Idealism

Fixing our eyes on Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith. Heb 12:2

Faith Believes For The Best

Christians by nature believe for the best, this is the nature of faith. We hope, pray, work, trust, and most of all we believe. We believe that if we do our part, our churches will flourish, our marriages will be healthy, our children will behave and we can live meaningful and happy lives. We, after all, have promises of good success, if we serve the Lord with our whole heart.

What Ought To Be Vs. What Is

So, we have an idealistic faith, a faith of what ought to be. Unfortunately, we live in a world where nothing is ideal, and our idealistic faith comes eye-to-eye with the "what is" of this world. In this world, marriages fail, children die, friendships end, churches close and sickness is real. There is a genuine tension between what ought to be, and what is. To be emotionally and spiritually whole we need to preserve our idealism and we need to keep our faith. With the help of the Scripture we can resolve this tension.

Life Is Usually Painful

Most do not anticipate the troubles and problems they will face. As Christian, we are called to be emotionally and spiritually whole and our calling of wholeness is to be worked out on earth, the place of very big problems. While young, we tend to think we will never face the really bad stuff, but that is not the case, if we live long enough we will face major problems. When the problems come, we don't want to lose heart; we need to look to the examples of godly men and women who have walked through the big problems and kept their faith, and their idealism.

Remember David

David was specifically chosen by God to be King over Israel. He was anointed by Samuel the Prophet, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. 1sam. 16:13 One would think that life would be good, after all, David was called and anointed by God, and placed by God in a particular location for ministry. That's about all one could hope for. But we all know that was the beginning of serious and life threatening problems for David. Life did not make sense, he was anointed, he was called, his heart was right, but his life was in serious turmoil. At this point David could have quit; he could have quit trusting, quit hoping, quit serving, and quit believing, but his response was that of loyalty. Loyalty to God, loyalty to his call, and loyalty to the very man that was trying to destroy him. David kept his idealism and he kept his faith. He believed for the best.

Live a life worthy of the vocation to which you are called.

The Lord calls us to live a life worthy of our vocation. Our vocation demands we be a people of hope, otherwise we have nothing to say. We have a Reason for idealism, His name is Jesus, and we can believe and hope for the best, even in times of trouble. We are told by the Lord that pain is inevitable, that we're going to be surrounded by difficulties, but to not worry, that all is going to work for our benefit. God's ways are simply greater than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. So we keep our idealism, we hope for the best, even when faced with the what is, of this life.

Ephesians 4:1-3 (NLT) 1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.

We are told to keep the unity of the Spirit - meaning we are to act and think the way the Holy Spirit acts and thinks. We are to see life the way He sees life.

The Holy Spirit is not discouraged, He is not depressed, He is not carrying the weight of the past, and He is idealistic. Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. In His suffering He had hope of a bright future!

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV) 1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 When faced with the what is of this world, we fix our eyes on Jesus, knowing the what to be of faith is yet future. The above scripture tells us to look to Jesus, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross. We are told to look to Jesus, the One who endured the pain of the cross, because of the joy that awaited Him. He is our example, we endure our cross, because of the joy that awaits us!  

Jesus is idealistic also, and He uses the what is of this life, to work the what ought to be in us.

As we work out our salvation, hope is set before us, (in the future), and the idealism of our faith will be fulfilled when we see Jesus face to face!

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God bless you,

Jim

Rev 3:5-22 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

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