Empty Hands of Faith
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.'No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:35-37 NIV
Alone and at the end of his life Napoleon said, "Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ alone founded his empire upon love. And at this hour millions of men would die for him." (May 1821)
C. T. Studd gave up fame and fortune to serve God as a missionary on three continents in the wild days of mid-nineteenth century missions. What prompted him? He said, "If Christ be God and died for me, then there is nothing too great that I can do for Him."
Not many of us will be called to physically lay down our lives for Christ and yet Jesus says to us, "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39 NIV). Living sacrificially for Christ requires a death of ourselves as our own gods in order to make Him Lord. Its in this time of surrender that we see the real power of Christ's love shine; for Jesus has promised that we will do great things in His Name. How do we die to ourselves? Francis Shaeffer tells us that it is moment by moment decisions and choices to live surrendered to Christ while holding up empty hands of faith.
How will Grace Redeemer reflect Christ's love when it takes on this ministry at the new location? Will it be by the strength of ourselves, maybe accomplishing some good things with good intentions? Or will we instead continue to surrender ourselves to follow Christ with empty hands of faith accomplishing great impossible things that can only be attributed to God alone?
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