… and after you have done everything, to stand.
Summary: Life gives us choices, but we don’t always understand the consequences. God’s Word teaches us what we need to do and how to do it, and for those who want to know why we need to do it.
What good is it to make preparations for something and then not follow through? Who wants to be called a quitter?
Quitting does not feel good.
Once, many years ago, a man allowed himself to be talked into doing something he did not want to do. It was a job that required travel and commitment. The company made promises they did not keep, and then they assigned him to a place he did not want to be.
It was a bad situation. It was lonely and difficult work. The man felt betrayed and abused. So he quit.
At the time, he felt justified. Yet, he discovered he also felt shame. It should be no surprise that the Bible has something to say about this. Explaining the cost of discipleship to his followers, Jesus said:
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28-30)
How much worse is it to take a stand in battle and run from the fight? Imagine people depending on you to stand your ground and defend against an enemy. Then imagine being so frightened that instead of standing you run and hide. How would that feel? Would you ever get over the shame?
Shame is like a bad tattoo. It is ugly, and it never goes away.
Now imagine that you stand your ground, but the enemy overruns you. You did everything you could, but it wasn’t enough. You didn’t run, but you didn’t stand, either.
Is that any better?
Not much.
When we take on a challenge, the very best outcome is to succeed. No matter what happens — boredom or terror — we stand our ground. At the end of the day we did what was asked of us. We did what we set out to do.
When it comes to being a disciple of Jesus, there are challenges. It can feel lonely, and the devil will whisper dark thoughts in your ear, suggesting God has betrayed you. At times, it will feel like there is no hope. As Paul points out, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
This is as serious as it can get.
Our Father wants us to be able to stand our ground and, after we have done everything, to stand.
Application: Faith is more than wishful thinking.
Food for Thought: What is an example of standing our ground for Jesus?
What is an example of standing our ground for Jesus?
The man who gets fired for not compromising his morals.
The couple that doesn’t have sex before they are married.
The wife who doesn’t complain about her husband behind his back.
The offspring that cares for their elderly parent.
The things everyone does, but have clear directions in scripture to do the opposite. They seem so common, that it doesn’t seem nearly as dangerous as it really is. Just read Leviticus, what is serious enough for a death sentence? Do we realize how important all of those actions are to God? No, most people are horrified by the Mosaic law! Culture downplays sin until sin feels like a right. Standing for Jesus is not letting the culture define sin for you…. or anybody but the Lord.
Angela,
Thank you! Your examples are helpful, and I can appreciate your point about the Mosaic Law, too. For example, Leviticus 20:27 says:
“A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.”
That seems a bit extreme by today’s standards. But then again, today’s standards hardly measure up to God’s standards. 🙂
I like A’s examples. If I were to give one example of taking a stand for Jesus it would in quiet promise-keeping. I think there are times that the Holy Spirit lays on our hearts that we should give to others, time, resources, attention, and we agree to do that unconditionally and in obedience. The other person may not even know. When the time comes to fulfil our word we may be tempted to rationalize our way out of it, or “put it off.” Who would know? We would know, The Holy Spirit would know. Jesus would know.
My human mind thinks about other examples, and some look like “big” stands for Jesus. My example may look like a “small” stand. What I have come to learn is that there are no “big” or “small” stands for Jesus. Our stands for Jesus are our faithfulness to Him and to His Word. Just as He is faithful to His Word. Just as there is nothing too great or too small for us to bring to Him, there is nothing too great or too small for Him to ask of us. What we might measure as great or small is the cost, but in the end, there is only one cost, and it is the same for everyone, our eternal relationship with our God and our Savior.
Chris,
I like how you point us to the inner self, the invisible part of us that only God sees. Keeping faith with God is often invisible to the natural world around us, yet, at the same time, it is something we do that can have eternal consequences.
10-19-2023, What is an example of standing our ground for Jesus?
Live our lives fully aware of the fact we are now children of God. Be focused, disciplined obedient as we submit to His will over our own. Stand firm, fully armored, in our freedom in Christ
John 1:12-13, James 4:7, Ephesians 6:13
Live every day knowing our God has a purpose for all He does including the day we are living in. Live alert to every possible opportunity to serve our Lord who has chosen to leave us in the battle being fought in this decaying world, for another day as part of the remnant according to His gracious choice.
Isaiah 14:24, Job 23:13, 42:2, Romans 11:5
Ron,
You touch on an interesting and important point: God has chosen to leave us in the battle!
Life is such a unique opportunity if we see it through our Father’s eyes. Living by faith requires willful dedication to God’s commands. Only in this life and this world do we get to experience the choices and challenges we have now.
I like the previous comments. To go a different direction, there are plenty of biblical examples.
Some of my favorites are in the book of Acts. In Acts 7, we see Stephen stoned to death for standing his ground.
In Acts 5: 29, Peter and the others apostles said that they must obey God rather than men – and that in the face of the religious leaders who did kill Jesus and could kill them. Acts5: 29: But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.”
These examples serve as models for us. We too must obey God rather than men.
Thank you, Rich!
Absolutely! God forbid that we have to face that ultimate test, but yes, if we do, we want to be ready!