Hi faith family,
Praying you are well and in good spirits today,
I assist one of my members to refill her prescription medication. Whenever considering medication, one should take a close look at possible side effects. We usually consider these as potential negatives. Such side effects could include: headache, dizziness, upset stomach, and the like. The lists of side effects usually crescendo to the rather horrifically violent side effects, for the sake of decorum, I will omit here.
However, all these side effects are negative.
Have you ever considered your faith to have negative side effects. Sure, I have my faith, but sometimes the side effects are tough to deal with: my co-workers avoid me like the black plague, my kids don’t always like going to church, not everyone in my family is Christian—this causes some friction. We can easily be tempted to see challenges as drawbacks; tests as negatives.
Challenges are not bad. Side effects are not always negative.
Our Physician’s prescriptions sometimes include side effects that are positive. Take the prescription our Heavenly Physician prescribes in Isaiah 32, for example. The chapter is full of prophecies about the benefits to God’s people blessed through the promised Messiah. Some common word imagery is the desert becoming a fertile field. But the side effects are listed in verse 17:
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
Finally, side effects we can not only live with, but treasure. The righteousness that God has given to you through faith in Jesus has some valuable and fascinating effects. The effect of that righteousness is a quietness of soul—assurance that our souls have found rest in the Savior. Confidence also comes to us as a side effect; knowing that the burden to be perfect didn’t and doesn’t rest on our shoulder, but on the shoulder that dragged the cross to Golgotha. Because the burden of providing what was necessary to enter heaven rested squarely on the shoulders of our Savior, we know it has been completed to God’s satisfaction. We know Jesus saved us. We know our sins are forgiven and heaven is our home. This confidence is a blessing and benefit to us as we continue to face life’s challenges. These are God’s gifts to you . . . forever.
God bless you with increased effects of quietness and confidence forever, faith family.
Prayer idea: pray for those you know who are new in the faith and will continue to grow in their understanding and expression of faith. Pray for your family near and far. Pray for those who are sick or shut in.
Blessings on your week!
Pastor Dan