Well, we are halfway through our 2011 journey! Hoping everyone got what they needed at the last pit-stop … got refueled, having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, putting on the full armor, feeling refreshed and excited about the rest of the journey.
However, I had an interesting discussion this past Sunday which made me realize that there is one important thing that must be done before we go an inch farther. We need to review the terms and conditions of our agreement with the LORD.
Terms & Conditions?
Why review terms and conditions now?
It is essential to go back, read the fine print, reflect on what we find and truly understand what it is that we signed on for - what the Christian experience really entails.
Sadly, many Christians do the same thing. They have been sold an image of Christian life which paints every day with sunshine, roses and blessings – an incomplete picture which can leave someone feeling devastated once the storms of life begin to rage. Then, they sit crying and bewildered, saying, ‘I did not sign up for this.’
Oh, but you did!
My apologies if you were misled by a well-meaning preacher, teacher, evangelist or layperson. However, the Christian life, while laden with blessings and favor, also has its fair share of burden and challenge. Therefore, I thought I would take a moment to outline a few of the terms and conditions which might have been in the part of the agreement that you failed to review before saying ‘I do’:
‘Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.’ Ecclesiastes 7:14 NLT
‘Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.’ Romans 5:3-4 AMP
‘Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.’ James1:3-4 MSG
‘So if you find life difficult because you're doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust Him. He knows what He's doing, and He'll keep on doing it.’ I Peter 4:19 MSG
‘If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath. It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That's what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.’ I Peter 3:13-18 MSG
‘If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, He does in us—He lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!’ II Corinthians 4:7-12 MSG
‘It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes.’ Psalm 119:71 AMP
‘No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.’ I Cor. 10:13 MSG
‘I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.' Galatians 5:20 AMP
And these are just a few of the less celebrated aspects of Christian living. You might be surprised at what you said ‘yes’ to when you accepted Christ. However, just because you might not have been aware of every detail, does not negate your decision. It simply provides perspective to help you understand the Christian walk in its totality.
Ignorantia non excusat -
In English, this Latin phrase translates, 'Ignorance does not excuse'
When we accept Christ and the Christian lifestyle, we accept everything. So, why not take some time to go back and read the Word, to read all of the Terms & Conditions of being a believer. And then keep moving forward, with God, in victory.
‘And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. For God knew His people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.’
Romans 8:28-29 NLT
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