Staying the Course...For How Long?

Theology today is so diverse it can become confusing especially to a new believer. When I say theology I am referencing man's interpretation of The Word of God. There are numerous interpretations out today that would have one believe that once they are forgiven by God, once they have accepted Jesus as Savior, the hard part is over. Relax, you are saved! However the actual Word of God does not support that perspective. Increasingly I am discovering scripture after scripture that actually indicates something very different from that.

Yes, accepting Christ's sacrifice as the atonement of our sins is indeed the most crucial decision anyone can make, but our walk with Him is only beginning from that point. Colossians 1:23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. Why would Paul be warning the people of Colosse to not drift away unless that has become a problem for them? His words are strong as he admonishes them to "stand firmly in (the truth)." Clearly there were distractions that were causing them to lose their focus on the Lord and the truth that had originally transformed their lives. We must conclude that if the early Christians could drift away when they still had the power of the anointing of the Apostles in their midst, how much easier it is for us all of these centuries later.

Drifting occurs when we are not paying attention. A boat drifts in the current when it is not being steered or actively powered. Suddenly its occupants realize they have drifted off course and now must work feverishly to get back to where they were headed. How often has that happened to us in our spiritual lives? Our walk with the Lord is suddenly way off course. We are puzzled at how in the world we ended up where we are. This was never our intention, yet here we are anyway - in a place that is dark, uncomfortable and totally lacking in intimacy with our Lord. Drifting... yes, it happens to even the best intentioned of us.

Another perspective on this same concern is presented to us in Psalm 125:4-5 O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you. But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O Lord. Take them away with those who do evil. Three different groups of people are described here: those who are good; those who turn to crooked ways; and those who do evil. Once again, we see that there are people who once were good but "who turn to crooked ways." Evil is in this world, and as long as we are living in this world, we will have to deal with the evil. Temptation is all around us, but it is our choice what we do with that temptation. Do we succumb or do we "stand firm"?

We have the light of Christ within us from the day we accepted Him. Ephesians 5:8-9 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have the light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Notice the encouragement that comes to the Ephesians in that middle sentence, "So live as people of light!" Why would Paul tell them this if they were all walking in the light without any issues? He would not. Even then people needed to be reminded of what the expectations were for a believer. That has not changed in all of these centuries. We need to be reminded of the expectation for us to live as people of light.

We must reconcile ourselves to the fact that each and every day of our lives we will have to consciously focus on our walk with the Lord. If we allow ourselves to stop "steering the boat" in His direction, if we "turn off the power" by not studying the Word and not staying in fellowship with other believers, we are going to find it increasingly difficult to "stand firm". Philippians 1:10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. Focusing on what really matters will help us in living those pure and blameless lives. Note that we must do so until the day of Christ's return. Not just for the first few months or years of our life with Christ, but everyday until He comes back. No one knows how long that will be for any of us, but what is the same for each of us is the command to live pure and blameless lives for our entire lives. Christ will either take us from our graves or take us in the rapture. Either way, we must endure to the very end with our eyes on Him.