Immovable

This past week I've been at Summer Training for OAFC, where the theme was "Stand firm in Christ". It seems a bit predictable that I'd come home and write in my blog about it, but oh well. I'll also be writing soon about other scriptural revelations that happened during the week, but I figured I'd start with the theme. 
The inspiration for it comes from 2 Corinthians, which says in verses 20-22, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
This is a pretty loaded set of verses, but they all go together so nicely that I couldn't bear to leave any out. First we can take comfort from verse 20. Christ made it possible from every promise of God to be fulfilled. We have the full inheritance of heaven and a full measure of grace through his sacrifice for us. And because of that, we can be sure enough to speak a resounding "Amen" and be immovable in our faith. That's the hard part. All of us, at some point, have doubted our faith. Sometimes it just seems hard to believe. Could there really be such a God? Other times it's not convenient to have faith. Maybe our friends, family, or coworkers are judging us. Maybe there's something we want to do with our time that seems more important that going to church or studying the Bible. (I'm very guilty of this. In a perfect world I should be posting verses every day. As it is I may post every two weeks.) Whatever our hindrances, it's a difficult task in this world to consistently and boldly stand firm in our faith.
Even though it's difficult, and even though we fail sometimes, it is possible to be immovable through Christ. God has marked us as his own by the blood of Christ. He gives us his Spirit to guide our daily lives and aid us in our spiritual battles. The evil forces of this world are strong and cunning. Countless times a day I find myself sinning by actions and thoughts and wondering how or why I started. That wondering though - that conscience - is God's Spirit. It leads us to repentance and protects us against further evil. As the verse says, it's a guarantee of our lives to come, when there is no evil and no temptation. It reminds me of Romans 8:18, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."  
Life is hard. Parts of this last week were very hard. But in the end, if we are immovable in our faith, we have an incomparable glory waiting for us that will make it all seem like a bad dream.