Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:3-7 (NIV)
We can be fearful people, can we not? We worry about the past, about the present, and about the future. We need to turn our anxious gaze from the battles below and lift our eyes to the Savior Who lives to intercede and plead for us. We must fight as if it all depended upon us but know that it all depends upon Him. We are to remain safe in His will - no matter how hard the winds may blow - fighting bravely in this war for Truth and for righteousness. And we fight from victory not for it. We are victorious in Him. It is never wrong to do the right thing.
We do well to remember, that our “sacrifice of praise” within the “fires of affliction” is a sweet aroma, pleasing to the Lord Jesus. It indicates that we believe what He has allowed is for our best interest – even in the direst of circumstances. There is no random, chance or happenstance in the life of the child of the King. All that is allowed is pregnant with purpose. Somehow, someway He will use it for our good. Our praise in the dire is an unearthly response from an earthly vessel. And God sees and hears and causes us to stand - because He is faithful and able to cause us to stand. Indeed, our sacrifices amidst our fires of afflictions are an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Further, He stands with us through our fires just as He did with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
We are to turn our anxious gaze from the battles below, where, enshrouded by the mist of temptations and tossed around by the uncertainty and the unknown of the present, the faithful often find themselves bruised and battling. And we are to lift our eyes upward where the Savior lives and pleads on our behalf. For while He intercedes for us, the cause of God is safe and He will never let us out of His all-powerful prayers and Hand. Let us fight as if it all depended upon us, but let us look up and know that it all depends upon Him.
On the basis of our Savior’s atoning sacrifice and in the strength of the Holy Spirit’s power within us, we who love Jesus are to fight bravely in this holy war, for truth and for righteousness, for the kingdom and for the crown of victory. We are on the winning team. Continue on in His victorious power. The battle is not ours but God’s, and we will yet hear Him say, “Well done, brave warrior, well done!”
We have no merit of our own – it is Christ in us, the hope of glory. He is our Head, our Priest, our Advocate, our Savior and our Captain. He gathers His lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart and brings them safely home to Him. We will be victorious. The tide of battle is on our side – Christ is triumphant.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)