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That Our Faith May Not Fail

“I am so tempted to . . .”

How many times have we uttered this phrase and whatever follows? In our culture, “being tempted” to say or do something against another is to suggest we are inwardly inclined toward it, somehow feeling both justified and convicted at the same time. Biblically, however, temptation is revealed as far more insidious—rooted in evil and deliberately perpetrated against us by an outside actor, Satan, or “the tempter,”1 as Matthew described him. In this truest sense, “I am so tempted” is to recognize the evil one is deceptively luring me into disbelieving God’s promises and disobeying His commands. Jesus once told His bold disciple, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.”2 What were the spoils in this celestial tug of war? Simon’s faith: Satan would topple it; Jesus would buttress it.

Have you ever been tempted to disbelieve in Jesus as the Son of God and our eternal life found solely in Him? I have, insofar as there is an active tempter, our adversary, who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”3 The devil would destroy us, and none of us are exempt from his hate. At times, I’ve been fearful of misplaced faith; other times I’ve feared eternal nothingness. Still other times, I’ve futilely sought out a feeling upon which to base my faith, instead of entrusting myself to the One who, in turn, elates my soul. These temptations are both common and serious in our battle “against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”4 And it was clearly on Paul’s mind upon writing to the church in Thessalonica, “I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.”5

But Jesus is who He says He is and He does as He has promised to do. Of His people—His “sheep”—Jesus assures us, “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”6 And of our enemy, the devil, Peter instructs us and assures us even more: “Resist him, firm in your faith . . . And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”7 We find this to be true. For He is faithful. Praise His name.

Lord, you are faithful. You will establish us and guard us against the evil one.8 You are our strength; you are our hope. Thank you for your faithfulness to us, your people. In Christ we glory. Amen.

1 Matthew 4:3 ESV
2 Luke 22:31 ESV, emphasis added
3 1 Peter 5:8 ESV
4 Ephesians 6:12 NLT
5 1 Thessalonians 3:5 ESV
6 John 10:29 ESV
7 1 Peter 5:9-10 ESV
8 2 Thessalonians 3:3 ESV

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Achieve Your Purpose in Life

“Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”—1 Corinthians 10:31

Consider Paul’s exhortation for a moment: “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Most of us would confess that seeking God’s glory is not the default setting of our earthly motivations. It is aspirational, perhaps for some, yet even seemingly spiritual ideals can be rooted in the thorny soil of self. The great reformer, Martin Luther, observed that our sin nature is so deeply curved in on itself that it bends even the best gifts of God towards itself and it seeks all things, even God, for its own sake. This is not God’s design for us; in fact, it is antithetical to our purpose in His creation as spoken through His prophet, Isaiah: “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”1 Then today, let us contemplate our noble purpose, glorifying God . . .

In our forgiveness. “For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.” (Psalm 25:11)

In our faith. “In this you rejoice . . . so that the tested genuineness of your faith . . . may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

In our outreach. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:6)

In our spiritual gifts. “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 4:11)

In our salvation. “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” (2 Timothy 1:9)

In our unity in Christ. “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6)

In our gratitude. “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.” (Psalm 50:23)

And through all of these, our fruitfulness. “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

God’s glory is our purpose. He himself is our focal point. He is where we are going. He is deserving of all glory, now and forever.

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”2 Yes, Lord, for you are worthy. Amen.

1 Isaiah 43:6-7 NIV, emphasis added
2 Psalm 29:2 NIV

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You’re Going To Like the Way You Look

Sipping coffee one morning in a bakery café, I could not help but overhear the Bible study leader at a nearby table. “We’re saved by grace, but the rest is up to us,” he declared to his listeners. There it was—I had heard this before and found it, again, to be frustrating. . . Oh, what burdens we needlessly accept for ourselves and carelessly place on each other. 1 This story from my second book, Working in Us What Is Pleasing to Him, served as the impetus behind its writing. For as I observed two pages later, “We can no more transform ourselves than we could save ourselves. Just as we step solely into Christ for salvation, so we also entrust ourselves entirely to His Spirit to transform us. It is He who changes us steadily to become like Jesus.”2

Now, having said this, it is only fair to note two points the Bible study leader got right that morning. First, we are indeed saved by grace—our salvation from eternal separation from God rests entirely on believing in who Jesus is and entrusting our life to His sacrificial forgiveness of our sins. Paul makes this crystal clear, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”3

Then here is the other point the discussion leader understood: there is a “the rest”—something more—to our spiritual journey, which is to say the Christian life does not stagnate at salvation. Transformation awaits; maturity beckons. But know this: being changed into Jesus’ image through the work of the Holy Spirit is also an act of grace in us. Salvation and transformation—Paul conjoins them under grace: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”4 Our role is to persevere freely and confidently in submission to the Spirit’s ongoing work—His act of grace—in us. Then as we do, we can know that, in the words of the old “Men’s Warehouse” suits ad slogan, “You’re going to like the way you look, I guarantee it.”

“Now may the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”5

1 Paul Nordman, Working in Us What is Pleasing to Him, (Maitland, Florida: Xulon Press), xi.
2 Paul Nordman, Working in Us What is Pleasing to Him, (Maitland, Florida: Xulon Press), xiii.
3 Romans 10:9 NIV
4 Titus 2:11-12 ESV, emphasis added
5 Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV

Here we wrap up our 16-week series on transformation, which we covered in four sections. Below for your reference are links to each post.

God has a vision for us.
God’s Vision: Works of Art from Blocks of Wood
God’s Timeless Pursuit of Our Transformation

We must be transformed into God’s vision—Jesus’ image—for us.
The Missing Piece to Our Image Puzzle
From God to Us: A New Heart
Good! A Diagnosis We Can Work With
We Must Be Changed, and by God’s Grace We Are
Let’s Talk about Works

Transformation: God’s active role; our passive role.
Liking What We See in the Mirror
Change from the Inside
God’s Workmanship in You
Transformation: The Spirit Leads, We Follow

We have an active role, as well: our “Yes” to God’s work in us.
Yes, Lord.
Three Focal Points to Thinking Differently
How Do You Wish To Live Today?
Engaging the World with Renewed Minds