Till We Are Home

Have you ever wondered what if you truly believed God’s promises in the Bible, what would your life truly look like? Living your life according to His Word, obeying His commands, thinking on the things He says you should? How different would our lives look?

I’m not saying we don’t believe God’s Word to be true – there are some people who say they believe in God but don’t hold that Scripture is completely inerrant, let alone those who don’t believe in God at all – but for those who do believe God’s Word to be true, I think there can be a difference between what we say and think we believe versus how we truly live that out. And, I think there’s a whole host of reasons why there may be that disconnect in our living from sinful interference, the world and the devil at war with us, the sheer mundanity of life most of the time, let alone the complexities of our circumstances as they bring us up and down all the time.

But is it possible to live out the commands and direction the Bible tells us to and receive the blessings it promises? 

How much different can our lives look?

The cynical part of me says we will always wrestle with sin – I mean, doesn’t Paul say he does the things he doesn’t want to do while not doing the things he wants to do? (Rom 7:15-25) – and, if so, there’s likely no way that my life will look any different than what it does today.

Take for instance what Peter tells his audience to do in 1 Pet 3:9, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” I have such a sense for right being right, that when I know I have not done any wrong, yet someone accuses me of doing wrong, reviles me, speaks evil against me, then I want to slam them in return for I know I’m not what they say I am. I have a strong sense of justice, of compassion (don’t they know what I’ve been through?), of seeing the right-side of truth, etc., that I want them to see this at all costs, to see that I am right.

Ugh. Yeah, I hear it, too.

But all of that is focused on me. I’m right. I’m good. I’m the standard. Yet, I’m sure I have my blindspots. I’m sure there are things I could have missed in my self-assessment of actions, words, deeds. Yet, even if I was right, that doesn’t give me the right to squash others. In fact, God tells us to not revile in return, to not repay evil with evil.

Instead, in God’s upside-down Kingdom, we are to bless. 

So, if instead of getting all bent out of shape, what if I returned all of that with blessing? What if I swallowed my pride and did not retaliate…but also did not just remain silent, but instead was proactive and blessed that person? Can I do this even if that other person doesn’t bless me back? What if the situation or them or my circumstances don’t change an iota? Will I be satisfied with the blessing of God, even if it seems that blessing is invisible for now?

I’ll be honest…I don’t know. My cynicism kicks in. But, I do believe God’s Word is true, so what if? What if I blessed instead of retaliated with revulsion or evil? Think of how freeing that could be. Maybe, just maybe this upside-down Kingdom is really true and when we put ourselves aside and live truly for His glory, His blessing, His way of life, then maybe, just maybe we would have more peace.

Till we are home…