Corona Devo 2072

What's our best moment or a spiritual "high" that we have experienced in serving and following the Lord?

I asked a few people (and myself) this question, and a few responses were:

  • the day I got baptized
  • the day I married a Godly spouse
  • accepting Christ into my heart
  • having faith in an unknown situation and then seeing that faith come to fruition
  • being brave in Christ...and then being backed by Him

What's our best moment in serving and following the Lord?  It's fun to look-back, to think about, and hopefully, we have years of "highs" as we scroll-back through our days and decades in service to our King.

 And can we all agree that our faith in God has its highs?  

The Bible encourages with its share of men and women campaigning and winning in God's Name.  Do we know any of these faith-heros?  (Look them up in the Bible for some extra-credit reading today!)

How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. (33) By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, (34) quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. (35) Women received their loved ones back again from death.  ~Hebrews 11:32-35

Yes, living for the Lord can be risky and dangerous and uncharted, but the risks of faith can bring the rewards of faith.  Our God is good!

However--if we will quiet our hearts and still-our-minds, we will not have to reach back too far to recall a difficult time or a gut-wrenching trial.  An instance where the (emotional/mental/physical) pain would not relent, and perhaps it still throbs today.  

What is our lowest/most difficult moment in serving and following the Lord?  Situations where there was no happy ending in our ending.  Perhaps it is persecution, or maybe it will be martyrdom.  

Can we all agree that our faith in God has its lows?  

The Bible (is still) encouraging to us, even as it shares of men and women campaigning and not-triumphing in God's Name.  (Spoiler alert--the good guys do not always win on earth, but those that know and die-in-service to Christ will win-forever in Eternity with Him.)

Do we know any of these faith-heros?  (Look them up in the Bible for some extra-credit reading today!)  Some of them died trying for the Lord, but all of them live eternally with the Lord, and whether we win or lose in our service to God on earth...(if we know Him), we too will be reunited with our Heavenly Father forever after death...in eternal victory with Him.

But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. (36) Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. (37) Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. (38) They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.  

(39) All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. (40) For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.  ~Hebrews 11:35-40

Yes, living for the Lord can be risky and dangerous and uncharted, and the risks of faith can bring finality for some of us.  But it is only an earthly-finish...our God is (still) good!  And His victory, (and ours in-Him!), is not finite, but final.  

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.  ~I John 2:17

A "good-bye" to here means a "hello" to Heaven for God's children.  It sounds bittersweet, but only to our human reasoning.  God has so much more waiting for us.  

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”  ~I Corinthians 2:9

~~~ 

What's our best moment or a spiritual "high" that we have experienced in serving and following the Lord?

What is our lowest/most difficult moment in serving and following the Lord? 

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other...  ~Ecclesiastes 7:14

In this life...we will have good and bad days.  We are sometimes so up, and we are at other times: so down.  

And that's okay.  

Such has been the case forever with men and women that have followed God's Word and ways: in Bible times, old times, modern times, and in today times.  

And this will continue to be the case until we spend forever with Christ.  

The Bible encourages us with it's share of men and women campaigning and winning in God's Name, and campaigning and losing in God's Name.  The end results are up to God.  They always have been.  But it's a wild-ride daily as we seek to serve and follow Him, isn't it?  And all the while we try to earn a good reputation because of our faith.  

All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. (40) For God had something better in mind for us..  ~Hebrews 11:39-40

May our big brothers and sisters in the faith such as Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets encourage us today, whether we are at a high or low.  

And God is still the highest, which makes our (daily) position relative (to Him).  

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  ~Luke 2:14

Peace.  Today, whether we are on the mountaintop or in a valley, as God's people, let's earn a good reputation because of our faith.

Blessings,  

sarah  

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com 

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