I love to sing in the car, especially when a song like that from Sidwalk Prophets comes on the radio. I get all pumped and belt it out (as long as no one is next to me at the stoplight). It feels like I really mean it. But, do I? Do I truly want to live like that? Did you ever wonder:
How does the faith of those listed in Hebrews 11 differ from my own?
What is it that enabled Fox's martyrs to be willing to die for what they believed?
How is it today that persecuted Christians around the world are willing to meet secretly to practice their faith, knowing that if they are caught or found out, they could lose everything, their jobs, their homes, their families, even their own lives?
I would wanna think I could live like that...if that was what was required of me. Wouldn't you?
Peter wrote to the persecuted Christians of his day, "Those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good (I Peter 4:19)." That's all well and good, but do we really suffer for God's will in our little world? That's where I get hung up. I know that I don't truly suffer for my faith. I sat today with a former pastor and friend from a church where I used to attend, as we shared stories of injuries from when we played in the church basketball league. Suffering for my faith? Not hardly. Although I have my fair share of trials from time to time, it pales in comparison to real suffering. I may be embarrassed to share my faith but it isn't because I risk losing my house, my family, my very life. It isn't because I am afraid of being persecuted?
So, when do I get an opportunity to live like that?
Sometimes, I feel like an imposter. I feel like a weinie because it is so easy to live out my faith. The truth is no one cares whether I believe in Jesus and am a follower of His, as long as I keep it to myself. Or, as long as I manage to be politically correct, or as I like to say, be "sensitive" to those around me, and not "shove my faith down their throats," I am no real threat to anyone and I won't make anyone uncomfortable. But, is it their comfort I am truly concerned about or is it my own?
I came across a prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola in Richard Foster's devotional, "A Year With God."
"Teach us, Lord, to serve You as You deserve and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek the rest; to labor and not to seek for any reward, save that of knowing that we do Your will."
What if I lived like that?
I have prayed this prayer for a few weeks now and I am realizing that while I am not called to be a martyr, to experience persecution for what I believe, or to suffer for taking a stand; I can live like that. And, when I choose to live like that, God can do amazing things through me. It isn't as easy as it may seem. If we allow God to search our hearts and are sensitive to the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will see that we need to make sacrifices, to suffer, and experience the enemies persecution. Maybe, then, I can feel like I am living like that.
How does the faith of those listed in Hebrews 11 differ from my own?
What is it that enabled Fox's martyrs to be willing to die for what they believed?
How is it today that persecuted Christians around the world are willing to meet secretly to practice their faith, knowing that if they are caught or found out, they could lose everything, their jobs, their homes, their families, even their own lives?
I would wanna think I could live like that...if that was what was required of me. Wouldn't you?
Peter wrote to the persecuted Christians of his day, "Those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good (I Peter 4:19)." That's all well and good, but do we really suffer for God's will in our little world? That's where I get hung up. I know that I don't truly suffer for my faith. I sat today with a former pastor and friend from a church where I used to attend, as we shared stories of injuries from when we played in the church basketball league. Suffering for my faith? Not hardly. Although I have my fair share of trials from time to time, it pales in comparison to real suffering. I may be embarrassed to share my faith but it isn't because I risk losing my house, my family, my very life. It isn't because I am afraid of being persecuted?
So, when do I get an opportunity to live like that?
Sometimes, I feel like an imposter. I feel like a weinie because it is so easy to live out my faith. The truth is no one cares whether I believe in Jesus and am a follower of His, as long as I keep it to myself. Or, as long as I manage to be politically correct, or as I like to say, be "sensitive" to those around me, and not "shove my faith down their throats," I am no real threat to anyone and I won't make anyone uncomfortable. But, is it their comfort I am truly concerned about or is it my own?
I came across a prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola in Richard Foster's devotional, "A Year With God."
"Teach us, Lord, to serve You as You deserve and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek the rest; to labor and not to seek for any reward, save that of knowing that we do Your will."
What if I lived like that?
I have prayed this prayer for a few weeks now and I am realizing that while I am not called to be a martyr, to experience persecution for what I believe, or to suffer for taking a stand; I can live like that. And, when I choose to live like that, God can do amazing things through me. It isn't as easy as it may seem. If we allow God to search our hearts and are sensitive to the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will see that we need to make sacrifices, to suffer, and experience the enemies persecution. Maybe, then, I can feel like I am living like that.
I want to live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You
If love is who I am
Then this is where I'll stand
Recklessly abandoned
Never holding back
I want to live like that
I want to live like that
http://www.songlyrics.com/sidewalk-prophets/live-like-that-lyrics/#uRBtsiL2hrVstyVL.99
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You
If love is who I am
Then this is where I'll stand
Recklessly abandoned
Never holding back
I want to live like that
I want to live like that
http://www.songlyrics.com/sidewalk-prophets/live-like-that-lyrics/#uRBtsiL2hrVstyVL.99
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