Swimming Against the Tide
1 Thessalonians 3:13 This will strengthen your desire to do what is right, and you will be holy and without fault before our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy people.
One of my absolute favourite sayings used to be: It’s so hard to soar like an eagle when you’re surrounded by turkeys. Not bad is it? Although, given what I do, these days, I can’t use it all that much anymore.
But you get the point, don’t you? Often the people around us can drag us down. And that’s particularly true when you’re trying to do good, and they’re not. When you’re trying to be pure, and they’re not. When you’re trying to honour God, and they’re not.
It can feel as though everybody’s heading in the opposite direction to you. So you start questioning yourself. Am I going crazy here? Why is this so hard? Is there something wrong with me?
But God hasn’t called you to be like everybody else. He’s called you to be different; to be pure and holy, to live your life for Him, to sacrifice your life for others. In a world that’s growing more self-absorbed by the minute, that’s like … well, it’s like swimming against the tide. And if the truth be known, it’s darned hard work swimming against the tide all the time. But, come on, you know this: following Jesus is all about swimming against the tide. Following Jesus is about being different; counter-cultural.
And if you’ve been doing that for a while, following Jesus, going against the tide of popular opinion, maybe, just maybe you’re tired. Maybe you’re ready to turn back and go with the flow. So here’s a Word to encourage you to keep going:
This will strengthen your desire to do what is right, and you will be holy and without fault before our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy people. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)
One day Jesus is coming back and on that day, you want to be found holy and without fault. God knows that some days you feel like giving up. That’s why He’s brought this Word to you today.
And through His Word, by His Spirit, may He strengthen your desire to do what is right. May He breathe a new life, a new Spirit into your heart, a new vision of where your life is headed … toward an eternity with Him.
Today is not the day to give up. Keep going. It’ll be worth it.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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