Man, I like this. I like calling the remnant a band of survivors. It speaks not only of desperate times, but of desperate people. People desperate for God. People in a real war. The remnant then and the remnant now will not just drift into survival. It will take some real effort.
I also love how this band of survivors takes root below and bears fruit above. There's a tenacity to following Jesus that grips the earth with both hands and will not let go. No floaty, air-headed kind of faith. If it's real, it's got to grab life and not let go. It is actually people who don't seek Jesus in life that are in the illusion, caught in the matrix of this nonsensical thinking of this world or in the empty dreams of empty religion.
These survivors also bear fruit above. Like a tree planted deeply, their branches and fruit stretch above mediocrity. The fruit is the overflow of their life. This super-abundance is not found in pain-free living, great ambitions, or impressive credentials, but in rock-solid character that holds out to the very end without ending up cruel or indifferent. The fruit is lasting and deeply satisfying to everyone who tastes it.
Most importantly, the band of survivors only survive because of the Lord's zeal. Their near-escapes, their struggles against the impossible, and their lonely deserts are not mostly a testimony to their great skill or endurance, but a story of a great love that will not let them go. The Lord wants not only survivors, but overcomers. This band does not go it alone. They go together. They go with God.
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