WHAT WOULD, COULD, & SHOULD WE DO?
What would we do if we lost everything?
I cannot imagine what that would look like—to lose everything!
I suppose to imagine with full awareness, we need to define a term: EVERYTHING!
- Think of the one(s) who live in your home, “Our Family.”
- Think of the ones you call “family” who once shared the same home as you.
- Think of the close, very close friendships you cherish.
- Think of the health we have come to expect & the way our bodies perform without delay.
Yes, think of our health!
Yes, think of the single action of rising from our bed.
- Think of the house where you lay your head to sleep each night.
- Think of the church where you worship.
- Think of the church family who you worship with each week.
- Think of the land you walk upon and declare, “Mine.”
- Think of the vehicle chosen, the one you love to drive.
- Think of the ones you spend hours with each week as you pursue your life’s work.
- Think of the career chosen, the one that pays the bills, and the one that brings you satisfaction.
- Think of ALL THE ‘EVERYTHING’ WE NEVER WISH TO LOSE!
THEN,
Imagine if we lost it all.
THEN,
Imagine if we lost it today.
What would we do if we lost everything this world has to offer?
The Word of God explains with clarity what we WOULD DO, COULD DO, & SHOULD DO! So, without delay, let us take up our Bibles to see just what God tells us we should do—IF WE LOST EVERYTHING!
Habakkuk, the prophet of God, lived at a time when life was hard. War raged. Kings invaded. People disobeyed God. At the end of Habakkuk’s lament, of his cry for the sad state of affairs, the prophet was given these words at the end of his prayer to the LORD.
“Even if the fig tree does not blossom,
(Habakkuk 3: 17-19 NASB)
And there is no fruit on the vines,
If the yield of the olive fails,
And the fields produce no food,
Even if the flock disappears
from the fold,
And there are no cattle in the stalls,
Yet
[— A dash means WAIT for the most important part.]
I will triumph in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God
of my salvation.
The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet
like deer’s feet,
And has me walk on my high places.”
On this side of loss, we can say, “Yes, we would do that. By faith, we would keep our eyes upon God, and we would praise God, even in the midst of a life-storm when EVERYTHING we love has been taken away from us.”
But would we?
But could we?
We know we should!
- We are to walk by faith!
- We are commissioned by God Himself!
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,
(Isaiah 6: 8-9a NASB)
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”
[Who will go for God?]
[Who will go for Jesus Christ?]
[Who will go for the Holy Spirit?]
[Who will go? Who will do? Who will speak the Gospel message to the lost?]
[Who will love in Jesus’ name those who have everything but really have nothing at all?]
Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
And He said, “Go, and tell this people:”
Then fourteen chapters later, we find the LORD speaking, telling the prophet Isaiah how to walk—
“naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and symbol against Egypt and Cush,
(Isaiah 20: 3b-6 NASB)
so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
Then they will be terrified and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their pride.
So the inhabitants of this coastland will say on that day, ‘Behold, such is our hope, where we fled for help to be saved from the king of Assyria; and how are we ourselves to escape?”
- Sometimes, God tells us to do—what seems to be impossible tasks!
- Sometimes, God tells us to step away from where we are most comfortable.
May we not back away from OBEYING GOD!
The question is not really WHAT do you want to do with your life?
Rather, the question is this:
- WHAT is that you do, that when you do it, you feel beyond yourself, & it MAKES YOUR SOAR?!!!
“By Faith” by 7eventh Time Down speaks through melody what we are to do when something or someone we love is taken away from us. These lyrics remind us how we are to walk when God lays upon our heart His Will He Gives Us To Do. Even within this tough “walk,” whatever the walk of faith the LORD gives, these lyrics of this melody remind us with clarity what the children of God are to do.
SO, WHAT WOULD WE DO—IF WE LOST EVERYTHING?
SO, WHAT COULD WE DO—IF WE LOST EVERYTHING?
SO, WHAT SHOULD WE DO—IF GOD GAVE US AN INCREDIBLE TASK TO DO?
LOVING GOD—Is our highest calling, & in LOVING GOD, we experience full joy!
- God has a purpose!
- God has a plan for each of our lives!
- God has assigned it specifically & individually to each one of us!
Our lives are meant to have an eternal impact for the kingdom of God!
We are to LOVE GOD FOREMOST!
We are to LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS MUCH AS WE LOVE OUR OWN SELF!
JESUS SAID SO!
“Jesus answered,
(Mark 12: 29-31 NASB)
“The foremost is, ‘HEAR ISRAEL! THE LORD IS OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE;
AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’
The second is this: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”