Living By Faith?

Christians are held in a tension. We know that we cannot earn a place of acceptance with our Heavenly Father with any amount of good works. We are made right with Him through faith. Yet, our faith is not abstract. It is shown in how we live.
Abraham is the example used in Romans. "What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (Romans 4:1-3, NLT) From his life of faith, however, we discover that a 'faith-full' life is consistent in word and actions!

Many disciples talk about faith, but live like atheists. They pray, but act as though God does not hear, or is not willing to act, or is incapable of doing what they ask. Abraham’s faith was a core value from which his life was formed. In Genesis 12:1 we read of a radical choice based on faith: The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.”

Jim Cymbala, pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, teaches three ‘life of faith’ principles.

1. Faith is informed by God's voice.

It does not spring from self. Abraham heard from God before he did anything! Do you think that faith is hatching up an idea and then insisting that God bless it? Do you mistake faith for presumption because you think that you have the right to 'tell' God what to do for you? God does the telling, we do the living. God sets the agenda, we implement His plans. A heart of worship that is learning to listen to the Spirit and the Word is the fertile soil from which faith grows.

2. Faith leaves the familiar.
Abraham was compelled, by faith, to pack up and move out. He left comfort, safety, family, and friends behind to faithfully pursue God's plan. Sounds so easy when we say it like that, doesn't it? Sounds Almost adventurous, like getting on the cast of 'Survivor.' EXCEPT, that the Adventure doesn't end in 6 weeks. It's a life-long pilgrimage that only rests in Heaven. Faith will pull you out of religious traditions that no longer are useful in connecting you with God. Faith will lead you out of cultural norms that 'deaden' you to God's work. Faith may cause you to do the ridiculous, not because you're crazed and hearing voices, but because you're 'hearing His voice.'

3. Faith goes forward without knowing tomorrow.
Imagine stopping Abraham's caravan 50 miles out of Ur, his hometown.
"Abraham, where are you going?"
"Don't know, He didn't tell me. He just said, go."
"How will you know when you're there?"
"Don't know. He didn't tell me. He just said, go this way today."

Faith is risky. Living in faith we will certainly make mistakes. But, faith is the only way to find our true home. “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” - Hebrews 11:8-10

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"Father of the faithful, add my name to the roster of those who lived by Your Words.
Help my ears to be turned to you, to be eagerly anticipating Your directives.
Give me courage to move out from what I know, from what is comfortable, to pursue Your plan.
You know how much I love to know the whole route in advance.

Holy Spirit, reassure me with Your powerful Presence as I just GO, even when I don't KNOW the end.
May your Son, Jesus Christ, be honored by a life of faith I live today. Amen."

A privileged son

Monday I visited my Mom’s home. When I arrived, I walked right in with a yell announcing my arrival! Going to the refrigerator, I looked for something to eat. I sat down at her computer and checked my email. I would not take such liberties if I visited most homes because I do not enjoy the familial ties that provide me with the privileges I enjoy at Mom’s house. Though it is not my home, I am her son and need not act as a guest while I am there.

The Scripture says, "Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence." (Ephesians 3:12, NLT) In another passage, we are reminded that we are children with privileges. "This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children." (Romans 8:15-16, The Message)

\Do you enjoy that kind of relationship with your God?
Or, are you still cowering before a Deity that terrifies you, guilty and ashamed? Through Christ, we are forgiven the sins that previously caused us to feel only fear in the Father’s Presence! Now, we can and should live with a humble confidence, a daily conversation with the One who loves us most. What a privilege!

Is there something in your life that is stressing you, keeping you awake at night, making your head ache? Share it with the Father. With child-like faith go to Papa and ask His wisdom, His comfort, His resources for your need. Don’t be shy; be boldly confident. For example, on Monday, my left knee was causing me real pain. Every step I took, was a reminder of my aging body. In prayer that evening, I asked Papa to make it better! I asked Him to show me if there was something I was doing to contribute to my pain and to heal me. Tuesday, I awakened to find the pain gone. In simple faith, I thanked Him for that blessing. Like any good father, He may not do what you want Him to do, but He will do what is best for you. If He corrects you, it is because He loves you.

Rejoice with Him, too. Go often and give thanks for the joys of life.

Here’s a word from the Word. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." (Matthew 7:9-11, NLT)

Don’t live like an orphaned child today. Exercise the privileges given you through your adoption into the family of God, through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

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Sometimes I feel discouraged,
And think my life in vain.
I'm tempted then to murmur,
And of my lot complain.
But when I think of Jesus,
And all He's done for me,
Then I cry, O Rock of Ages,
Hide Thou me.

O Rock of Ages, hide Thou me.
No other refuge have I but Thee.
When life's dark vale I wander,
Far, far from Thee.
Then I cry, O Rock of Ages,
Hide Thou me.

Hide Thou Me
Harris, Thoro / Tolbert, L.R.
© 1926. Renewed 1953 Singspiration Music (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., 741 Coolsprings Blvd., Franklin TN 37067)

CCLI License No. 810055

Saved from myself

In a recent meeting with the leadership team of the church, my temper overcame good judgment and a good friend stepped in to save me from myself. “I don’t think we need to go there,” he said firmly! I can think of so many other occasions when good advice or even confrontation were important to cause reflection so that I would change course. I am thankful for those who bless me with their wisdom along the way. The One who is the best Savior is Jesus Christ.

My life was set for destruction, bound for Hell! Timothy Keller’s observation about how people ultimately arrive far from God is telling. “Hell is simply one’s freely chosen identity apart from God on a trajectory into infinity.” (Reason For God, 2009) We are born with a nature bent to serve ourselves. The more we pursue Self, the further we travel away from God. The end point of that road is Hell, the complete absence of God, who is Light and Love. As much as we might try to believe in our own powers of reformation and/or salvation, we cannot save ourselves from ourselves.

We all need Someone to step in and save us from ourselves. The hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Ev’ry Blessing,” contains these lines:
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

There is the Gospel! C. S. Lewis speaks to the importance of responding in faith to the Lord today. “Hell begins with a grumbling mood, always complaining, always blaming others … but you are still distinct from it. You my even criticize yourself and wish you could stop it. But there may come a day when you can no longer. Then, there will be no ‘you’ left to criticize the mood or even to enjoy it, but just the grumble itself, going on forever like a machine. It is not a question of God “sending us” to Hell. In each of us there is something growing, which will BE Hell unless it is nipped in the bud.” (as quoted in Reason for God)

When we were Hell-bound, fixed on our own destruction, our Divine Lover stepped in with an offer, held out the promise of changing the course of our lives. The Scripture says, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, … but because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:1, 4-5, NIV) Ours is but to accept His offer – by faith. When we do, the trajectory spoken of by Keller is turned upward. Heaven is set in our hearts and we begin to live ‘in God,’ right here, walking with the Spirit in a way that ends in His glorious Presence.

Are you allowing Someone to save you from yourself?
Give up pride. Reject self-improvement which is at best a temporary thing and is really just self-delusion, learning not to see the Truth. By faith, respond and accept the offer of the Lord of Glory to ‘interpose His precious blood’ and set you on a new course – one that is filled with holiness and ends at the Throne of God.

________________

Sweet Jesus Christ, my sanity.
Sweet Jesus Christ, my clarity.
Bread of heaven, broken for me
Cup of salvation held up to drink
Jesus - Mystery

Christ has died and Christ is risen,
And Christ will come again

Celebrate his death and rising.
Lift your eyes, proclaim his coming!
Celebrate his death and rising,
Lift your eyes, lift your eyes!

-Charlie Hall

Off to Afghanistan?

Americans are impressed by more, big, and famous I regret that I spent too much of my life measuring my own ‘success’ as a pastor by the number of people I preached to on Sunday morning. But, I am not an oddity in that pursuit. Many measure their success by their level of compensation, their title, or by how many friends they have on Facebook. Success is often a numbers game, but on Sunday evening I met a man who completely re-defined the assumptions about what it means to live successfully. I’ll call him Dan.

God placed a love for the Afghan people in Dan’s heart 9 years ago. In an encounter with the Holy Spirit, he was deeply impressed, as a 26 year man, to take up the mission of bringing the Gospel to a land held in the grip of the most radical form of Islam. For the last 4 years, he and his wife, along with their three little girls, have lived in war zones of Afghanistan, quietly building friendships and praying for the spiritual darkness around them to be dispelled by the Light. It’s an exhausting assignment, full of sacrifice, and emotionally wearing. He’s been warned to flee numerous times, told that armed Taliban are standing outside of his home at night, and a close associate was gunned down in his car. None of the typical measures of success apply! Converts are few. Money is not a factor. His name cannot be published! Yet, he serves, and with great joy!

Don’t make a leap to a false conclusion. We need not all move to Afghanistan and live in mud homes to be good disciples who are ‘successful!’ We are all called, as disciples of Christ, to total obedience right here, right now. Our individual success is measured by how we respond to the Lord’s call, by our faithful embrace of the mission He gives to each one of us. My call is to lead and care for a congregation at a church in Washington, NJ. God will judge me a success if I am diligent, if I do that work for His glory. Circumstances beyond my control may lead to greater numbers of people in that church, but 200 or 2000 in the building are not His measure of success.

To be a success, disciple, there is a foundational question that demands your answer: what does the Lord ask of me? If you cannot answer that with any kind of certainty, you will be vulnerable to discontent and deception. You will chase meaning and purpose in ways that cannot ultimately provide them. Why? Because you will confuse ‘self-fulfillment’ with God’s approval! Much of what we label ‘success’ is just a way of making ourselves feel better about who we are and what we do. However, for the disciple of Christ, nothing can replace knowing that we are squarely in the center of the will of God. Dan is a man at peace with God and able to serve in a difficult assignment without much in the way of traditional rewards because he knows that he is doing what the Lord wants him to do at this time in his life!

Here’s a word from the Word. May the Spirit cause it to own you.
"Listen to me, all you in distant lands! Pay attention, you who are far away! The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name. He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver. He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory.” (Isaiah 49:1-3, NLT)

Are you His servant?
Will your thoughts, words, and actions today be framed by the desire to “bring Him glory?”

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The Marinade of your soul

Summertime means steaks, grilled to perfection, seasoned just right. T-bone's are not always affordable so a cheaper cut of meat sometimes finds its way onto the grill, but I have found a way to compensate. It's called marinade. A blend of wine or vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, perhaps onion, sometimes some lemon juice - is prepared and the meat is left to soak in it. A common cut of meat is tenderized and flavored by the marinade.


So, let me cut right to my point today. What the marinade that soaks your soul, that flavors your life? Anxiety and despair will always result from constant exposure to cable TV news. Greed and need will surely start to be part of your thoughts if you absorb each and every advertising circular that finds its way onto your dining room table. Many disciples are wondering why their souls are dry, why they are full of doubt, why they don't love worship or prayer, why their souls are cluttered with temptations like so much junk thrown around in a garage. They blame God for allowing them to wander alone, but the truth is, they pick up the flavors of the culture in which they choose to soak, day after day.

The Word says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9, NIV) That is one superb promise! Fill your mind and heart with praise, with worship, with appreciation for beauty, with gratitude - and reap the benefit of a life marked by peace! Practice love for others, real forgiveness, genuine concern for the poor and the weak and discover the richness of freedom from Self!

Disciple, if you want to live with the promise of the Spirit, check the marinade in which your soul soaks. Ask the practical questions:

What's playing into your head on your Ipod?
Who is influencing you with counsel?
What is creating the ambience in your home?

Take this wise and ancient counsel of the Word and make it your guide.
"How well God must like you-
you don't hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don't slink along Dead-End Road,
you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.


Instead you thrill to God's Word, you chew on Scripture day and night.
You're a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom."
(Psalm 1:1-3, The Message)

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On God's holy Word I challenge you
To give to the Lord your life anew.
My friend, make your choice;
He waits for you
For this is the moment of truth.

Now walk with God
And He will be your dearest Friend
Where'er you go
In everything you do.
And may your life
Reflect His love to ev'ryone.
Now walk with God
And He will walk with you.

Now Walk With God

Skillings, Otis

© 1969 Lillenas Publishing Company (Admin. by The Copyright Company)

CCLI License No. 810055