Image via Wikipedia

This message is to those who call themselves Christians.  It would make no sense to speak this word to those who do not believe.  Yet, even those who do not believe and read this with a desire to believe can benefit.

A man stands in a valley and feels the tiny breeze float across the valley floor.  The day is hot and the breeze is a welcome addition to the evening heat.  Where the breeze came from, where it will go after it touches the man, and how long it will last, are under the Mighty hand of The Lord of Life.  The man is happy to receive, and that is all he can be.  He did not create the valley.  He did not create the mountains from which the coolness of the breeze appeared.  He did not create himself, nor choose the place where he now stands. 

So it is with the Love of God in our faith and belief.  We are the product of His Glorious Will.  He desired to create this place of testing according to His endless wisdom.  And we are only the product of an Endless and Beautiful Love which is our God.    We are of those who receive and become blessed by His Lovely touch.  And from our perspective, this is where we find our end.  We are receivers.  We are not providers or creators.  This realm belongs to He Who Is.  And, with great joy, those who are aged in His wise counsel, will appear as understanding such things.

We have no wisdom but that it comes to us from the Only Wise God.  We have no task we can do which will find a lasting value, but that we are given such things from He who works to cause life in His people.  When we pray we are given words, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes according to the Lord’s leading.  And we are keenly aware that we belong to Him who has No End.  When we speak of the Gospel, we speak with words that are only ours in that they found sound through us.  All things Good belong to He who is Good.  What work, word, attitude, or emotion, which belongs to the Gospel did any of us create?  Without His guiding and loving hand we are nothing.  But with His hand and guiding we are ambassadors of the Living God.  And all that I have just said remains held in the Glory of the One and Only Son, Jesus!

Why is this place?  Have you asked yourself that?  Why are we here?  Why are we set to receive the Glory of our God, Christ Jesus?  What is this place I have come to speak of as a “Place of Testing”?  And what should be our response to the answer if we could but know it?

This place is so that the Glory of God might be proved once and forever.  Why should the perfect and Holy God need to prove His Glory?  Because there was a place where one challenged the Holy Wisdom of God.  There was a place where a lie was born.  Yet it was not as we know lies.  It was a slight variant to God’s perfection.  A challenge was born and presented before the Most High God.  What was the challenge?  It’s not possible for me to know the words nor the time when it happened.  But in my limited understanding of our God, it went something like this.

“You ask too much.  You want perfection from Your creatures.  You demand perfection.  But You ask too much.  What you require of Your servants is not possible for us to endure.  You will ask.  You will demand.  And we will strive to comply.  But You did not give us the strength to endure.”

From what little I know about our God, I do not perceive Him arguing the point with the accuser.  Perhaps there was a word of thanks for the information given.  But the end of the conversation came quickly.  And God ended the conversation quickly as a display of mercy.  For, surely if this one could accuse the Most High God of an imperfection such as this, there was a whole lot more to come.  Why allow this one to fall deeper into rebellion than necessary at the moment?  Immediately, God knew what to do.  And without fail, He began what would be a marvelous reply.

What I perceive happened next was an order given to Jesus, the Word of God.  “Build a black void in this certain place.  Make it of such and such measurement. And place it in this certain place.”  And so it was done by He who is the very Word of God.  “Create lights within this void in these certain places.  Create them of this and make them shine according to my vision.”  And so it went until we come to the scripture announcing God’s crowning end to this creation, “Let us create man in our image”.  The two trees were planted and orders were given as to how they are to be treated.  “Of this one you cannot eat, or you will surely die”.

“And on the 7^th day, God rested from His work”.   Now His answer to the accuser was presented as a place of testing.  A place was made where the accusation could play out.  And proof could be known, not spoken as an answer of words, to he who did not believe.

We are presented by the Mighty hand of God as an answer to he who accused.  We are tempted by he who accused.  And we succeed according to He who was accused unjustly.  We are become the answer to an accusation.  How much are we valuable to He who Lives Forever?  We are His spoken word.  We inhabit His will.  And we are His jewels according to His Great Wisdom.  How then should we act?  How then, shall we believe?  How then, should we build our faith in the Holy One of Israel?  And, how then, should we obey what we hear? 

We do not serve out of fear.  For He who made us into His answer is sure in His Holy ways.  If my God desires obedience and all that I have, how shall I muster up a place to say no?  I am His.  I am a part of His answer to an unholy doubt.  How then, should I live with doubt?  I am proof of His Glorious will.  The power of God is within me to obey and to know He is True!  There is no fault within Him!  I will say it again, “There is NO fault within the Most High God!”  Any fault perceived remains within me.  And such things must be crushed into utter destruction.  By this I am provoked to believe to the point that I do.  What is this “doing” He demands from me?  He demands that I receive from His Holy Hand.  He demands that I believe that what He says He is willing and able to accomplish.  And He does not ask too much.  What He demands from His creation He provides the strength to accomplish.  Shall we join with the accuser and say this is not so?  It should never be so!

Set your heart to understand.  Set your soul to receive His gift.  For we are on display according to His Holy and Perfect answer to an accusation.  Remember how the Lord Jesus spoke of that one?  “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here.  I have not come of my own; but he sent me.  Why is my language not clear to you?  Because you are unable to hear what I say.  You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire.  He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!”  (John 8: 42-45)

Stand firm upon this sure and singular truth:  God is true.  And there is no shadow of turning within Him.  Present yourselves as those who believe.  Put down your childish doubt.  Believe that you might do!  Hone your faith so that you might receive His Holy Will.  When we question and doubt we join with the liar.  I will say it once more with all the importance of eternity:  BELIEVE!

By His Grace.