The mind that is stayed on the Lord, that keeps every thought captive for Christ, who sees every word of the Scriptures as a light unto their path is not a perplexed mind, not confused or deceived easily, but is a mind of continual frustration and at the same time of a peace that passes all understanding.
That peace comes from the knowledge that the Almighty is Sovereign over all of creation, that He knows when every sparrow falls, that His will is being done and will always be done throughout eternity. The peace that our salvation is assured, that no one can take us out of His hand, that nothing can separate us from the love of God for us in Jesus Christ, that all things happen for good.
The frustration comes from outside of us, from watching a sinful, evil world unfolding and enveloping all it touches in darkness, from people who will not hear when the truths of the Word of God are spoken to them, believing they know a better way, another was to eternal happiness than through the door that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
From works-based organizations that have the audacity to call themselves Christians, whose damnation is assured, but also from our brothers and sisters in Christ who do the least possible for Him who gave all.
Heartache and joy are the path set before you if you decide to yell up at the sky to the Lord and say, “Use me!”
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalm 136:1) This will become a truth to you, as these frustrations grow, as the sorrows increase, as you watch them run willingly into the abyss, you will understand that His mercy is not for all, and you will accept this.
The wrath of God abides on the wicked, the wicked are who we are trying to reach, and we are trying to do so before they die, before it is too late. They will hate you, for what you are saying to them is that they are not good enough, that all the good works that they supposed they have done will not tip the balance in their favor. That “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” (Romans 3:10) and that includes them.
Righteous acts can only be performed through us, not by us, and here is where you will find the greatest of frustrations, battling pride in others.
We face it within ourselves to a degree, but not in our justification, the debt we owed was paid in full by the only One who could pay it, there was nothing that we could add to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that the Almighty would accept, and so when we meet those who dare to carry upon them the name of “Christian” who say otherwise, that frustration grows, and if they are adamant about believing that lie, we become angered.
How dare they say that the sacrifice of the Savior was not sufficient for the salvation of a man’s soul, how dare they say that His shed blood was not enough, that their efforts needed to be added to His pain and suffering before He could stand before the altar of the Throne of God as the perfect sacrifice.
“And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” (Jude 1:23)
I realize these truths are not popular today, fear of personal reprisals, fear of seeming judgmental, of being ostracized and separated from the crowd, but you need to make a decision, you need to decide if standing for the Lord Jesus Christ is worth the cost to yourself. You can tell who a man of God is almost immediately after you meet him, he stands for the glory of God, for the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will not back down.
There is great joy and frustration in him. “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18) He is not the popular one in the crowd, nor will you be, if you are following the Lord Jesus Christ for the glory of God.
