I’m asking the question seriously. When will you stop following Jesus?

You are probably shocked that I’d even ask. Or you might be wondering what sort of trick I’m trying to play on you.

No tricks. No gimmicks. I’m asking seriously.

Is there anything that could happen that would cause you to quit following Jesus Christ?

Don’t be so quick to say, “Of course not!” I’d like to ask you to take off your sanctimonious robes of piety for a moment.

What if…

Someone close to you was brutally murdered?
Your business or investment ventures went bottom up tomorrow?
Your child was abducted, raped, and killed?
You came down with a rare disease that resulted in you languishing away in a sick bed the rest of your days?
A loved one, maybe even your own child, turned on you viciously?

let yourself walk through the varied emotions that would come with each of those scenarios…

You’d feel…

Anger
Dismay
Confusion
Betrayal
Helplessness
Disappointment
and a thousand other things

and they’d be directed at God, others, and the situation itself.

Would you be tempted to conclude something like this?

If this is how Jesus treats those who have given their lives to Him, then ‘No thanks,’ I don’t need that kind of friend.

What will keep you from coming to that kind of conclusion when tragedy strikes your life?

Jesus is NOT

a genie who makes your wishes come true
a faith-activated formula to give you what you want
a vending machine to meet your needs

Jesus Christ is your LORD, and sovereign over the universe!

There is much, much more to Him than we can comprehend. He is worthy of our praise and devotion, no matter what happens.

In our efforts to better KNOW our Lord Jesus, my family and I have come upon three things about Him that work together to bring great confidence and comfort.

1 He’s all powerful

2 He is all wise.

3 He is entirely good.

Jesus is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). That’s you and me. So, even the horrendous, unthinkable things that could come into our lives, are part of His good plan for us.

Nothing got past Him.

Nothing was outside His control.

Our good, wise, all powerful Savior is still in control of everything, even when life seems to be falling apart.

Whatever comes into your life (from tragedy to inconvenience) is part of God’s good, wise, powerful plan for you.

You need to grow/develop the kind of faith that can not only accept those truths, but can even delight in them. Your kids need to develop that kind of faith, too.

My family and I are discovering that the more we truly BELIEVE these things about God, the more COMFORTING it becomes, no matter the circumstances.

How do you do it?

Saturate your mind(s) with these truths.

Find verses on these topics and make them memory projects.
Make these areas topics of discussion during family times.
Ponder them in your personal quiet time.
As a parent, you might even assign these concepts as topics of consideration and contemplation for your children’s quiet times (follow up with discussion).

Let go of the insistence to see God how you want Him to be.

Let the scriptures guide you in developing your view of God.
Ask Him to give you the desire to see Him as He really is.
Ask God to weaken your grip where you are holding on to an improper view of Him.
Ask Him to replace your wrong view with the right view.

Ponder the significance of these truths together, in practical situations.

Fashion real-life “what if” questions, like I did at the beginning of this post, and consider how these truths would benefit you in those situations.
Raise the difficult questions for your spouse and children to consider. Guide them in applying the truth of God to the situation.
Pray together about these situations, asking the LORD to give you the faith and strength you will need for such times of trial.

Praise God for these attributes, together.

Spend time as a family focusing on God’s attributes of power, wisdom, and goodness – and thank Him for being all of those FOR you.
Take turns sharing why you love God’s (blank – goodness, wisdom, power, etc.).
Write songs, make posters, create poems that focus on these areas of God’s character.

And in all of these things… be patient, especially with each other.