I have been told that belief in God is a crutch for a weak mind…that a hope for something more than what is perceived and measurable by the traditional senses is foolishness. To believe in life beyond the grave with not only a sustained cognitive recollection of my mortality but also a perfect continuity of character with a hope for enlightenment and potential added is fallacy for the feebly minded. In modern society, aspiration to become something more than what the natural desires of the mortal man drive a person to become is made out to be futile and fruitless…a mere waste of what could have been invaluable time used for the self satisfaction and gratification of carnal passions and desires. I have been told that I am living a fantasy, that the hope which drives my action is invested in fairytale…a pathetic story…believed only by the blind and ignorant. I have something to say about this. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. I have no apology to give for my beliefs nor will I ever. If apologies come, they will be because of my lack of adherence to the teachings of Christ…because truly...the only way I could offend is if I fail to exemplify Christs character in my own disposition. It is never the Gospel of Christ that offends…but rather us who offend against the Gospel of Christ – surely nobody truly living the gospel of Christ was ever offended by it. Christianity is not part of my life…it is my life. My faith in God is not a crutch…it is the air I breathe. Every decision I make is weighed on the scale of my faith to determine its worth and value as it relates to the investment of my time and effort. I fall short every day of where I could and should be…being capable of so much…but often achieving so little…but I try to live my life being continually conscious of the fact that there is more than just the here and now…I live believing with all my heart that there is more. So often, in our hopes to accommodate our weaknesses and often our favorite shortcomings, we see the standard set but dread the effort it would take to achieve it…but this standard is fading. We see it everywhere in the world today. Instead of aspiration to achieve something better…something more…instead of denying our failings and committing to improvement…we seek rather to destroy the standard of which we are falling short. It is much easier to eliminate the bar and solidify our comfort and contentment in our existence…with a standard of being that is now so low…so transparent and vague...that nothing need ever be done more to better ourselves in order to achieve it. By all accounts, the world it doing away with expectations, with standards, with goals worthy of effort and commitment. What is the one and only way to ensure that no one ever feel the discomfort of doing anything wrong, unacceptable, or insufficient in life? You sell them the lie that nothing in life is wrong, unacceptable, or insufficient. You destroy self worth and self respect and convince the masses that there is no God, that we are not His children, that we are void of divine nature, and that we need not expect anything more from ourselves than the animals with which we share this planet. You sell the world the lie that there is no standard by which we should try to live…no bar worth saving…no values or principles worthy of our own sacrifice to maintain. Just think about that. If you wanted to oppress the world…to ensure nobody ever achieves the full measure of their potential…what would you tell them? You would tell them to do nothing. You would sell them on the idea that they are good enough as they are and should seek for nothing better. You would remove all expectation…any idea or inkling of greater potential…divine potential…and turn them lose in the world to “eat, drink, and be merry.” Why do I believe what I believe? Because I’ve heard the lies and I don’t believe them. I believe with all my heart…to my very core…that there is a God and that He has expectations from me. I believe I am capable of being more that just a man…and I believe my potential can only be found in a place I have no hope of achieving on my own. I need His help. I believe that there is more to life than living. Will I fall short? Absolutely. But I will not project my failures on the principles governing the standard. I will always seek to move from where I am toward my potential before I would ever seek to lower my potential to accommodate my comfort. Many of my dearest friends do not share my beliefs. I have, at times, wept because I do not know how to adequately express my feelings about God with them. Im not always the best example of what I believe and nothing would break my heart more than being viewed a hypocrite in the eyes of someone who mistakes my fallibility with a flaw in my faith. I sometimes fear that an invitation to learn of Christ would scare my friends away…which is a cost I could not bare to take. However, even more unbearable is the idea that I may not be able to share in their company throughout my life or the life to come…because of an opportunity missed to learn what is being asked of all of God’s children. What I want you all to understand…especially those close to me who may not share my faith…is that I love you beyond my ability to express. I believe in God. I have a relationship with Him that, to me, is more tangible and real than any relationship I have ever had with any mortal being. My desire for all my friends learn of Christ is because I love you. My testimony of Christ is the source of all my peace and happiness…it is everything to me. I am who I am because I know who I am. I know my place in this world. I have come to know the prize I am seeking and with all my heart…I want all my family and friends to be with me in all things…both in this life…and in what I believe will be a glorious life to follow. This world is not real…it is fantasy. It is merely a dress rehearsal of what is to come. A time to prepare. The tragedy is believing that this is the performance and that the show ends when life ends. It doesnt. The more we try to adjust to this life…the more maladjusted we will be in the life to come. Dont get too comfortable. I have a testimony of Christ. I invite anyone and everyone to learn of Him. There is more. Please…give it a chance. Corbin Allred
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 20:34:53 +0000
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