Faith Tested

(1 Peter 1:7) “The trial of your faith.”

Let’s compare life to a race, a Grand Prix. There are rules all the competitors must adhere to in order to stay in the race, However if these criteria are not met then penalties or disqualification are eminent. They can tweak their engine and even shave our tyres for better grip, as longer as we stay within the confines of the race regulations. Motorized skill is required in setting up the vehicle so that the driver may have the best possibility of winning the race. The driver himself must feel comfortable with the cars race setup. Week end and week out this is the team’s objective. The courses change every fortnight and therefore the setup must change; the driver normally drive one of two machines but depending on the weather and the tracks shape and surface the mechanics and technicians will endeavour to give their driver the best possible chance of winning. Not everyone wins but everyone wants to at least finish the race. What is worse is if a driver leads the race and then just prior to the finish has engine failure and cannot finish. It leaves him and the entire team bitterly disappointed.

So what is my point you may ask? Life is challenging with dissimilar conditions on diverse days yet the rules remain the same, we cannot bend them when we think no-one is watching. There is no place we can hide. Our great God and Father sees all, there is no whole black enough to hide from Him. We cannot and should never want to hide from view, if and when we do it can only mean we are not open faced before Him and therefore have entered into sin in one form or another. We try and bend the rules to make it easier for ourselves yet we are in danger of disqualification if we do not heed our set of laws. I agree our regulation is covered by an all encompassing word that covers every action, Grace. We are not limited in our freedom to walk and serve our Saviour, we can do nothing to earn our salvation, and we are not saved by works. If we started claiming salvation by our own works then we would undermine the amazing work of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ and his victory on Calvary’s hill, called Golgotha. Yet we are instructed and called to walk worthily of our title, “sons of God” or “saints”. We are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice which is expected of us. Our minds must be transformed by the renewing of the word on a daily basis. It is the trail of our faith that helps us understand what will please our God. There is no other method whereby we may be tried and honed into Christ’s image outside of our faith being tested by trail. Yes I always look to fight this in myself as do others, but that will never change the truth. I need to learn as we all do that in testing we are strengthened in character to lay down our lives so that our salt would not lose its flavour. For if salt is flavourless what use would it be in food, it would be rendered inadequate and disposed of. Remember the armour of God and how that will keep us resolute to think in this manner.

Today is another testing day I see on the horizon, I often ask myself and the Lord is this necessary and I always get the same answer, yes! Why then do I always look for another way? It is the way our fallen flesh responds, it always looks for the easy way out, which by the way is a lie in itself. We think it will be easier to possibly ignore an issue by skirting around it, but all it does is compounds it. I meet today with oversight to discuss the direction of my ongoing split in my marriage. Divorce is prominent, yet how I go about the finalisation of that will determine a lot of different possible outcomes. I will ask you all to remember me in prayer on this particular challenge I now face. I pray that the Lord Jesus would be glorified even in such a tragic disaster. Divorce is something God is not pleased with although some provision has been made for it. The rule nevertheless is to remain together as long as you both shall live. This is no longer possible so I prayer that my testimony would shine and bring glory to my Saviour.

I leave with another C.H.Spurgeon quote that resonates even now in my thoughts; “if a thing is right, though you lose by it, it must be done.”

Signing off

Tyrone