Photo by Parij Borgohain on Unsplash.
Have you ever faced an impossible situation with no idea where to start, much less how to get out of it?
Of course, you have; it’s called life, and everyone deals with it.
The beautiful life of a Christ-follower is a decision to have a close personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (the triune Godhead).
It is a decision to endeavor to live your life according to the teachings of Christ in the New Testament Bible. This does not mean that you abandon the Old Testament books. It is a package deal.
The Old Testament reveals God’s nature and character, while the New Testament reveals the plan and purposes of following Christ.
One without the other is not complete.
But how do you apply this impossible situation to the beautiful life of a Christ-follower?
The answer is your decision.
It is up to you to walk with God and follow his word.
It is a paramount decision because it determines how you view your impossible situation.
In one of the Star Wars movies, there is a scene where the two Jedi Knights charged with looking after the queen are faced with an impossible situation.
The Jedi master, Qui-Gon, calmly says, “All right. I’m sure another solution will present itself.”
And it did.
Here is why that line is so crucial for a Christ-follower.
Like you, the Jedi knights were on a critical mission. An impossible situation requires an improbable solution.
Unbeknownst to them, the young Skywalker knew how to pod-race—the improbable solution.
Qui-Gon turned to the force (God, for a Christ-follower), and the solution became evident.
As a Christ-follower, you are on a critical mission (to be prepared for eternity). When impossible situations present themselves, your response must be, “All right. I’m sure another solution will present itself.”
Why?
In the words of the old Christian song,
“God will make a way when there seems to be no way.
He works in ways we cannot see and will make way for me.”
In other words, I decided to lean into Christ.
The Apostle Peter gives us sound counsel on this matter.
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
I Peter 5:7 New Living Translation
This creates a two-fold challenge—trust and patience.
Do we trust God to take care of us?
Following a particularly challenging message, many of Jesus’ followers walked away. The Bible says Jesus turned to the disciples, asking if they, too, were about to leave.
Peter responded,
Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life.
John 6:68 The Message
There were two decisions made that day—to leave and to stay.
The disciples (Christ-followers) decided to trust.
I believe patience may be the biggest challenge for 21st-century Christ-followers. We have lived our entire lives in a hurry-up world.
I recall being upset when I had to wait for my meal at the drive-thru.
We live in a hurried world that does not lend itself to being patient.
However, patience is also paramount for a Christ-follower.
During one of his teachings, Jesus tells his disciples about the end of time.
He tells them that with patience, they possess their souls.
The Message Bible tells it this way.
“Staying with it – that’s what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry; you’ll be saved.”
Luke 21:19 The Message
“Staying with it” implies persistence or (using a southern phase) dogged determination.
It means holding onto something until the end.
The improbable solution may take a while to present itself. Our part is to practice patience and persistence until it does.
But how do you practice patience?
The Old Testament prophet Zechariah gives us an answer.
“This is God’s Message to Zerubbabel: ‘You can’t force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,’ says God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
Zechariah 4:6 The Message
Then he said to me, “This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
Zechariah 4:6 New Living Translation
You practice patience with a choice.
You determine you cannot force it, and brute strength will not make it happen. It will only come about by the Spirit of God.
Remember, in the Jedi story, the solution was present when they arrived at the impossible situation. It took time for the improbable solution to present itself.
How does this relate to the beautiful life of a Christ-follower?
It relates to the beautiful life of a Christ-follower by pointing out that your decision to follow Christ means you are not in charge of finding the solution. You are responsible for patiently waiting while trusting him to reveal the solution.
Perhaps this will help.
I have a daughter looking for employment. She has submitted applications to no avail. She can worry, get upset, or be depressed, and they will not provide her with the needed employment.
Instead, she has chosen to keep her eyes on the Lord, submit her applications, and trust Him to take care of her needs.
Is it easy?
No, but it is a choice to be patient while trusting God to provide a solution.
There is more to be said about this…but next week.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead provides you a living hope. It is a living anticipation full of expectation of something good happening.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is a journey. I invite you to follow along. As I learn, I will pass it along so you, too, can learn. I hope that as you learn, you can pass it along so that I (and others) might learn.
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