All in Faith
Are you tripping over your feet if faith? Do you begin to run in the understanding of God's will in your life only to fall flat on your face? Well, what do you do when that happens? Do you spring at once to your feet, slowly pull yourself up, or just lay there and cry? Then again, maybe the Lord delights in your way and you do not fall at all.
Have you always wanted to be the kind of Christian that is a blessing to others? Perhaps you have watched saints in your church and wished you could touch other people in the same way that they do. Well, don't discount yourself because you may be rippling out blessings at a much higher rate than you think!
How do you pray when you're broken? What do you pray for when you have nothing left, and your life is a shambles? How do you lift your spirit high enough that you can face God with your desires? We are often embarrassed when we have totally failed in life; we cover ourselves in leaves and hide as Adam and Eve did. Is that really what we should do? Is our faith that shallow? Has our God given us up to our despair?
How strong is your belief in Christ? Have you grown in your faith to the place where those things that are not seen leave shadows before you? Is heaven as real as the home you return to each night? When Jesus holds your hand can you feel the warmth of the blood coursing through it?
In Nashville we had a total eclipse of the sun this year (2017), and although it took a while to reach the totality, or period the of time in which the moon totally covers the sun, the totality itself lasted for two minutes or less. Quite often the period of time God shines His light of opportunity in our lives is short as well. If we miss the chance to see or to act upon the calling which God presents us, we may never experience that opportunity again.
Are you prepared to pray? By that I mean, are you prepared to pray and receive the blessing of which you speak with God? So often we come to the Lord unprepared; living one life and praying as if we lived another.
The strongest people I know are poor in spirit. This life was not chosen for them, but they chose it for themselves. Do you know such people? Are you one of them? Perhaps you are wondering what I mean by this.
We say we are Christians but continue to live our lives of faith like suits of clothes; we treat our belief in Christ lightly and only let it brush up against our skin, when we should actually be taking Jesus into our very being, our hearts, making our faith like the communion meal reveals... part of us.
Are you sad today? I am referring to the sadness that occurs when we realize that Jesus is asking us to let something go that we believe we are unable to give up or that is impossible for us. Perhaps it is our wealth, but just maybe it is our poverty.
We all need to have a personal relationship with God, not just be casually aquatinted, but to know each other intimately. Is your faith the product of listening to others or do you have personal experience with God?
Are you ready to step forward in faith into a new role of servitude? Our inclination is to go only so far and then fall dutifully in behind our spiritual mentors, allowing them to lead us from there. However, God would have use step through that moment and cross into a larger life with Him. This is an inevitable event.
Are you suffering in or through something that God has called you to do? If so, how are you approaching your hardship? Does it cause you to question His presence in what you are doing, or are you experiencing pride in your suffering? Neither of these is a proper way to deal with your suffering because it makes His calling about yourself. Only a humble trust in God is the proper response.
What do we do when our memories fail us? Are there repercussions to forgetting? What are the certain things that Jesus asked us to remember? Are there particular things that God asks to be remember as well? Does He ever forget? Should we?
When do we rejoice and when do we mourn? Is there really a spiritual separation or difference? Are we meant to give God the glory for the good times and ignore or blame Him for the bad or painful ones?
Living our lives with Jesus is more than attaching a series of disjointed moments that have been separated by periods of time in which He is absent into something we call faith. God is never here and then gone, but with us always and in all things. Our Lord Jesus doesn't abandon us to our own devices only to return once we have screwed things up... He is with us always.