Faith Rewarded (11/2/2009)

But those people who keep their faith until the end will be saved. (Matthew 24:13)

As far as I can remember from my childhood, I always thought I had a direct line to God. I always felt that He was talking to me, and that when I thought about Him, He was actually listening. He didn’t always do what I wanted. In fact, I had absolutely no idea why at times He didn’t do what I wanted, but at other times, He seemed to come out of left field and do something great for me that I really didn’t expect. You may have heard a lot about “seeds of faith.” Somehow, I believe that those seeds were being planted when I was growing up. Who planted those seeds, I have no idea. And it really doesn’t matter.

Why?

Because those people who keep their faith until the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13).

It’s all about faith.

You won’t be saved if you ace every test in school this semester. You won’t be saved if you get a promotion at work. You won’t be saved if you get a date with the captain of the football team or the Homecoming Queen. Jesus calls all that stuff, “stuff.”

What Jesus says has nothing to do with things we can touch, taste, or smell. All Jesus is saying is that if you stick with your faith in Him, if you hang in the game with Him until the final whistle blows, you will be rewarded.

You will be saved.

Now, that all sounds a lot easier said that done. Because there are dark forces of evil waiting to trip you up. Temptations. Sins. All the work of the devil as he tries to get you to walk to the edge of the cliff, and entice you to take that one more step where you end up falling to a dark and bottomless pit.

Jesus is your guide on that cliff…no matter how close you come to the edge, an everlasting and undying faith in Jesus, even when things don’t seem to go your way, provides you with all the assurance you need that you will never ever fall into that dark and bottomless pit.

So, climb that mountain of faith. Stare down the devil at the peak. And be happy as you look across the vastness of your life that Jesus has your back.