The righteous will live by…. results?

The catchcry of the Bible is that the righteous will live BY FAITH. The concept is simple: those who trust in God are those who are declared right with God (righteous). That trust is seen in God’s promise of forgiveness through Jesus. We trust that His death has paid the price for our sin and reconciled us to God.

But the trust goes further. We trust in God’s word despite appearances to the contrary. So Abraham trusted God’s promise that he would have a son even though he was 90 years old. Habakkuk trusted that God would do what is right even as he watched a brutal empire sweep through his country. Both Abraham and Habakkuk lived by faith in God’s promise.

So what has happened to Christians today? Why have we focussed on results? Why do we need success before we commit ourselves to a church or godly living? It seems that we have slipped into the trap that somehow results tell us how we are doing. A big church is a truly blessed church. A church that prevails is a church that God is using.

Yet the Bible tells us that if people hated Jesus they’ll hate us (John 15:18). We are told that Christians will suffer (2 Timothy 3:10). We have a whole book (Revelation) that describes persecution before Jesus returns. We are also told to hang in there and trust that God will deliver us.

The picture of the Bible is not large congregations and instant success in whatever we do. In fact, it may well be that in proclaiming the gospel we are ostracised or imprisoned. The Bible calls for faithfulness, not success. It’s worth looking at Philippians where Paul rejoices from a gaol cell. Not exactly a picture of success, but that’s because he views things from God’s perspective.

As Australia becomes more secular Christianity continue to be marginalised. So we look for reasons to keep going at the Christian life. Just a little success would help. But it doesn’t always work out that way.

So we should live by faith. That is, we should trust the Bible when it tells us how pe0ple will react and the difficulties we will face. We need to trust God’s promise that it is worth it and so endure to the end.

Can we please move from results? Let’s commit to the life that God wants us to live because that’s what pleases Him. Let’s trust that God is in control and working in the world to save people. Let’s move from KPI to prayer.