Steve,
Could you share how have you stayed so consistent over the years in your walk with the Lord? What
has helped you? Thanks Steve. Mike
question for Steve?
Re: question for Steve?
Hi Blazerfan,
First, I have not been consistent steadily throughout my life. I have had dips in my spiritual zeal, and brief seasons of discouragement and relative apathy. I have even, in a few cases, done scandalous things.
I have not, however, ever had the slightest openness to the prospect of departing from Christ, doubting the scriptures, or adopting a life of rebellion against what I have known to be right. This is because I cannot disbelieve what has been proven to be true, nor can I contemplate ignoring the truth in favor of a lifestyle more pleasing to my own desires. I do not consider this to be a boast of exceptional virtue, since I am not sure how I could have chosen otherwise, and I regard a consistency greater than my own to be more normative for disciples of Jesus.
I suppose some of the things that have prevented me from vacillating more than I have in my pursuit of God have been the following attitudes and commitments (some of which I have chosen, and some of which seem to have been factory-installed in my brain, or involuntarily ingrained there by the conditioning of my upbringing):
1. I have researched too much, and examined the evidence too objectively, to have any serious doubts about the claims of Christ or the authority of the scriptures as a revelation of God's mind. Submission to such authority has always seemed preferable to submitting to any rival authority (since, after all, everything we think or do is directed by some acknowledged or unacknowledged authority). Such submission is not always easy, but it never seems wrong, as does submission to contrary impulses or authorities;
2. God is more important than I am, and His will holds a higher claim than does my will. This has always just seemed intuitive and a piece of obvious common sense. God's claim upon me is based upon creation and redemption—two unchangeable things. What response can an honest man make to these facts, other than to render to God His due?
3. I believe that eternity is long, and that the present life is a temporary time of testing. It has always seemed a good economy (if necessary) to sacrifice any part of the pleasures of this life in order to pass the tests that have their rewards in eternity;
4. I consider that it never makes sense to follow either desire or emotions at the expense of reason. I have had the full range of emotions that other people have, I am sure, but I have never believed that feelings carry sufficient validity as to dictate ethical choices. Remaining true to God is an ethical choice, and it seems the only reasonable course to take;
5. There is a promise that he who meditates day and night on the words of God will thrive like a tree planted by rivers of water. I believed this, and took it as my assignment and my delight (Psalm 1:1-3/ cf., Jeremiah 17:7-8; Joshua 1:8). I have certainly seen this promise fulfilled to a remarkable degree;
6. I made a promise to follow Christ when I was young. A promise is a promise. Doing what I have vowed to do is simply a matter of personal integrity. That is why I would never violate the promises I made to my wife, even when she cared nothing for the vows she made to me. My promises to God are even more important than those made to my wife. I have never understood how anyone can surrender to Christ, promising to serve Him for life, and then stop doing so short of death. I cannot respect or trust a person who cares so little about his integrity.
7. The bottom line may be (shamefully) that I am simply too proud to view myself as either stupid or wicked. To fail to conduct sufficient research into matters of so great importance seems plain foolish. To do the research but fail to reach the obvious conclusions to which the facts point seems either stupid or dishonest. To know that such things are true, and to willingly reject them in order to place my own interests above those of my Creator seems simply wicked. I have never wished to place myself in any of these categories.
This may reflect pride, rather than virtue, but I should hope no one thinks I have ever attempted to represent myself as a paragon of virtue.
First, I have not been consistent steadily throughout my life. I have had dips in my spiritual zeal, and brief seasons of discouragement and relative apathy. I have even, in a few cases, done scandalous things.
I have not, however, ever had the slightest openness to the prospect of departing from Christ, doubting the scriptures, or adopting a life of rebellion against what I have known to be right. This is because I cannot disbelieve what has been proven to be true, nor can I contemplate ignoring the truth in favor of a lifestyle more pleasing to my own desires. I do not consider this to be a boast of exceptional virtue, since I am not sure how I could have chosen otherwise, and I regard a consistency greater than my own to be more normative for disciples of Jesus.
I suppose some of the things that have prevented me from vacillating more than I have in my pursuit of God have been the following attitudes and commitments (some of which I have chosen, and some of which seem to have been factory-installed in my brain, or involuntarily ingrained there by the conditioning of my upbringing):
1. I have researched too much, and examined the evidence too objectively, to have any serious doubts about the claims of Christ or the authority of the scriptures as a revelation of God's mind. Submission to such authority has always seemed preferable to submitting to any rival authority (since, after all, everything we think or do is directed by some acknowledged or unacknowledged authority). Such submission is not always easy, but it never seems wrong, as does submission to contrary impulses or authorities;
2. God is more important than I am, and His will holds a higher claim than does my will. This has always just seemed intuitive and a piece of obvious common sense. God's claim upon me is based upon creation and redemption—two unchangeable things. What response can an honest man make to these facts, other than to render to God His due?
3. I believe that eternity is long, and that the present life is a temporary time of testing. It has always seemed a good economy (if necessary) to sacrifice any part of the pleasures of this life in order to pass the tests that have their rewards in eternity;
4. I consider that it never makes sense to follow either desire or emotions at the expense of reason. I have had the full range of emotions that other people have, I am sure, but I have never believed that feelings carry sufficient validity as to dictate ethical choices. Remaining true to God is an ethical choice, and it seems the only reasonable course to take;
5. There is a promise that he who meditates day and night on the words of God will thrive like a tree planted by rivers of water. I believed this, and took it as my assignment and my delight (Psalm 1:1-3/ cf., Jeremiah 17:7-8; Joshua 1:8). I have certainly seen this promise fulfilled to a remarkable degree;
6. I made a promise to follow Christ when I was young. A promise is a promise. Doing what I have vowed to do is simply a matter of personal integrity. That is why I would never violate the promises I made to my wife, even when she cared nothing for the vows she made to me. My promises to God are even more important than those made to my wife. I have never understood how anyone can surrender to Christ, promising to serve Him for life, and then stop doing so short of death. I cannot respect or trust a person who cares so little about his integrity.
7. The bottom line may be (shamefully) that I am simply too proud to view myself as either stupid or wicked. To fail to conduct sufficient research into matters of so great importance seems plain foolish. To do the research but fail to reach the obvious conclusions to which the facts point seems either stupid or dishonest. To know that such things are true, and to willingly reject them in order to place my own interests above those of my Creator seems simply wicked. I have never wished to place myself in any of these categories.
This may reflect pride, rather than virtue, but I should hope no one thinks I have ever attempted to represent myself as a paragon of virtue.
Re: question for Steve?
Awesome testimony Steve.
I wish that I could say that I have always followed Christ since my conversion some 12 years ago....I have seriously dropped the ball on many occasions...*Runs to read Psalm 103*..
I wish that I could say that I have always followed Christ since my conversion some 12 years ago....I have seriously dropped the ball on many occasions...*Runs to read Psalm 103*..
Re: question for Steve?
I have stumbled more times then i care to remember but to paraphrase Peter, where else do you go? The things we can accomplish or obtain in this life are temporal and just pass away sooner then later.
What works for me to meditate and think about God is listening to various bible teachers including Steve and a few others while i work or drive , that keeps God real to me and renews my mind toward him every day.
Different things work for different people such as some people need a quiet time, but this works for me.
What works for me to meditate and think about God is listening to various bible teachers including Steve and a few others while i work or drive , that keeps God real to me and renews my mind toward him every day.
Different things work for different people such as some people need a quiet time, but this works for me.
Re: question for Steve?
To all of us who drop the ball or stumble! Jesus says "I see the weakness of your flesh, but I see a sincere desire in you to love Me." Since drawn by the water and the Spirit and becoming children of God, our failures or our "dropping the ball" and our stumbling are NOT recorded. The believer usually finds out through stumbling that their real strength is a Lord who is dedicated to them ( I shall never leave you). If we only knew the depth of the Father's desire for our hearts.
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dorianleigh
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Re: question for Steve?
I feel that one of the reasons the Lord used Paul to write so much of the New Testament, was because of his transparency in terms of his imperfections. Paul said "for I know the good that I ought to do, but don't do it." He also struggled with a "thorn in the flesh" and continually asked the Lord to remove it. I believe the reason we are not told what that "thorn" was, is because we all have our own "thorns" (issues) and it isn't the issue that matters, but rather His grace which is sufficient. It is in our weaknesses that we find our strength in Him. T
The answer to our problems and issues is not a solution, but a person (Jesus). How many believers do you know who "boast in their weaknesses" which Paul did, so it would be about God's strength and not His own. On this earth, we will always struggle as we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience and these bodies continually want to cling to the world. I would be more concerned about a believer who is NOT struggling which implies they have stopped attempting to kill their flesh. If we are not picking up our cross daily, (which by the way is very heavy and uncomfortable), something is very wrong with our walk. If we don't feel the need to equip ourselves with spiritual armor EVERY morning, do we even realize we are in the battle, or have we already been defeated? Is satan being enabled to deaden us to the point we don't even realize it, much like the frog in boiling water?
The answer to our problems and issues is not a solution, but a person (Jesus). How many believers do you know who "boast in their weaknesses" which Paul did, so it would be about God's strength and not His own. On this earth, we will always struggle as we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience and these bodies continually want to cling to the world. I would be more concerned about a believer who is NOT struggling which implies they have stopped attempting to kill their flesh. If we are not picking up our cross daily, (which by the way is very heavy and uncomfortable), something is very wrong with our walk. If we don't feel the need to equip ourselves with spiritual armor EVERY morning, do we even realize we are in the battle, or have we already been defeated? Is satan being enabled to deaden us to the point we don't even realize it, much like the frog in boiling water?