STAND TRUE!

Judges 11:1-12:15; John 1:1-28; Psalm 101:1-8; Proverbs 14:13-14

“I have made a vow to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”

“The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

“I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them. I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil. I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors. I will not endure conceit and pride.”

“Backsliders get what they deserve; good people receive their reward.”

I have a confession. With Christmas over, family here, nightly activities and it being the “dead” week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I was thinking about how nice it would be to just take a little time off from church and the daily commitment to this blog. After all, everybody allows themselves a break once in a while, right? Even our head pastors took Sunday off. As late as Saturday around 6 PM, I was offered the “opportunity” to cancel my Sunday school class and was sorely tempted. Who would notice if I checked out for the weekend? Would anyone really care? The answers came quickly: I would, and Christ would. So, the blog continued (O.K., later than usual, but it continued), and I lead class Sunday morning. Both decisions were significant mainly because they continued personal commitments to the Lord. They also brought home a deeper point as we approach 2009 and the inevitable New Year’s resolutions. Life is about a lot more than just doing what we feel like, or not doing things when we don’t feel like doing them. At the core of who we are as people is integrity… or not. Since the upcoming year clearly is going to seriously test our integrity (or lack of it) as a people and individually, we might as well start practicing now.

There isn’t any point to continuing to whine about the economy or the incredible list of persistent failures that got us here. 2009 asks simply whether we will stand true through the storm. Will we continue to seek out and seize opportunities in Christ, or just “duck and cover?” To be sure, the duck and cover strategy is not all that unattractive. Survival can be its own victory, and there are any number of folks for whom simply getting through the day will be a success they can and should rightfully claim. But where we can do better, I personally believe the God of all Creation is specifically calling us to do more.

Let’s not forget that, out of the slavery of Egypt, God raised up one of the greatest leaders ever seen. After the stoning of Stephen came the conversion of Saul to Paul. Beyond the Cross was the Resurrection.  History is replete with examples of God’s redemptive grace. But we need to be available; we need to give Him the opportunity to use us and act through us.

As in every year, this coming year, Christ will continue to call forth men and women of integrity to serve Him and bring others to Him. We can choose to lick our wounds and politely decline further risk, or we can extend ourselves beyond the bounds of reason and logic into the realm of pure faith in the One who has brought us this far. We speak glibly about trusting the Spirit to provide, protect and strengthen us when times are good and we are not being tested. Coming up is our opportunity to live out what we say we believe. God does not break His promises. We, however, have to be available and willing to claim their benefits. And when those benefits are not to be found in a comfortable place, we have to be willing to be uncomfortable, if that is where the Spirit leads.