Fight or Flight?

There are times you sense something is very wrong, but you don’t know what to do about it for the best. This is compounded if or when a close friend or loved one is involved, whether voluntarily or involuntary. A mixture of feelings overtake you because you should be able to fix things, after all that’s what you should do. You try to put things right if there is the slightest suspicion of harm, and that’s true for anyone, at any time. Young or old, boy or man, girl or woman, responsible or not, deliberate or accidental.

What to do? Unless I am wrong, there are only two classic reactions, ‘fight or flight’. We act first and ask questions later, or we hide from the confrontation. To do either requires that you are sure and certain of your ground, but that is needed more in the fight scenario, and if a friend or loved one is implicated, that need for conflict is heightened and strengthened. On the other hand, it can be easier to take flight and do nothing.

As someone who doesn’t like confrontation, I can recall being put in a position of protecting family, and the strength for the fight was found only as I dug deep. They were loved and worth it, and natural love showed itself in the action of fighting for their dignity and honour. Sadly they were not in a position to defend themselves, so someone had to step in.

Now as one who is older, and hopefully wiser, I am seeing signs that a child of God is under some kind of attack. It may not be physical, but possibly an emotional, psychological or a controlling spiritual abuse which is almost always invisible, at least to the casual onlooker. The indications are difficult to see, and so impossible to prove, but as is often the case, probably more evident when we know where to look, and can see the signs. Lord, help us to be first of all loving, then observant, responsible, and responsive.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11

The Journey - Nearing the End

When the sight of the summit comes into view, perhaps as you climb over a hillock, you find yourself smiling and getting an inner strength to make the final push to the peak. You know it will be worth it, partly because of the effort you have put in already, and partly due to the fact that in spite of the sore feet and legs, the sense of accomplishment is very real. And at this point, any pain is forgotten, and you can only see the summit. You are not quite there yet.

Have you been in the room of someone who is at the final part of their life’s journey, but haven’t quite reached the end? My experience has shown that there are folks who have made up their mind to be the kind of pilgrim who have an assurance that God will say, “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of heaven”. Being in the presence of a saint going home is an experience never to be forgotten. Sadly, there are some others who do not have that same peace, and the end of the road is clouded, dark, and uncertain.

The kind of journey’s end you and I will face is the result of our own choices down the years we have been given, until we got to this point. I have known many people who never gave their ‘ending’ much thought while they had the time, and when time was running out, they panicked. A few made a good end, but most didn’t. How about you?

I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have served the Lord faithfully. Now, a prize is waiting for me—the crown that will show I am right with God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly, will give it to me on that Day. Yes, he will give it to me and to everyone else who is eagerly looking forward to his coming. 2 Timothy 4:7,8

Contend

Dear friends, I wanted very much to write to you about the salvation we all share together. But I felt the need to write to you about something else: I want to encourage you to fight hard (contend KJV) for the faith that God gave his holy people. God gave this faith once, and it is good for all time. Jude v3 ERV

Something made Jesus’ brother, the writer Jude, change his mind about what he wanted to emphasise to the churches of his day. He started out with the intention of talking about the salvation we share, but instead we read a warning about things that we need to fight for, because the Gospel in the early Church was being changed by some.

Jesus died for us, and as His church, we are entrusted to keep it as He left it when the ascension took place, leaving His followers behind. Jesus took a chance leaving such a precious gift in human hands, and we will be held accountable for the purity of this same Gospel. It’s all down to us, and what a sobering thought that is.

The verse says this faith was given once, and it is good for all time. That means we are not entitled to play around with it, to make it any ‘better’, or more ‘acceptable’ to the world than it already is. Jesus died and gave His life to provide this salvation, and we will be tried by the great Judge if we abuse, alter or misuse it. When the preacher gets too close for our comfort, we say he has stopped preaching and started meddling. We like a nice neat gospel that suits us, and not always the Gospel Jesus left in our care.

This small letter of Jude, containing only one chapter, holds a powerful lesson. We must have nothing to do with any program in the church that doesn’t help spread the one true Gospel. It’s not enough to educate, entertain, or suggest something that will get folks in to make them ‘familiar’ with being in the church building. If we are not teaching and preaching the full Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have fallen short of our calling. None of us would want to be guilty of that eternal crime. So, let’s be true to the Gospel and contend for the Faith that God gave His Holy people.