Protected by the Master...

A few Sundays ago, I made a statement in our Bible Fellowship Time -- "the safest place to be is in the middle of God's will. I'd rather be on the sea in the midst of a tempest than on the shore with Christ in the middle of the sea." One of my class members came and said they used to say that but believe the phrase should be -- "the BEST place to be is in the middle of God's will and that may not be the safest."

So, let me define my terms. "Safest" does not mean without pain or difficulty. Instead, safety, according to my definition, is one where God is totally in control. Difficult things may come our way while in God's will, but nothing that comes our way does not have His blessing for some larger purpose in our life. Here's a perfect example -- look at the disciples and the fates that they suffered. They were clearly in the middle of God's will and were serving Him, yet they went through tremendous pain and turmoil: several were crucified, some were stoned, some were beheaded or killed by the sword, and one died of "old age" but experienced tremendous persecution.

In John 18:14, Jesus says that His followers were "not of the world" and knew that they would be hated by the world because of their belief in Jesus. He goes on in verse 15 to say "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one." Note that prayer -- Father, don't take them out of the world where they will suffer but protect them from being taken by the evil one. These disciples, and the ones of today (see verse 20), were specifically being thought of by Jesus. Wow! That's powerful!!

So, if God is leaving us here for a reason and that includes suffering, how can we live a life that is true to Him and not be taken by the evil one? Simply, its faith. In teaching a lesson on faith several months ago, I created this acronym for the word "faith": Forsaking All, I Take Him. That's it in a nutshell -- nothing else in the life matters more than fidelity to Jesus Christ.

How's your faith? Are you truly willing to give up everything for Him and rest in His protection or would you sacrifice trust in Him for some temporary safety? Have faith, my friends!