You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
– 2 Timothy 2:3
Today’s devotional is inspired by a recent column by Greg Laurie.
The Declaration of Independence declares that we are endowed with certain rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our life and our liberty should not be taken from us without just cause. We have a right to pursue happiness. We don’t have a right to be happy. That’s a distinction that seems to be lost on many in these days. The result is a population that expects to be provided everything necessary for happiness. When the government can’t deliver that, expectations are dashed.
The same kind of confusion weakens the gospel. Consider the Christian life: God takes a life that was empty, aimless, and, worst of all, headed for a certain judgment and then turns it around and transforms it. He forgives all our sin, removes our guilt, and takes residence inside of us through the Holy Spirit. Most importantly, He changes our eternal address from hell to a place heaven. Sounds like a pretty good deal, certainly “good news.”
Why would we proclaim any less of a gospel, a Gospel Lite, if you will. Yet, we do. We try to “sweeten” the deal. We promise the convert things which are not part of the deal. We require less from them than the scriptures do. We focus on forgiveness and skip over repentance. To the promise of eternal peace, we add the promise of a life without persecution. To the assurance of a life with meaning, we add a problem free life full of health and wealth. We are like a television advertisement promising more than we can deliver and, as a result, diminishing the wonder of what is being offered. When we preach “another” Gospel, we set folks up for disappointment and rejection.
The Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground. Not only is there a God who loves you and has a plan for your life, but there is also a devil who hates you and opposes God’s plan. The essence of the Christian life is knowing and walking with God. It is about sticking with Him when the sky is blue and also when it is filled with clouds. It is about pressing on. Jesus made it clear that storms will enter every life. Bliss comes at the end. There is a stormy road to get there.
The American Dream is the right to a life in which we are free to work for and seek what we believe will make us happy. It includes opportunity and obligation. Even more so the Gospel promises the life we were meant for: to be new men with a new eternal destination. That too includes opportunity and obligation.
God provides the opportunity; it’s up to us to meet the obligations. Take the full Gospel. A Lite Gospel is no Gospel at all.
Be Blessed.
Nick
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