Moving Against the Tide
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
I wish God wasn’t so demanding. I want to move with the tide. Would it be too much to ask for God to fill us with blessings and keep all the challenges at bay? That is the problem with reading the Bible too much, you learn that God’s chosen almost always struggle. Elijah felt he was one of the last faithful persons left in the world. David couldn’t shake a jealous king, and Saul terrorized him for many years. Moses had Pharaoh as a father-figure, only to lose a mentor and gain the most powerful enemy in the world. Following God isn’t easy.
David, Elijah, and Moses are just a few examples of the many Biblical characters who suffered for their faith. Don’t make me share Hosea’s wife prostituting herself, like Israel choosing other gods. Moving against the tide of life is the norm for people of faith. We are called to make waves so a misguided world can make the necessary changes to become more ethical and just. Sadly, the world doesn’t like being forced to admit it need to change. I’ve been making that clear to my wife for three and a half decades that I don’t like to change, but that doesn’t keep her from trying.
Joking aside, Christian churches need to stop its customer paradigm where we promise an easy faith where God fulfills all our material and emotional needs, if we just join the right megachurch. It isn’t good for fundraising or church growth models to tell the truth that the Christian faith is difficult. Being a faithful follower of Jesus calls the faithful to take on the hard jobs because we have the support of the Holy Spirit.
Today, remember why you follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It wasn’t to ride the wave of an easy, fun-filled life. It wasn’t to make the largest salary in your friendship group. It wasn’t to create the most available time for entertainment. Instead, being a follower of Christ requires sacrifice. Following in the footsteps of Christ leads to your own cross. That isn’t a great marketing theme, but it is a faithful response. While regularly sacrificing may seem tough when you start, in the long-term, sacrificing becomes the foundation for a meaningful life and a legacy of example for future generations of your family. The wave of sacrificial faith will lead to eternal fulfillment.
