Grace for the Race

Gideon said to God, “If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” (Judges 6:37)

In Monday’s blog I asked if you have ever considered how strikingly unusual, unique, and even “odd” are the ways God when He calls and commissions His people into His service. Throughout this four-part series of “Odd God” articles, I would like to offer you encouragement by looking at some of these unusual callings. In addition to providing encouragement, I hope to motivate you to do two things: First, to look back and prayerfully consider how God has worked in your life; and second, to look ahead to make sure you do not miss something special God may be doing in your life right now.

Today we will look at the calling of Gideon, which was every bit as odd as the calling of Moses. It can be summed up as the wet fleece on the dry ground and the dry fleece on the wet ground. Read on and be encouraged today!

God was calling Gideon to rescue His people out of the hand of the Midianites. But, like Moses, Gideon was fearful and tried to get out of his calling. God promised Gideon that he would go in the strength of the Lord, but Gideon’s fear caused his faith to flee. So Gideon asked God for a sign to confirm it really was God calling him into this position of leadership. Enter Gideon’s “faith-building” fleece.

After making the request we saw in today’s passage, Gideon got up the next morning, squeezed the fleece, and wrung out enough dew to fill a bowl with water. But even that was not enough confirmation for Gideon, so he asked God for another miraculous sign.

“Do not be angry with me. Let me make just on more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. (Judges 6:39-40)

How odd that God would use a wet fleece on the dry ground and a dry fleece on the wet ground to convince Gideon that it was indeed the Lord calling him into service. Stranger still, God reduced Gideon’s fighting force from 32,000 men to 300 . . . just to make it clear to everyone, including Gideon, that when Gideon went into battle against the Midianites and won the day, that it was God who had secured the victory. For this is the word of the Lord Almighty: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6).

As you look back in your life, can you see any “wet fleeces on dry ground” or “dry fleeces on wet ground” that God used to speak to you in calling you into His service? Has there been a time when you felt utterly unequipped to serve . . . yet it was impossible to deny that that is exactly where God wanted you to serve? Remember, our “Odd God” is in the business of calling His people into His service in unexpected and unprecedented ways. Be on the lookout!This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. (Exodus 3:2)

Have you ever considered how strikingly unusual, unique, and even “odd” are the ways of God when He calls and commissions His people into His service? Today’s message is the first of a four-part series of articles, all of which are designed to offer you encouragement by looking at some of these unusual callings. In addition to offering encouragement, I hope to motivate you to do two things: First, to look back and prayerfully consider how God has worked in your life; and second, to look ahead to make sure you do not miss something special God might be doing in your life right now.

Today we will look at Moses and the burning bush. Moses spent the first forty years of his life in the palace of the Pharaoh of Egypt, a place of great power, prestige, and privilege. Yet Moses knew his heritage as a Hebrew, and when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, he defended his Hebrew brother and killed the Egyptian. However, far from being appreciative of what Moses had done, one of the Hebrews mockingly called him out for what he had done. Fearing for his life, Moses fled into the desert and spent the next forty years in obscurity.

Now, at the age of eighty, God had Moses right where He wanted him; while Moses was tending his father-in-law’s flock in Midian, God appeared to Moses from within the flames of fire that engulfed a bush that did not burn up. The sight was so unusual that Moses was intrigued, and he drew near to take a look. And then the Lord called out to him:

“Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:4-6)

God went on to tell Moses that He has heard the cries of His people, who were in bitter distress in their bondage in Egypt, and that it is now time to deliver them. That, of course, is exactly what Moses had tried to do forty years earlier, but the problem back then was that Moses had tried to do it in his strength, not God’s.

Then God said something quite unexpected, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10). Stunned by this enormity of the task that lay ahead, Moses made up every excuse imaginable to keep from answering his call, but to no avail. God sent Moses with his brother Aaron down into Egypt to confront Pharaoh, and the rest, as they say, is His-story.

Looking back in your life, can you recall any “burning bushes” that God spoke to you from in order to call you into His service? Was there ever a time when you said, “Lord, I can’t do this!” and God replied, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26)? Remember, our “Odd God” is in the business of calling His people into His service in unexpected and unprecedented ways. Be on the lookout!This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  (Hebrews 11:1)

There are many layers to the biblical understanding of faith. I have discussed the faith that saves on many occasions, both here in Grace for the Race and from the pulpit: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Today, however, I would like to encourage you with a brief word on the biblical faith that sanctifies.

In his Exposition of Hebrews, the English pastor A. W. Pink spoke about the kind of faith that fills: “It is not a blind reliance on the Word of God, but an intelligent persuasion of its veracity, wisdom, and beauty.” I believe Pink said this because he knew that the faith that fills is the faith that fixes its eyes on the Author and Perfecter of that faith. A faith that fills persuades us of the truth of Jesus, the wisdom of Jesus, and the beauty of Jesus. And in so doing, it fills us to overflowing in every aspect of our lives. We walk through the details of life, knowing that He who began the good work in us will also bring it to a faith-filled completion.

In our passage today, notice these two words: sure and certain. The faith that fills is absolutely sure and certain because of the One who has given us the gift of faith. All of the promises of God are “Yes” and “Amen” in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:21). When God says something, that settles it! You can take His word to the believer’s bank and cash it.

Regardless of how circumstances may look in the world around us or even in your personal life right now, God is in control of all things. And yes, that includes all of your things. And if that isn’t enough to fill you with faithfulness, God has promised to work all things for your ultimate good . . . perhaps now . . . perhaps tomorrow . . . perhaps not until you enter glory . . . but you can be sure and certain that ultimate good will come to pass.

I love the way the Amplified Bible describes the faith of Abraham, who is the spiritual father of all who have trusted in Christ:

No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised. (Rom 4:20-21 AMP)

Remember, God’s gift of faith keeps on giving after it saves us; it continues throughout our lives to conform us more and more into the image and likeness of Christ. And it will stop at nothing short of perfection. You have His Word on that!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.  (Romans 12:1)

Have you ever wondered why the Bible instructs us to examine ourselves? I think it is because, in our natural, sinful nature, we are self-absorbed, which means we put ourselves first in our thoughts and actions, rather than our Lord. This is the sad reality of most of our lives, but read on; I hope to inspire and encourage you today!

In the Old Testament, God commanded His people to give the first and best of their crops—the firstfruits—as an act of worship. In other words, God’s people are not to give “leftovers” to the Lord. And yet we all have a tendency to do this, which is why we must regularly examine ourselves. Our Lord does not want our leftover time, our leftover talent, or our leftover treasure. He wants and deserves our first and our best of everything we have received from Him . . . which is everything! For “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Think about it this way: Imagine that Jesus was coming to your home for dinner tonight. Would you serve Him what you have left over in your fridge, or would you spend the day preparing the best possible meal you could serve? The answer is obvious. No one would go to the fridge, pull out some Tupperware, nuke it for two minutes, and plop it down in front of our Lord. So the question really comes down to this: Who is Number One in our lives? We can answer that question directly and honestly, simply by identifying who or what gets our firstfruits.

Is this giving of the firstfruits the confession of our lives? When it comes to our time, do we give God a few spare minutes at the end of the day? Or do we set aside some dedicated time to be with Him? When it comes to our talent, do we give God the best of the abilities He has given us to expand the cause of His kingdom? When it comes to our treasure, do we pay God first? Or does He get whatever is left over after everyone else has been paid?

Never forget that God gave us His very best by giving His only Son to die in our place so that we might have eternal life. And on that first Easter morning, Jesus rose from the dead as the firstfruits of our salvation (1 Corinthians 15:23), which means that we too shall rise from the dead when He returns. Let that truth remind all of us that there is no place for offering leftovers to our Lord! May we be obedient to the command of Scripture and offer our hearts and our lives as living sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.(Colossians 3:12)

We have reached the conclusion of this series of articles on what I call “the divine dress code,” as we read it from the inspired pen of the apostle Paul in his epistle to the church at Colossae. We began by taking an extended look at the compassion our Lord commands us to wear, we moved through examinations of kindness, humility, and gentleness, and today we will look at the final wardrobe item in our divine dress code: patience.

You’ll often hear someone say, “You saved the best for last!” Well, I can only say that I believe Paul saved the most difficult command for last, and I’m sure most readers will agree! Patience is rarely a problem for us when the sky is blue, the clouds fleecy, and the sun brightly shining. But when the storm winds begin to blow, we often find ourselves running out of patience very quickly. And for many of us, that “storm” need not be particularly strong to knock us completely off our precarious perch of patience. It might be nothing more than a traffic jam, a long checkout line, or a whiny child, but many of us are all too quickly transformed into impatient, irritable people by even the smallest thing that runs counter to our preferences.

The cure for our sinful impatience is to remember that biblical patience is not exhibiting some kind of passive tolerance in the face of difficulties. When the Bible tells us to “run with patience the race set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 KJV), we can clearly see that sacred Scripture is not suggesting that we merely “grin and bear it.” Rather, patience is persevering and progressing toward the desired outcome God has set before us: to be conformed to the likeness of His Son.

James tells us that our trials are one of God’s ordained ways to perfect our patience (James 1:3 NKJV, KJV). We see this truth embodied in the lives of all the great biblical characters, and the reason these men and women had such great patience is because they continued trusting in and depending on God. They understood that God is in complete control of all things, even those things they did not understand, and so they continued looking to God, who would ultimately work all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). Remember that “all things” includes those things that try our patience . . . even long checkout lines!

When someone is bearing up under great difficulty, you’ll often hear it said of that person that he or she is exhibiting “the patience of Job.” You’ll recall that Job endured the unimaginable storm losing his health, his wealth, and all ten of his children; on top of all that, his wife ridiculed him and his three friends falsely accused him of wrongdoing. Yet we read that Job never sinned against God. Job did not understand what was happening to him, but he was absolutely sure his God could be trusted. You and I are all called to exhibit the faith of Job, knowing that God has promised never to leave us or forsake us. We are to echo Job’s confident assurance that “My Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth: (Job 19:25). And when that glorious day comes, you and I will be finally and fully patient, for when we see Him, we shall be like Him. As John said, “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).

Paul wrote that “We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Romans 8:23-25). I believe if Paul was here with us today, he might simply tell us, “Be patient, brothers and sisters; God is not done with you yet!”

And so, dear believer in Christ, regardless of what you may be dealing with today, let me encourage you to put on the divine dress code of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. The more we look to Jesus, the more fully we will be clothed in His divine qualities, however imperfectly we may wear them, and the better we will show Christ to a world that desperately needs to know Him.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)

We are moving through a series of articles on what I call “the divine dress code,” as we read it from the inspired pen of the apostle Paul in his epistle to the church at Colossae. One week ago, we took an extended look at the compassion our Lord commands us to wear; this week we have examined kindness and humility. Today we will move on to the fourth article in our divine dress code: gentleness.

Gentleness is the exact opposite of harshness and belligerence, something that, sadly, many are losing sight of in our world today. Too many people are living by the maxim, “Might makes right,” no matter who gets hurt along the way. Yet the Old Testament prophets told us that gentleness would be one of the marks of the coming Messiah:

• He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. (Isaiah 42:2-3)
• See your king comes to you . . . gentle and riding on a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9).

To be sure, there were times when dealing with the self-righteous Pharisees that we do not see a “gentle” Jesus. But with those who were hurting, broken, and desperate for deliverance, we do see the gentle Jesus who “took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4).

The world we live in is filled with bruised people who need us to reflect that same gentleness to them. Indeed, we are commanded to “Let your gentleness be evident to all” (Philippians 4:5). And that includes being gentle with those we might think don’t deserve our gentleness. Those who wrong us or disagree with us are included in that “all” of Philippians 4:5, and we simply do not get a vote. We are to let our gentleness be evident to all, especially when we would rather not. Does this not reflect the gentleness of our Lord, who was “pierced for our transgressions,” who was “crushed for our iniquities,” and who took “the punishment that brought us peace” (Isaiah 53:5)—He who died on a cross for us even when we were alienated from God and enemies of His in our minds (Colossians 1:21)?

One of the best ways to manifest this gentleness is to consider all the ways in which God is gentle with us, especially when we know we do not deserve it. So important is gentleness to God that church leaders are admonished to continually reflect it, being “not violent but gentle” (1 Timothy 3:3) to those God has placed in their care. If we are speaking the truth in love, we will speak with gentleness, and our message will be far better received than browbeating others into accepting it.

Here is what we must remember: If anything about us is offensive, let it be the message of the Gospel itself, not the way in which we share it with others. This attitude was beautifully exemplified by John the Baptist, who said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). When Jesus is increasing in our lives, we will be decreasing, and our divine dress code of gentleness will become more and more evident to all those we come in contact with in the words we speak and the actions we perform. We will “the aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15) to people who desperately need to know that sweet Savior!This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)

We are in the midst of a series of articles on what I call “the divine dress code,” as we read it from the inspired pen of the apostle Paul in his epistle to the church at Colossae. In the first two articles in this series, we took an extended look at the compassion and kindness our Lord commands us to wear; today we will unpack the third article of our divine dress code: humility.

Let me begin by making it clear what humility is not: it is not “weakness,” as the world would have us believe; humility is actually one of the greatest of all biblical strengths. Humility was the mark of our Lord –

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death —

even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

Humility was also the mark of arguably the greatest man who lived prior to the time of Christ: Moses, whom God chose to lead His people Israel out of their centuries-long bondage in Egypt. Scripture describes Moses as “a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3).

I think we can all agree that “weakness” is not a word we would use to describe either Moses or Jesus. True humility is reflected in a courage that allows you to occupy a lower place in the eyes of others because you are content to remain totally dependent upon God. Humility is the opposite of pride. It forsakes self-confidence and looks to the source of true, unshakeable confidence: Jesus Christ our Savior. Humble people find their identity in Christ; their meaning in life is derived through expanding the cause of His kingdom; and their greatest joy comes from serving others. They are modeling Christ to the world, He who told us that “The Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for others” (Mark 10:45).

Humility acknowledges that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. Every person, having been made in the image of God, has dignity, value, and worth. When we see life through this biblical lens, we never look down on anyone . . . and when we are not looking down, we rightly are looking up to the One who was humility personified—He who, in one of the greatest acts of humility imaginable, washed the feet of His disciples on the night He was betrayed, a task normally performed by the most lowly slave.  

I write all these things, but I will also readily admit that this Christlike humility is extremely difficult for us to develop and even harder to maintain. Our sinful, human flesh clamors to exalt self. We are very much like the enemy who desires to destroy us, who once crowed, “I will raise my throne above the stars of God . . . I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14). Our flesh is weak, and it is very much a part of our old nature to magnify self and minimize God.

Jonathan Edwards once said, “We must view humility as one of the most essential things that characterizes true Christianity.” One of the best ways to put on the godly garment of humility is to remember that humility is not thinking less of yourself—for you too are made in the image of God—but it is thinking of yourself less. As you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and ask Him to give you eyes that look on others with His compassion and kindness, you will develop true biblical humility, and you will model, however imperfectly, the character of Christ.

So . . . on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the greatest demonstration of humility, how would you rate your current level of humility? How would those closest to you rate you? What one change do you need to make in order to enhance your “divine dress code” of humility? This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)

Last week I began a series of articles on what I call “the divine dress code,” as we read it from the inspired pen of the apostle Paul in his epistle to the church at Colossae. We took an extended look at the compassion our Lord commands us to wear; today we will examine kindness.

Jesus was as kind as He was compassionate, and His Spirit is working to create the same heart of love in those of us who claim His name. I think the best way I can describe how to practice biblical kindness is to be patient with those who try our patience over and over again. It is easy to lash out with a harsh word or to form a negative opinion about those who try our patience, but kindness refuses to surrender to that kind of fleshly response. Instead, we embody the biblical command to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

It’s easy to see that without the ability to forgive, kindness is impossible. It’s easy to be kind to those who are kind to us, those who don’t rub us the wrong way or put obstacles in our way. But this is not the way of our Lord. Remember, He told us to be kind to our enemies (Luke 6:35), and he has clearly demonstrated His incomparable kindness to us:

When the kindness of and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. (Titus 3:4-5)

God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6-7)

Think about God’s kindness this way: His cosmic kindness caused the coming of His only Son into this world to save us and to give us our eternal hope. Over and over again, the Bible commands us to be kind. John wrote, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). I don’t believe I am taking any liberty with Scripture when I say that, in the same way, we are commanded to Be kind because He was first kind to us.

Take a moment to prayerfully consider those whom you admire most in your life. Why do you feel this way? No doubt, their kindness toward you shows up at the top of the list. Now consider your interactions with others and ask yourself: In what ways am I reflecting the kindness of Christ? and In what ways am I not? And finally, ask yourself, What must I prayerfully work to change in order to put on kindness?

May the divine dress code of kindness be the confession of our lives, regardless of the cost or circumstance. This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)

I am going to devote the next several articles to offering you encouragement and exhortation through what I call “the divine dress code,” as we read it from the inspired pen of the apostle Paul in his epistle to the church at Colossae. Today I will focus on the first article of clothing Paul instructs us to wear: compassion.

To understand compassion from a biblical perspective, it is important to combine the Latin terms com (with) and pati (suffering). To be compassionate is to connect at the deepest heart level with those who are suffering and in pain, just as our Lord did time and time again. Do you remember what happened when Jesus saw the blind men who were asking Him for sight? We read, “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him” (Matthew 20:34). The Greek verb splagchnizomai that Matthew used, which our English Bibles render as “had compassion,” is taken directly from the word root that Paul used with the Colossians; it means to feel a yearning “in the bowels”—to say it inelegantly but quite accurately, it is to feel sympathy in your guts.

Who can forget our Lord feeding the 5,000 after a long day of teaching? When Jesus saw a large crowd, “he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). The verb Mark used is the same splagchnizomai; our Lord was deeply moved with emotions of kindness and mercy, and He promptly acted to help His lost sheep.

Here are two important points we are to glean from the scores of passages in sacred Scripture which describe the compassion of our Christ:

First, Jesus took notice of those around Him. In a word, Jesus was “other-oriented” in every aspect of His life. When we are self-absorbed, we miss what is going on around us. We become more concerned with meeting our own needs rather than the needs of those around us. If we are always looking at ourselves, we simply cannot take notice of others. If we are to be faithful disciples of Christ, we must be willing to shift our focus away from self and look with eyes of compassion on the people around us.

Second, Jesus met those around Him in their place of need. Why? Because He cared for them. Those who imagine that the Lord God Omnipotent is some distant, disinterested deity are completely and profoundly wrong in their thinking. I have written articles here about Scripture’s instruction to “Cast all your anxiety on [God] because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, emphasis added). Our Lord cares, and cares deeply, about mankind, who is made in His image. If we are to be faithful disciples of Christ, we must be willing to model His compassion as we go through life.

One of the most important lessons I have learned during my years as a pastor is that our compassion for others is a measure of our commitment to God. In the story of the Good Samaritan, it was not the priest or the Levite, those who were most outwardly “religious,” who demonstrated the compassion of Christ. Both those men actually crossed the street to avoid contact with a beaten man who had been robbed and left for dead. Rather, it was the outsider, the despised Samaritan, who put his life on hold and cared for the wounded man (Luke 10:33). This Samaritan understood the divine dress code and clothed himself with compassion.

Can the same be said about you and me? This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:18)

Growing and maturing in the Christian faith means we are moving more and more in the direction of being a “Yet Christian.” In our passage for today, you need to see what Habakkuk was experiencing before he got to “Yet.”

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

When we understand the cultural context at the time of Habakkuk, we see that he is describing a calamity of cosmic proportions. Crop failure and the death of the livestock would spell utter disaster for the people of Judah. But the inspired prophet wrote that no matter what happened in his life, he would continue to rejoice in the Lord. The waves of challenge would not tip Habakkuk over, no matter how relentlessly they washed over him, because he refused to take his eyes off of His God, He who can be trusted in all circumstances even when He cannot be traced. Think about it this way: In the face of utter hopelessness, Habakkuk still had hope because of the One He hoped in.

To praise God in times of plenty and peace is easy; to praise Him in times of poverty and pain is hard. Yet this is the key to being a Yet Christian. It is easy to be loyal to our Lord when He is leading us through a period when the sky is blue, the clouds are fleecy, and the sun is shining brightly. But what about those days when thunderclouds roll in, blocking the sun, and storm winds begin to shriek? A Yet Christian not only sees the Savior in the storm, but understands that the Savior has sent the storm for God’s glory and for the Christian’s ultimate good.

That is the mark of a Yet Christian. Is it your mark today?

If your answer is something like, “Uh . . . not yet,” I’d like to offer you one final word of comfort. In an earlier chapter, Habakkuk provided us with the key to becoming a Yet Christian: “The just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). The key to living a victorious Christian life, no matter how difficult your circumstances, is to live by faith. Believe me, I know full well that is easier said than done! But know too that when you fall short of that goal, your God has not departed from you or turned His back on you; He is still at work within you, making you a joyful Yet Christian, and He will not finish His work until you cross the Jordan. You have His Word on that!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!