And, “But my righteous
one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”
But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those
who have faith and are saved.
One thing is for certain…we are to be solid in our faith in
Christ and unwavering in our commitment to God. There are tons of verses in the
Bible that talk about standing firm in the faith. Verses that key on being
bold, confident, courageous, steadfast, fortified, and unyielding in our faith.
There is no call in God’s Word for us to be timid, meek, lukewarm, and reserved
in our faith. There is no call in God’s Word to “kind of” live out our faith
and “sort of” do what God commands. The text above uses the wording “shrinks
back” invoking an image of a scared animal that cowers back into their hole
when uncertainty and opposition crosses their path. In our lives, we face
opposition and uncertainty on a daily if not minutely basis. We are constantly
bombarded with the temptation to dip into sin…some we notice…others come and go
without us even realizing that we sinned. We are constantly tempted to cast
aside God’s commands and plans and adopt the squirrely and misguided ways of
man. When the enemy is at the gates, we are not to cower back, shrinking away
from the resistance, and retreating from the faith and belief that is the
cornerstone of our lives. We are to stand firm, facing the opposition, refusing
to give in, refusing to go back to what we were before we were called “chosen”
by Christ. But we don’t stand there alone. No, we stand with the greatest Power
known to man…the One that can create and destroy in an instant. We stand with
the 1,000 lbs. gorilla, the untouchable giant, the undefeated heavyweight
champion…and He’s battling on our behalf, swinging punches to clear our paths,
and leading us to one day rest in glory with Him in heaven. So today, may we
stand solid, unwavering, and completely committed to our Lord…and when things
get a little thick, may we remember the Giant that stands at our side. We don’t
go through it alone and we can’t afford to give in. To God alone be the glory!
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