Immediate Results

For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God [directed] toward you.Test yourselves [to see] if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? –II Corinthians 13:4, 5

Often we allow our eyes to drift from Christ to our problems and circumstances through the immediate-results syndrome, which dictates our success wholly by what we are currently experiencing, either positively or negatively! This syndrome is actually a major obstacle to faith.Let me illustrate. Most will agree that the United States is losing its economic edge because Americans, unlike those with an Oriental or Asian mindset, are not so willing to invest in something that will not reap immediate benefits. We want wealth right away, while they are willing to invest year after year, receiving much less current tangible rewards but knowing in the future they will be repaid tenfold their original investment, and the wait will have been very worthwhile. Having seen the wisdom in investing and waiting, they are not discouraged by any occasional hiccup in the current financial situation. The wisdom of their policy is now creating repercussions in our own economy. As we apply the principle to our spiritual lives, wanting immediate results is a hindrance to faith; in fact, this mindset will actually nullify faith! The greatness of our faith is not to be judged by how much we have received, but rather by how long we can wait and receive nothing! Faith makes my Christian walk a joy; therefore, if I have voided faith through wanting immediate results, I have also to the same extent annihilated joy.

When believers do not have a long-term plan, they become susceptible to the ups and downs of daily life. Their energies get focused on resolving right away whatever is placed in front of them in order that they might feel comfortable and secure in the moment. Next they become controllers, pushing God out of the way and beginning to try to fix in their own strength and with a variety of plans and manipulations what they perceive to be the real problem. In other words, they simply begin to play God. To say the least, in this way the Christian life becomes a struggle, filled with discouragement, depression, anger, and doom, with minds and emotions flooded with questions, accusations, and feelings of hopelessness from the enemy. It is tough to play God! All of this because things are not going as they feel they ought to today.

Imagine sitting in a bathtub full of water when somebody dumps into the tub a bucket of ping-pong balls on which are written all of the problems, circumstances, failures, and people that are causing you trouble. Your job is to somehow keep every ball under water. The whole exercise would at first be frustrating and in the end quite exhausting. This pictures, of course, the believer who is trying in his own strength to control every area of his life.

“DO YOU NOT RECOGNIZE THIS ABOUT YOURSELVES, THAT JESUS CHRIST IS IN YOU…”  Incredible Truth.  Monumental Truth.  His Life Himself in us.

What does God tell us that our life IS…equals…?  Christ.  Colossians 3:4, “When Christ, who is (equals)our life…” (It helps to have the old-timey definition of what “is” is).  So, I have started thinking of His Life as my life.  I find great victory, peace, comfort, joy…name all the lovely attributes you can think of…in Life As A Christian (not TRYING to live “the Christian life”).  Are all those great attributes what we get when we “play God,” OR when we allow God to BE Himself in us (us not TRYING to live “the Christian life”).