| Living with certainty in uncertain times |
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Wouldn’t it be nice if we could know, for sure, that our future was secure? The
truth is that none of us knows exactly what we will face in the immediate
future. But no matter how uncertain the future may seem, let me remind you that
God's people have been here before.
Remember Moses? To a generation of enslaved Jews, it seemed like there was no hope. Then God sent a child named Moses, who would lead them out of captivity. God took the worst of times and brought about a miraculous deliverance.
Remember Elijah? Oppressed by an evil dictatorship and a completely pagan environment, he thought he was the last believer left on earth. But God was in control. He had a game plan for revealing His glory to a nation submerged in wickedness.
Remember Daniel? Israel had been scattered to the four winds, and Daniel and his friends were abducted into a ruthless, godless culture. Babylon was as powerful as it was wicked, and vigorously opposed God's remnant. But God acted, using a faithful few to dramatically influence an entire nation and accomplish His purposes in the midst of chaos.
And don't forget Jesus. What about the state of the world when Christ was born? Moral decay and religious hypocrisy had relegated spirituality to a hollow, rotten husk of pretence and fear. But into that context, God brought eternal life to the entire world in the most improbable of packages: a baby boy.
The biblical record reminds us that the world has been on the brink of disaster on more than a few occasions. We may be inclined to worry or lose hope, but God reminds us that nothing can thwart His purposes. "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD" (Proverbs 21:30, NIV). An uncertain world stirs men from their complacency and provides tremendous opportunity for harvest. The question is, "How do we prepare to face the future with wisdom, boldness, and purpose?"
Confident Hearts Isaiah 40 reminds us that "the nations are like a drop in a bucket . . . [God] sits enthroned above the circle of the earth . . . He reduces the rulers of this world to nothing . . . He is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth."
Transformed Minds This means that we need to think accurately. Biblically! Consider the revolutions mentioned above; every time God used His people to dramatically influence their culture, He did it through the transformation of people's thinking.
We need to educate ourselves about the issues and respond in times of "uncertainty" from a biblical framework. Think through what it will look like to share your faith, meet physical needs, and provide emotional support under the current circumstances.
A Strategic Plan
We must remember that our goal is not to merely maintain and protect our own personal comfort and lifestyle. Rather, our goal is to understand what "dual citizenship" really means. Remember that we are strangers in this world (1 Peter 2:11), yet we are called to make a real difference in the world around us.
How can we seize this moment in history? By living our lives based on the firm foundation of God's truth when everything else around us is unsure. You may not feel like a Moses, Elijah, or Daniel, but the lessons of their lives can provide you with biblical examples of how to fulfil God's purpose in these uncertain times.
No one knows what the future holds in the coming months and years. But if we look to God to develop in us confident hearts, transformed minds, and a strategic plan of action, we will stand firm as the Mosses’, Elijah’s, and Daniels of our time.
This message is from Chip Ingram. We live in uncertain times, times that call for us to live beyond Christianity 101. It's about the truth we've lost - that the God of the universe is actually looking for regular people like you and I to accomplish things beyond our wildest dreams. In the 'Holy Ambition' series you will learn how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things, and the process by which He models men and women for His purposes. To order simply e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Place order here |
