The Greater Light

"We must build our faith not on fading lights but on the Light that never fails." - Oswald Chambers.

The Apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy said, "...no one stood with me, but all forsook me..." When Jesus was arrested in the garden everyone who followed Him ran for their lives and were scattered. The lesson to learn in all of this: Be sure that your faith in God is stronger than your faith in people.

Whether we choose to believe it or not, we were created for relationship. We thrive on fellowship with other people. Some of us have a great need in our lives to always be around somebody. Others of us enjoy fellowship but we know how to be alone. Either way, we enjoy the company of others. And there is nothing wrong with that as long as we have not built our faith around individuals.

When you came to Christ who was the person of influence in your life? For some of us it was a relative, a friend, or maybe even a pastor. More often than not in those early days of being a believer our faith is attached to this other person. As long as they are excited - we are excited. As long as they are growing - we are growing. As long as they spend time with us sharing about the Lord - we are spending time with the Lord ourselves. But what happens when this person is no longer the influence they used to be? What happens when this person moves away? What happens to our faith?

God uses people in our lives to bring us to faith in Him. He uses people to teach us how to draw closer to the Lord. But there may come a time in our lives when these people are gone. A pastor leaves the church, a grandparent dies, a friend moves away, and sometimes people even fall away from their faith for a season (they are still believers but the zeal is gone). How do we cope with this reality?

This is why it's so important for each of us to "own" our relationship with God apart from other people. I'm not saying to pull away from fellowship or to not trust those around you; I'm simply saying that your faith in God needs to be built upon His Word and your experiences with the Lord. Paul speaks of Demas as one who walked away from the faith because of his love for the world. John Mark forsook Paul and Barnabas in Pamphylia and the damage was so great that it eventually caused division between the two.

What happens to your faith when Peter denies the Lord? What happens to your faith when John Mark walks away? What happens to your relationship with God when Demas leaves the ministry to pursue worldly fame? It's questions like these that keep me from becoming too enamored with "Celebrity Christians." It seems the minute I put my faith in someone else disaster strikes and I have to pick up the pieces. People fail on every level of faith. Pastors don't live up to their own standards, Evangelist are caught doing that which they have preached against, and ministry leaders have mishandled funds. In each of these instances I have felt the pain of losing someone that I admired and looked up to, however, my faith in God has not wavered.

God's Word has promised us that He is faithful. He will never leave us nor forsake us. There may be times in our own lives that we don't walk where we should, or someone walks away, but God never changes. I'm so glad that when Paul wrote the second letter to Timothy that he did not stop with "all forsook me..." No, Paul went on to say in verse 17 of chapter 4 "...But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me..." Hallelujah! He will never fosake us. Those whose lights once burned bright in our lives may fade, but let's ensure that they fade into the shadows that are caused by His enduring light. All may forsake you, but God will strengthen you.

Amen.