I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
Pursued by the devil and his proxies, we ask, “Lord, is this as good as it gets? What about the abundant life you promised us here on earth?” On resurrection day, we will trade in corruptible bodies for incorruptible ones. Promises of that glorious day motivate us to press on, but now and then, we grow world-weary. Instead of climbing from glory to glory, we drag ourselves from day to day. The tighter we hold on to God’s promises, the more viciously our enemies attack.
Remember King David’s response when his enemies sought to destroy him.
1The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
Psalm 27: 1-3
Instead of losing heart, David believed he would see God’s goodness in the land of the living.1 The Lord had delivered him from monstrous foes before and could rescue him again. Even under hot pursuit, David fortified his heart. He would keep running, believing that God would intervene.
Do We Recognize God’s Goodness?
The Christian path is not for the faint of heart; the ravenous enemy stalks and prowls day and night. Indeed, the stronger the faith, the harder the chase. However, we do not have to wait until death to see the Lord's goodness. He is the God of the living,2 so what hinders us?
Our Sin
Once redeemed, let us lay sin aside so we can see the goodness of the lord:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us . . .
Hebrews 12:1
Beset means to surround. How can we see the Lord’s goodness surrounded by sin? Jesus was slain3 to remedy that. When we accept that truth, we can certainly see goodness in that truth. The stench of sin draws the enemy, but the blood of the Lamb throws him off the scent.
Our Comfort Zone
We hold tightly to what we know. Jesus calls us to forsake all, but letting go of worldly obligations is difficult. We are tempted to look back because the familiar is comfortable, while discipleship is uncomfortable. And so, instead of total surrender, we make excuse after excuse:
59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:59-62
If we disassociate from family members, organizations, fraternities, or denominations to follow Jesus, we may be labeled pariahs, and many Christians fear ostracism more than they fear hell. But what happens when we look back? Whoever tries to save his life will lose it anyway.
Our Fear
We fear what we cannot control. Recall when a young man approached Jesus. He claimed to be upright, then pridefully asked Jesus what he lacked:
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Matthew 19:21-24
The wealthy man lacked in one area: he could not give up his possessions. Likewise, some Christians are willing to sacrifice all but the one thing that could set them free.
Trusting Jesus, we will never end with less than we started. If we delight ourselves in God,4 he will give us the desires of our hearts, and that does not mean worldly pleasures we dream up in lust. When we delight ourselves in him, we desire to do his will. Leaving the world behind, we make room for the Lord’s abundance.5
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
I Corinthians 2:9
Friends, do not lose heart! Do not faint for fear of your enemies. What does the Lord have in store for those who love him? Abundant life—here and hereafter!
Let’s not confuse abundance with prosperity. To be prosperous simply means to accumulate worldly wealth and success. If we think Jesus gave his life so we could flourish financially, think again. Abundance, in this context, means full of. Therefore, through Jesus’s death, we can be full of life. In place of sin, familiarity, and fear, Jesus gives us abundant forgiveness, hope, and love.
A Life Full of Forgiveness, Hope, and Love
Jesus is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us of unrighteousness. No longer slaves to sin, he has freed us from bondage and condemnation. We cannot fear losing what we have because, without Jesus, we have nothing. He sacrificed his life for us and rightly asks that we do the same for him. Thus, we offer our abundant faith for his gift of abundant life.
Yes, our enemy prowls about, seeking whom he may devour,6 but the Word became flesh so that we could see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. And on that great day, when we trade mortality for immortality, we shall finally see him in all his glory.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus . . .
Ephesians 2:4-6
See, the Son of God is the goodness of the Lord, as good as it gets.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Jude 1:3
Thank you for another article of the encouraging truths of our Heavenly father to refresh and restore us in Him.
Thanks Carissa
very nice podcast, well put together, great vids- we don't have snow so it sure looks cold!
It is so important to endure to the end, and to do so we need to remember what God has done for us in the past, and what he has done for all his faithful people over the previous six thousand years.
Israel lacked faith to go into the promised land because they did not remember how he had delivered them from Egypt. Yet not all forgot. Joshua and Caleb did go in for they were the spies that gave a good report. Yet they had to endure 38 more years wandering in the wilderness because of rest of Israel's lack of faith!
Their faith, which was strong, was certainly tested during this 38 years, and they grew in faith and continued to trust him.
We who are called and chosen by God to understand his truth, and respond with faith, are in the same situation. We have to endure to the end and God will show us into the promised land as well.