Against the grain

Let’s be honest, following Jesus is a risk. It calls us to go against the grain of society and sometimes, the path laid before us is one that seems utterly insane, mocked by those both in and out of the church, but when followed, erupts in a lifetime of heavenly reward. 

Truth is, we must be mindful that when we choose to live by faith, to live in Christ, we will meet with turmoil, tension and struggle. And how we deal with such struggle depends on our perspective. That is, if we choose to look through the lens of the world we will hear such things like, "life has thrown you a curve-ball," or "well it will all work out you just need to keep pressing on." But those of us who love Jesus and see life through His heart will hear something different...

When struggle comes into our path, we will hear the Spirit softly whisper, "I have a plan for you for you are my beloved. In Christ and through the Spirit, you are more than a conqueror."

Yes, we can live life in Christ, or we can live life from the world. But when we say we love Christ, we must ask, "does my life erupt in His truth?" That is, as a follower of Christ, does my faith cause me to get lost in the truth of His love and praise?

Thinking about the risk and the reward of faith, Charles Wesley penned these words for his great hymn, “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”

Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven to earth come down;
Fix in us thy humble dwelling;
All thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation;
Enter every trembling heart.

Finish, then, Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

The risk of faith is made possible not because of the glory we might receive. Not because of the riches we will earn. Not because of the accolades we will acquire. No, the risk of faith occurs because in our life, love divine excels all and in this pure, unbounded love we are overwhelmed with the presence of the Spirit so that we might see the greatness of Christ and the beauty of His salvation that lays before us. And when our hearts are awakened and our souls enlivened, it is then that we become lost in wonder, love and praise for our Savior.

Throughout the history of the church, the saints took the leap of faith—they stepped into and embraced the risk of faith, and in doing so, they participated with the God of all creation in the redemption and reconciliation of the world. The question for us today is are we going to continue on in the legacy of the church, to be life-changers, history makers, ministers of reconciliation? Will we be lost in wonder, love and praise so as to become the insane love of Jesus in and through the Holy Spirit...regardless of the cost?