All in Faith, Prayer, Work
How is your faith today? Does it remain stored away in a seed sack; a tiny seed in your heart awaiting its season in a barn, or does it flourish where you have planted and tended it? Are you satisfied with the little, or are you led by the Spirit to grow and produce much fruit? Jesus tells us to have faith in God, but that doesn’t mean that our faith is complete when first received, or is dormant and unable to grow like a seed which hasn’t been sown.
You say you are a Christian, but are you really? Have you taken the name of Jesus without having been born again? What a mysterious happening this is when we confess openly our faith in Jesus Christ, and go down in the waters of baptism. The joy and change that rushes over us leaves no doubt that our journey has begun, and that we are no longer dancing around the monicker of Christian, but have indeed become one. Are you still flirting with the flame of faith, or have you entered entirely into it... has it burned up the old you, and replaced it with the smoke and incense of a new and glorious person? Have you entered into the great mystery of faith?
When times are tough for us, or we see someone else who is struggling, how do we approach the situation; who do we turn to for help, or guidance? So often our pride gets in the way, and we cling to self-sufficiency, or we see someone without clothing, hungry, or with anywhere to sleep, and we look away hoping they will get their life in order. We do these things when in fact we should turn to Jesus for our help, and offer assistance to others as He would have us do, but this requires a couple of very basic attributes... faith, and courage. Do you have these in you?
When you are tired, or in need of shelter in a storm, where do you turn? When all is lost, and you can’t provide for yourself where do you find sustenance? At every turn you may be pursued by an enemy, but is there a strong tower where you can take refuge? The answer is yes, and no matter the circumstances it is forever true and dependable... we dwell in our Lord.
How often have you disobeyed God, and had calamity fall upon you? When this occurred, what did you do? How did you realign yourself with God, and experience His forgiveness and salvation? What did you promise the Lord in prayer to gain his deliverance from your time of suffering?
If you have been a Christian for any period of time you more than likely have faced periods of bountiful faith, and those of withering spiritual drought as well. How easy it is to fall, and hard it is to pick ourselves back up again. Where are you at this moment? Are you standing on the mountaintop surrounded by glory, working your way towards the summit, or lying in the valley of your own despair?
Is God active in your life right now, or are you waiting on Him? There are times in our relationship with God when our faith feels like it is adrift on a calm sea without the slightest hint of a breeze in our sails, but at other times the wind is brisk and our sails are full and tight as we speed forward; cutting through the waves with the spray in our face. What are you experiencing right now, the calm sea, the exhilaration of the wind, or the fear of a storm?
Are we confident in the promises of God? Are we certain enough to stand before Him and after asking something of Him say “now do as you have spoken.”? We serve a God who is true, and whose Word is perfect and without quibble... his promises stand as if stone and are good forever. So why is it that we fear the outcome of our troubles, or the certainty of our salvation?
There are two types of Christians in the world... those that call themselves faithful, and those who were called and made so by Christ himself; we must carefully ask ourselves which of these we are. In our quest of faith there are those who travel alone, and those who walk humbly behind their master... those of earthly substance, and those of heavenly power and treasure.
Perhaps you say that you once believed in Jesus Christ, but not any longer, or you say that you are a Christian and yet there is no outward flourishing to indicate that this is true. In both cases, what is the problem with your faith, what stifled it and kept I from prospering? You are like a plant, but without a healthy root it can’t continue to grow, and will eventually die.
Why do you fret and run about in your faith? Are you fearful of physical death, and don’t understand what lies ahead, or are you actually afraid that you have fallen short of God’s mark and will not experience eternity with Him? As a Christian you should fear neither... you should have confidence in the Lord’s promise of eternity, and know that your faith in Jesus Christ is your pass to dine comfortably, restfully, at God’s table.
In times of peace and plenty it is easy to maintain our faith, and to remember the gift of redemption that God has given us through Jesus Christ, but when we are faced with suffering and hardship this is when our faith is placed in the furnace and dipped in the water that strengthens it. We weep and begin to question God, mistaking what we have always held to be valuable and real in our lives to be more precious than Him who tempers us... above Him who redeems us.
What will this year bring you in regards to life, and your faith? Will you continue living here on earth as you know it now; filled with challenge, the saving grace of Jesus, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, or will you cross over Jordan to rest in God the Father? Will you suffer new hardships in this world, and obtain new heights of faith by the work of the Spirit in you, or will this year be free from turmoil, and your path made straight? Will you eat manna here in the desert, or the milk and honey of heaven beyond? Are you afraid of what lies ahead for you this year... well fear not!
We receive the blessing of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ. It is in this way, through our faith in Jesus, that we also receive the Holy Spirit. So once again the power of faith, and specifically our faith in Christ, and His ability to save us from the law, quickens us. Are you prepared for the reformation of the law, by placing total faith in Jesus, and to receive both the blessing and the Spirit this allows us?
Do you believe that you have discovered Jesus Christ based on some historical writings and empirical evidence? In fact your journey to Him has been carefully orchestrated by God the Father who has called you to Himself and His Son. You have been called, and drawn to Jesus by God, but once you find yourself at the door it is up to you to knock.