So how does that work with the parts of the Bible like Heb 11: 35-39?
But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.
Anyone read that and be like, " Oh yeah, I want to have a life full of that kind of faith" ?
Not saying we shouldn't read and devour the Bible, but I do think we deceive ourselves about what the Bible really is, if we think it's always supportive and inspiring and never daunting or challenging.
This is a very important post direction. Rarely if ever do people think about (or indeed even experience) this sort of faith.
Personally, I wrestle with it. Sometimes I feel as though I don't have enough faith to literally give up my entire life and live according to faith vs sin (whatever is not of faith is sin) when so many other people live in sort of a 50/50 fashion which seems like a "truce" or armistice with the internal struggle.
I'm uncertain why this isn't so much talked about in scripture but perhaps it is necessary for me to unpack what I mean. Providence would be a given in both mindsets. (providence to be a tent maker vs providence to live on collective)
It's like someone that gets to live in modest luxury and mild hedonism and is a powerful financial force in a local body or even prolific in missions but they die in that of old age vs what you mentioned. Of course there will be some persecution regardless as that is laid out pretty clearly in scripture, but it seems that some are tested to a much more extreme degree.
I could attempt to lay out a much more thought out example from real world stories, but the path of a martyr seems to have a considerable faith requisite that other walks do not. I have difficulty reconciling this in my own personal life.
What makes it "almost" impossible (philippians 4:13) is that it's like I have a choice to be
IN the world and not of...basically living life in the world with politics, community activism, education, retirement, activism, vacations, traveling, short-term missions...and...
in the world living the life of a missionary where you are basically totally invested at great expense to whatever "personal life" you could have on this earth. Giving it ALL up for the sake of the gospel in a way that from my perspective "you are hardly even in...simply passing through as a waypoint"
Perhaps it would be best to try to boil down these a little more clearly, but it is possible that this distinction is seen in the Old Testament as well (which I would be willing to elaborate, although most here are probably familiar). At least back then it was simpler because you were born into a particular tribe.
Nowadays...it seems that you have a choice as something of a "dependent" contractor vs perhaps a journeyman.
You have options that present different paths through life...Hopefully all of these are set on "the way" but it is difficult to understand such different life experiences.
I've gone longer than I intended. It's a sore point for me. It is difficult to choose (and I pray I don't ever have to) and it will be clear the path that the Lord desires me to take. Either or, they both have their pluses and minuses and produce different relations with the Lord after a fashion. Like the difference between a priest and a king (insert gender side trail). We are both, but is it not possible to prioritize or be skewed in either direction intentionally or perhaps by design?
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