Read IT; Believe IT; Live IT!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. . . .”
(1 Peter 1: 3-5 NASB 2020)
Trials may come for a little while.
A testing of our faith may seem more than we can endure.
Struggles may overwhelm our rest, our bodies, and our homes—BUT—how we REST in CHRIST & how we LIVE for JESUS & how we HONOR our LORD—is a TESTIMONY of our FAITH,
“so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
and though you have not seen Him,
you love Him,
and though you do not see Him now,
but believe in Him,
you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
obtaining as the outcome of your faith,
the salvation of your souls.”
(1 Peter 1: 7-9 NASB 2020)
Yesterday, we visited a sanctuary, a beautiful old church with much history, with gorgeous artistry, and with purposeful symbolism. We almost did not go because there was a fee, a cost to enter. Three Euros per person. A small price, yet a price, still the same. So we walked a bit around the old city, enjoying the sites: we shopped at an area set up with street vendors, we stopped at a café for food and drink, and we contemplated the question: Was entrance to the church worth the price?
IT WAS!
While we were enjoying the Dutch fare found at the street café, we read through a brochure my daughter had picked up about the church.
The words spoke—
- of the city’s history recorded within the church,
- of the many bodies buried within the rock of the church’s floor,
- of the cost of repairs to the church,
- of the important role the church had upon the people who lived in the city, and
- of longevity of the church sitting in the center of Haarlem.
Then we made our way through the streets of the city, winding our way back toward where we had parked our bikes there beside the church. So as we came to the entrance, the question was asked—“Do you want to go in?”
AND I KNEW I DID!
I stopped to pay our entrance fee of three Euros each, and we stepped through the doors of the church. Immediately, we were overcome by the vastness of the interior. Marieke walked ahead, moving slowly through the left hall, while Sydney walked behind, stopping to observe the aesthetic beauty of the building. Darrell and I walked somewhere in the middle between the two of them. That’s when the red scarf-wearing man named Jakob saw the word “English” printed across the back of her church brochure and spoke aloud to her.
“English,” he said.
“Yes, English,” she replied.
“Would you like for me to share some of the symbolism of the church?”
I saw Sydney’s hesitation, so I walked over to her and listened as Jacob said, “I can share some of the symbolism, if you like.”
That’s when the three of us (Jacob, my daughter Sydney, and I) moved over to the gates that seemed to separate the church into two halves.
IMMEDIATELY, I WAS INTRIGUED!
Jakob spoke of the grapes upon the sanctuary gates, of how Jesus is the vine and we are to rely upon Him.
Jakob spoke of King William, of Orange the first king of The Netherlands, how though he was Protestant and not Catholic, still he did not wish for anyone to be kept from the church. Jakob talked fondly of King William of Orange, how he wanted everyone to be able to worship God within the city’s church.
Jakob then spoke of the inhabitants of the city, how they wondered: Where is the symbol of God upon the sanctuary gates? Jakob told how the keepers of the church added many candles to the gates, that (when lit) represented the voice of God as when He spoke to Moses from the burning bush.
Jakob continually spoke of so much symbolism: of the clock found in the church’s ceiling & of the dogs guarding the sanctuary gates.
GUARD DOGS NECESSARY IN THE HOUSE of GOD!
The great biblical theologian Martin Luther is noted as saying—
“Oh, if only I could pray the way this dog watches the meat!
All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat.
Otherwise he has no thought, wish, or hope.”
Continually, as Jakob shared the details about the symbolism found within the church, I found myself hearing him say—
“You have to read it—Yes!
You have to believe it—Yes!
You have to live it—Yes!”
Life-struggles oftentimes bring us to our knees.
Worldly trials sometimes cause us to fall prostrate upon our faces.
But the Word of God & the gift of peace that comes through prayer—
THESE ARE WHAT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER BRINGS to EACH of US!
- God always knows those who faithfully serve Him.
- God continually knows where we will go during our lives.
- God continually knows what we will face even before we need the strength to go “there.”
- God always knows we need His strength as we face certain life-stages.
See with me the calm faithfulness of our Father as the Apostle Paul recorded within the infallible Word of God.
“and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
This is the way any person is to regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”
(1 Corinthians 3: 23 to 4: 2 NASB 2020)
Everything we have: our money, our time, our talents, our relationships, our jobs, our families should ALWAYS be used for God’s purposes. God will call us to give an account of how we have used that which He graciously gave to us. Thus, whenever we become a child of God, we began a journey, a lifelong walk, one that will prepare us for heaven. God makes us holy as we go, as we live, as we journey, as we love, as we walk, and as we build earthly relationships.
Life will bring us struggles because we live in a fallen world full of fallen people. Nevertheless, God knows we need His direction & His guidance & His protection & His strength to make it through the trials we will face. Yes, we may find ourselves living in pain, enduring trials, and facing undue struggles, but we need to remember that we serve a God who is—
- BIGGER THAN OUR PAIN &
- MORE POWERFUL THAN OUR TRIALS &
- MIGHTIER THAN ANY STRUGGLES THIS LIFE MAY BRING.
What does it look like to rely upon God?
Receiving the proper amount of sleep?—OR—Going to the gym and working out each day after work?—OR—Attending church each week? Relying upon God is MORE than just taking care of ourselves and keeping our bodies strong.
RELYING UPON OUR FATHER IS LIVING SPIRITUALLY-DEPENDENT UPON GOD!
That’s Right.
We glorify God with our bodies and we honor God who brought us His salvation—AS we rely upon Him during the tough days of struggles, as well as the good days of our lives.
We can (because as Jakob so intuitively said)
“You have to read it—The Bible!
You have to believe it—The Holy Scriptures!
You have to live it—The Word of God!”
Just as the many bodies lay buried within the rock of the church’s floor, we are assured of the return of Christ someday soon. The words of a beautiful melody remind us of this fact.
“This is the sound of dry bones rattling/
This is the praise make a dead man walk again/
Open the grave/
I’m coming out/
I gonna live, gonna live again/
“This is the sound of dry bones rattling/
Pentecostal fire stirring something new/
You’re not gonna run out of miracles anytime soon/
Resurrection power runs in my veins too/
I believe there’s another miracle here in this room. . . .
My God is able to save and deliver and heal and restore anything that He wants to . . . .”
Zach Williams & Steven Furtick “Rattle”
God can further His kingdom through each of us! We wear the name ‘Christian,’ and because we do, those living with us, those who are unsaved—they closely watch us—looking to see if our God is who He says He is—looking to see if we live authentically—&—looking to see if we rely upon our Father. They (those not yet saved) base their attitudes toward God and toward Christ Jesus upon what they see in us.
So we need to honor our Father—
So we need to worship our Savior—
So we need to point others toward Jesus.
“so that—the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire,—may be found
to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
and though you have not seen Him,
you love Him,
and though you do not see Him now,
but believe in Him,
you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
obtaining as the outcome of your faith,
the salvation of your souls.”
(1 Peter 1: 7-9 NASB 2020)