Conditional (Christian) Faith

 I was listening to a comic recently. It was an old video that I had never seen before. In it, the comedian made a bold declaration of his faith in Jesus. That's something you don't necessarily expect to hear from a comedian. However, there it was. Further, during his presentation, this comic made a profession that it wouldn't matter whether his circumstances were good or bad, he would completely and unequivocally trust the God that he was proclaiming.

This comedian told a very powerful story about his son being involved in a bad car accident. He told the listeners how he had been praying on his way to the crash scene, telling God that he wouldn't waver in his previous commitment but that he would trust the Lord completely, no matter his son's outcome. His son survived and thrived in the coming days but not before some difficult days of waiting. So, I guess his declaration that he would trust God even if the outcome wasn't a good one never really got tested (at least in that situation).

However, this isn't the first time that such a declaration has been made. I am reminded of the story in the Old Testament Book of Daniel where Daniel's three friends (three young Jewish boys) refused to obey an order from the king which order directly contradicted their faith in Jehovah God. This order was for everyone in the kingdom to bow down and worship the king (as god) for 30 days. It was a setup if there ever was one. Daniel would later be found in violation of the same despicable order.

The boys were every bit as devout as Daniel later proved to be. They were brought before the king and, since he liked them, he offered them an opportunity to comply and live. If they refused (and he truly hoped that they wouldn't), they would be burned alive. The young men continued to refuse to bow to the king, choosing to die a death by fire rather than to dishonor God. So, the king ordered that the furnace be heated up even hotter, so hot that the soldiers working the furnace died from the heat. Yet, when these three young men were thrown into the furnace, they walked around unharmed and unaffected by the fire. Also, there was a fourth man in the fire with them and he too was unaffected.

The commitment of these young men to follow their God even if it cost them their lives was no casual commitment. There were no conditions on their faith. They were determined to trust this God that they had never seen with their eyes regardless of whatever threats were made against them by those whom they could see right before them. And apparently their faith in God was rewarded by their miraculous deliverance THROUGH the fire rather than OUT of it.

Several years ago, I was introduced to a discipleship movement that has challenged me in ways that I had never dreamed of previously. The type of faith that these young men demonstrated in the Book of Daniel has been the model held up for us to consider, even though we don't actually study anything from the Book of Daniel in a year of studies. Near the very beginning of our study introduction, we are confronted with the concept of entering into a personal, dynamic, intimate relationship with Jesus. The way that this is framed states that such a relationship is only possible to those who are willing to enter into it by "Personal Abandonment and Absolute Trust." 

Either the personal abandonment or the trust would be a challenge all on its own. However, upon a certain amount of reflection, you realize that absolute trust isn't truly possible unless you actually do abandon yourself. As long as you fail to abandon self, you are still asserting your own ability and trusting your own ability. It seems that is where we get ourselves into trouble. It always has been. In fact, Adam & Eve were confronted with this same test in the Garden of Eden, and they failed the test. God said don't eat this one tree or you'll die. A serpent argued that they would actually become as God Himself. Which of us doesn't wish, at some point in our lives, to be as God Himself? To trust him absolutely means that we must abandon our own desires, our own wisdom, and our faith in ourselves. We must renounce our faith in Self in order to fully embrace our faith in the Creator.

I am a failure when it comes to righteousness (with the possible exception of self-righteousness). However, I wish to embrace the grace and mercy of Jesus and all that it entails. What a gracious Savior to accept me in all of my brokenness and failure and to transform me exclusively for His glory! So, I continue to fail... to disappoint. However, I have thrown down the gauntlet. I have entered the battle against self and in favor of the Savior. I am His. Period. He may do with me as He chooses and I remain His. Fully.

Whose are you and in whom do you trust?

Daniel 1 (continued)

Isn’t it odd that Nebuchadnezzar picks from among his captives, his new slaves, to send some to “Nebuchadnezzar University of Babylon” (so to speak)? There is no indication that any tuition would charged of them. However, he did not pick just any slaves for this assignment. He had his men pick from among the Israelites the best of the very best. These were men who were young both in mind and body. This would ordinarily mean that they would be impressionable and quick learners. Those qualities would seem quite desirable for a King who was about to send his enemies back to school. Further, it was his stated intention, from the beginning, that these young men would be trained so that they would eventually be qualified to serve him, in his palace.

In today’s world, this would be looked on as a great privilege indeed. Most Americans today, especially in our current economic condition, would immediately accept an offer like this and would be willing to abandon all that they have and, in many cases, all that they believe so that they could succeed in their new position. After all, they would be in a position of tremendous influence in an empire that was already very influential for its day and time. This is an opportunity for power as well as for great wealth!

The king, being accustomed to having nothing but the best, especially at his table, made arrangements for these young men to eat food prepared for him. This would have been some of the best cuisine of the day, prepared by some of the best chefs of the day. It would have been an envious position indeed for any young man just beginning his career. We’re not talking cafeteria food but haute cuisine! Wow!

They turned it down. That’s right. It would have violated the dietary laws set down for them by God if they had eaten the food the king had selected. Surely, God wouldn’t argue about eating whatever was set before them would He? Is He such a difficult task master that He would regulate the daily ration while in captivity?
In this case, that is not the issue. God might very well have forgiven them for eating what the king set before them. Rather, this is an issue of a deliberate decision to be faithful, obedient to the God whose they were. They did not make excuses or ask for permission (of God) to deviate from His prescribed plan. It might have made more sense (and would certainly have been more desirable) to just go along with the plan set forth by their captors but these were no ordinary men. If they had been, they would not have been selected for these positions (see vv 3-4).

Thought: Over the past several years, I have frequently heard the sentiment, “It is easier to ask forgiveness than permission.” While the factual truth of this statement may seem obvious on the surface, our actions always have consequences and we need to think about those consequences before taking any action. In Psalm 106:15 it says, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” (KJV) We sometimes make better choices when we know in advance what the price of our actions will be.

The question we must ask ourselves in the abundant activity of daily life is whether we are being true to His calling on our lives. If He has not called you to a vocation, you can be assured through Scripture that He has called you to holiness. As we examine our lives to determine where we stand with Him, we ought to ask ourselves whether our thoughts and actions bring Him honor. If they do not seem to be immoral but they fail to honor the One who gave His all for us, we give Him less than our best and much less than He deserves.

By His grace, there is more to come…