difficult, why is it so dangerous, why is it so narrow, and why is it so valorous? Because we are following in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ!
I find it disheartening to appeal to you with such a solemn introduction, yet it's this sort of "backwards encouragement" that people seem to respond to the most. Identifying with the woes of life and not fully embracing the victories of Christ...
My brothers.... my sisters.... it's time to focus on victory! The way has been prepared, God's voice is still heard, and our purpose is clear - let's move forward with courage and boldness, knowing that God has already given us the victory!
1 comment:
I don't know about "backwards encouragement", but that's *exactly* how I view life: "Life /is/ pain! Anyone who says differently is selling something."
This isn't disheartening because *God Is In Control*, but neither is it giving false hope--"Everything will be OK, don't worry."
Well, everything /won't/ be OK. Sin still exists and the world is still cursed. After this life, when everything is remade, /then/ everything will be OK.
And yet... in this life, God Is In Control. He disciplines those whom he loves. Pain is a part of life, but sometimes it's the pain of growth; even the pain of cutting off an old branch to graft in a new one is for our benefit.
I guess I don't completely understand the concept of "the victories of Christ". So if you want us to focus on that, maybe you should talk about them more... without forgetting the context they're in? :)
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