The love of Christ, we can only think we know it. When we are saved, and first feel it rushing into us with such an amazing force, we are convinced that this torrential flood must be the fullness of His love, but as we grow in faith we realize that the waters slow, and the river deepens. We then get a sense of the fact that there are seas, and oceans, ahead... and we are overcome by the expanse that is His love for us, and the journey ahead.
When we have begun our study of the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the Word of God, have we committed ourselves to obeying and following what we find there by loving them deeply, or do we pursue these things as a matter of curiosity? Are we wanting to have a command of scripture, or to allow it to have command over us? Our motivation in learning determines what we gain by it. So how do we search the Word, and sift through the Gospel? Do we simply gain intellectually, or by a motivation founded in love do we gain eternity?
We pray, and then conclude that prayer by saying “In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen” and we are comfortable in this because we are told specifically to ask in His name, but do we live out our lives in His name? When we do all of the small things that seem to have little to do with our faith, do we do every one of them through Jesus for the glory of God? Each tiny detail of our lives should be performed in such manner and should represent the “unceasing” nature of our faith, in this way, even our almost imperceptible sin should not pass without our notice, and contrition.
Do we take a purely defensive stance against sin as it attacks us? Do we count it as being enough to simply repulse it, and avoid letting it breach our walls? Or, do we make war against it with every resource at our disposal, and rid ourselves of it in body, soul, and mind? There is a word for this in scripture and it is called mortification, which means to subdue or destroy the strength, and function of a sinful desire that is tempting, or attacking us. Do we mortify sin?
Has God finished His creation and turned it loose to play itself out? Is the big picture painted, and now we simply exist within it trying to perceive what it might look like if we could only step back to see it in total as through God’s eyes? Are we merely ants skittering here and there doing our small part, with our only purpose being to play out a part in some divine production? Well friends, God’s creation remains under constant construction, it is meant to be for and about us, and His love for us demonstrates this.
We all wrestle with sin. There is not one of us that sin does not desire to penetrate, and subtly begin to transform into its unholy image. One defect in our armor and we are made imperfect; one small scratch, one tiny sin. If we consider Jesus in light of this we see how amazing His sin free life was, and how astounding His work in us is.
Do we believe that Jesus is able to do the things He says? When we are in prayer asking that He heal us, provide for us, or raise someone from the dead, do we truly believe? If we say “YES!” Then there are two more questions to ask before we proceed... have we invited him into our house; into the place where we presently are; into the deepest recesses of our heart? Then finally... do we have faith that He is who He says He is... the Son of the Living God?
It is common to hear the expression “walking in faith”, but what does that mean to us? Is walking in faith like an evening stroll after dinner, or a morning exercise before we begin our day? Is it a few minutes each day spent in prayer, or perhaps carving out an hour at the local soup kitchen to serve a meal? If this is our idea of walking by faith then we have simply dipped a spoon into the boiling pot for a taste, when we should have received the nourishment of a full bowl.
When we are suffering calamity, or our bodies are burning with fever, do we count these things as strengths? When we lose our livelihood, or our children are suffering, do we find that such things cripple us, or are we strengthened by them, even as we call out to the Lord for relief? Many things afflict us in life, but God’s grace remains, and it grows stronger in the eye of every storm.
When we face hardships how do we attempt to solve them? Do we quickly enter into the fray and tackle them headlong, or do we pause to consider the best approach, and only then begin to methodically confront them? Where in our processes do we engage our faith against the trials we face, and at what point does prayer come into play? Our faith should be our first thought, not our last resort.
Do we long for the Holy Spirit? As new Christians, while going about seeking a deeper understanding and comfort in God’s Word, do we realize that God has already sent His Holy Spirit to us for just this purpose? David called out in Psalm 119 for Understanding and comfort too, and just as it is with us in our early days of faith, he really doesn’t know what to call Him. In due time, we come to know His name... Holy Spirit.
Do we claim the joy of our faith? Do we claim it even when things aren’t going well? The church is filled on Sunday with joy, and singing, but so often we see those same saints on Monday morning with sad faces, somber, and with the look of a mourner. Reentering our day to day life is no reason to abandon the joy we know in Jesus, or the hope we have in our faith. Have we become on again/off again Christians, and what message does that deliver to those around us... and to God?
How often do you walk with a God? I am not talking about just reading the Bible, attending church, performing works such as feeding the hungry, or praying your needs to Him, but how often do you actually walk with him in conversation? Sometimes we get so busy doing things, and saying things of faith, that we forget that this is not a checklist, or a job, it is a loving relationship, we are children, and that some walks with Him, if we choose to take them, take hours, days, weeks, or longer.
A man is watching as Christians sing and worship Jesus, then he listens as the pastor speaks of life that awaits us in Christ. All of this stirs something in his heart, and he feels an urge to come forward and be saved, but he doesn’t. It is the age old struggle between good and evil that is raging within him. He hears the good news of Jesus, but Satan continues telling him he is lost, and in that lie, salvation seem beyond his reach. Salvation isn’t complicated, and the call to the altar requires only one price... for us to believe.
You say you are a person of faith, but what does that mean? As it concerns our life there are two ways that we can approach our walk of faith; the first is by making our faith a part of our life, and the second is by making our life a part of our faith. We should each ask ourselves the question... “Which way do I order my life?” On the surface we might think it sounds like an academic exercise, but in the eyes of God it is much more than that.