Living Beyond with raised expectations.

There is a great need for us as Christians to be able to live a life which is beyond the normal experience of those who are not Christians. What is the difference? Well it is simply the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who enables us to rise on wings like eagles, how wonderful it is to know such a relationship with Jesus. Allowing the Holy Spirit to help and comfort us when all else seems to have failed, when our strength has gone, when nothing seems to work, we can have hope in a God, who as we patiently wait upon him, can give us strength. Many Christians today in Malawi are seeking the power of God, many are seeking miracles…but how many are seeking the power of the Holy Spirit to persevere in their difficult circumstances, we would rather simply be delivered rather than go through tough times, illnesses and suffering. Yet the Bible simply tells us that through suffering we will enter the Kingdom of Heaven as we join ourselves with Christ, we are not above our King, but we shall share His Glory (Romans 8:17-18).
We must ask ourselves do we really trust in God, do we really allow the Spirit of the Lord to give us strength? Are not patience, self-control and long suffering also fruits of the Holy Spirit?
Think of Abraham who when he had nearly reached the place where he was to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, left his servants behind, telling them that he had to go ‘beyond’ to worship God (Genesis 22:5). Those who choose to worship God will go beyond; they will endure and suffer hardships and persecutions; they will face temptations and not give up; they will consider obedience to God of more importance than being accepted by the social norm or the cultural expectations. Jesus Himself will become the vision rather than a project, Malawi is full of projects, churches and missions – but where are the Christians who will follow Jesus wherever he would take them, those who follow His teaching even when it means being ignored by the many. Should we not be more interested in living lives worthy of the Lord, lives which seek the reality of God more than acceptance by the world. May the Lord Jesus help us to show the world a life lived beyond, even though we are just ordinary people with life problems of our own, but we can choose to face them in the knowledge of a Christ who loves us.
Matthew Armstrong
Blantyre, November 2009.