Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no delight in them"; Ecclesiastes 12:1
Don’t Throw Your Faith Away
Many people today are caught up in what they call “deconstructing their faith.” Unfortunately what happens is that they don’t every “reconstruct their faith.” At an alarming rate people (mostly younger) are discounting the Word of God as truth. They are believing Tik Toc videos and social media influencers over the words of the Bible that they have heard their whole lives. It is okay to figure out why you believe what you believe, but go to the source of truth, not someone who wants to lure you away from the truth.
It is completely okay to examine, study, and research what you hear, but don’t throw the Bible out because you think it is dated or offensive. If you think what the Bible says is offensive, you need to examine your heart. The words in the Bible are there for our guidance and direction in life. People who want to live in their sin may throw out the Bible because it says we are to honor God with our lives and live differently. We are to repent and confess and if we are in sin, we should feel bad about it. We should work it out with God and then move on. It doesn’t mean we live in shame. It means if we are Christians, we should have a problem with sin in our lives. We shouldn’t decide we won’t read the Bible or listen to anyone that preaches that the Bible says the sin in our lives is wrong. When others we love or care about have sin in their lives, we love them and pray for them. We can still love people and not agree with some of their choices. For others who may not be family, we can love them with the love of Christ. We can stand on our principles of faith without judging. Judgement is not our job. It is God's job. That does not mean we condone the sin. As Christians we should never ignore what the word of God says in order to keep from offending someone.
As the graduates of 2023 are embarking on a new frontier, respect and remember what you have been taught about God. It is not the time to leave Him behind. It is the time to begin to build your own life on the firm foundation of faith that was given to you. Life is a series of mountains and valleys and He will be with you in every valley and on every mountaintop. His Word is truth and stands the test of time. It is as relevant to your life today as it was the day it was written. Dr. Warren Wiersbe said, “Our faith is the foundation that we build everything else on.” Real faith is about trusting God and His promises. It is about relinquishing control over our own lives and seeking His guidance and direction in every move we make. It is sometimes about waiting and sometimes about moving forward. Your faith will always be tested in difficult circumstances so building your faith muscle in important.
If you are graduating from high school or college or if you are an older Christian just getting ready to face another day, remember the influences of those in your life that laid the foundation of Christ for you. Remember what they said, and most of all, seek the most important influence in your life, the founder and perfector of your faith. He’s where it all started, and He finished it for us on the cross by sacrificing His life so we could be forgiven and have eternal life. There is no social media influencer that will do that for you, nor can they guarantee your place in heaven. Only Jesus can do that for you. He has the power of life and death, and in the gift of the Holy Spirit that we receive when we become Christians, we have it also.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
