to appear before Ahab.
(I Kings 18:2, NLT)
Learning to live by faith is a process. Really, learning to trust God for the unseen things in life takes a lifetime; however, most of us define and hope for life to last for 90 to 100 years. So, it is difficult to comprehend someone dying early in life, like Tim's twenty-year old friend. That said, there are two things that have been clear about his death . . .
The first thing . . . this young man . . . really made an impact in literally hundreds and hundreds of lives through his faith and service. Seriously, the story of his life and death has been the topic of discussion with people I would never have guessed knew him. They knew him because of his acts of service for the cause of Christ. I am blown away by the power of serving God. It is one thing to volunteer our services . . . but it is another thing to volunteer our life in service to Christ.
The second thing . . . this young man's death makes no sense. Humanity always tries to make sense out of everything that occurs in life. Can we make sense out of everything? In my perception, the answer is "no." There are things in the process of life that require active faith, placing our trust in God, finding peace through His presence rather than attempting to answer the incomprehensible events to find satisfying peace.
I think that is why Elijah is such a great individual to study. There are many things that occurred in his life that made no sense . . . yet . . . he chose to have faith. When God told to him to face King Ahab . . . most of us would have questioned the reasoning . . . because King Ahab could have killed Elijah. What does the author of I King comment about this? "So he went." No questions. No trying to figure out the "whys" of the directions. He went. Yikes! Most of us would want to know why we were asked to go where we would most likely be killed.
How do we live with active faith? The Apostle Paul advised Timothy:
Cling tightly to your faith in Christ, and always keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.
We are to:
Cling to faith in Christ--the definition of cling is to come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation.
Keep our conscience clear--the act of clearing the conscience requires an examination of self which leads to a revelation of what does not belong in the life of a Christ-follower. The Spirit of God reveals the things that we think, say, and do that separate us from Christ.
Live in active faith.
Cling to Christ.
Keep your conscience clear.
Volunteer to give your life in faith and service to Christ.
Learning with to you to live in active faith,
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2008 All Rights Reserved)
