That's a quesion that has been rolling around in my head for the last few days. I was reading in Hebrews 11, the "hall of faith" as it is commonly known. And it got me thinking about what faith actually is. It's a word that I hear all the time, but I don't know that I've ever really thought about what it means. There are a few places in Scripture that talk about what faith is.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6
"He said to them: Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:14-15
"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Luke 18:17
"We live by faith and not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7
"What good is ti , my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? . . . Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do. . . . As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." James 2:14, 18, & 26
All of these verses talk about faith, and really are far from a complete list of what the Bible has to say about faith. Faith is a huge topic and it's a word that is used in many ways, both in Scripture and in everday life.
My understanding of faith is that it is choosing to trust that God is Who He says He is and that He will follow through on what He says. When Christ talks about having faith like a child, He is talking about the need to just trust, not to question. Not that questioning is wrong, but sometimes we need to just decide that we are going to belive something.
I think for me the key to understanding faith is that it is something we take action. Hebrews 11 repeats over and over that these people did things "by faith". They took what God said and acted accordingly, trusting that God was Who He said He was and would follow through on His end. The same it true of us. We need to take what we say we believe and act on it. Faith requires action . . . and sometimes that means we have to take a risk and step out in doing something.
Honestly, this is something I'm still trying to understand. If you have thoughts on it I would love to hear them.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
family
So I've been back for a day now. I spent the weekend in Abbotsford for my great-Grandma's 95th birthday. Lots of family . . . staying in a hotel room with my parents and my sister . . . going somewhere without my own car for the first time in a while . . . a much different weekend than I normally have. But it was a great weekend! I have an absolutely crazy extended family, who want nothing more than to have a good time when they get together.
As we were driving home yesterday (Monday) a comment that one of my roommates had made a while back popped into my head. We were chatting one day and she made a comment about how it seemed like we all spent so little time with our families now that we were out on our own. All of my roommates and I come from pretty good families, yet it seems as though moving out for all of us meant that we spent less and less time with our families.
I know for myself, it's not really all that strange for me to go a couple of weeks without seeing my family other than in passing at church. And phone calls . . . well . . . I try, but our schedules don't always connect the first time so I give up. For me, I see family at holidays and on occassion otherwise, but not too much. I think what really hit me about this week was a comment my Grandma made in passing. She said something about how I don't stop by very often. I used to . . . when they lived on the lake I was over all the time . . . but she's right, I don't come by very often anymore. Yet I love spending time with my grandparents.
Anyways, all this got me thinking . . . I think I very easliy begin to take my family for granted. I know that they love me, and I know that if I need them all I have to do is phone and they'll come. I also know that I have more extended family that I know and enjoy being around than most people. But I often find myself just assuming that they will always be there, because they always have been. I mean, really, how many people have grown up with great-grandparents and great aunts and uncles around, besides grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins?! I've been seriuosly blessed in that department.
I came home this weekend with the realization that my crazy and loving family is not something that I should take for granted . . . but something that I should value. I can't put a price on my family . . . all I can do is make it a priority to spend with time with them - to make that second phone call to see if they're home yet, to stop by my grandparents' more often, to just be around them.
As we were driving home yesterday (Monday) a comment that one of my roommates had made a while back popped into my head. We were chatting one day and she made a comment about how it seemed like we all spent so little time with our families now that we were out on our own. All of my roommates and I come from pretty good families, yet it seems as though moving out for all of us meant that we spent less and less time with our families.
I know for myself, it's not really all that strange for me to go a couple of weeks without seeing my family other than in passing at church. And phone calls . . . well . . . I try, but our schedules don't always connect the first time so I give up. For me, I see family at holidays and on occassion otherwise, but not too much. I think what really hit me about this week was a comment my Grandma made in passing. She said something about how I don't stop by very often. I used to . . . when they lived on the lake I was over all the time . . . but she's right, I don't come by very often anymore. Yet I love spending time with my grandparents.
Anyways, all this got me thinking . . . I think I very easliy begin to take my family for granted. I know that they love me, and I know that if I need them all I have to do is phone and they'll come. I also know that I have more extended family that I know and enjoy being around than most people. But I often find myself just assuming that they will always be there, because they always have been. I mean, really, how many people have grown up with great-grandparents and great aunts and uncles around, besides grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins?! I've been seriuosly blessed in that department.
I came home this weekend with the realization that my crazy and loving family is not something that I should take for granted . . . but something that I should value. I can't put a price on my family . . . all I can do is make it a priority to spend with time with them - to make that second phone call to see if they're home yet, to stop by my grandparents' more often, to just be around them.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
playing with fire
Well, I'm back to write again . . . after taking an unplanned break from writing for a couple weeks. It would seem that I need to be careful with my computer use outside of work, as my wrist has been complaining a lot lately. But, I'm back and behaving myself more now so hopefully that won't happen again.
A couple of weeks ago at Alive in the Park, the speaker spoke about growing cold. It is so easy for us to do such a thing. We find ourselves growing distant and farther from God. I have been thinking a lot about it in the weeks since. It has seemed like that has been something that has come up just about every time I have opened my Bible in the last couple of weeks as well.
So many of the prophets in the Old Testament were speaking to a nation that had done just that – had grown cold. Their hearts were no longer following God – they were going through the motions, but that was all that it was. Hosea 6:6 expresses God’s desire for His people – the way He truly wants to worship:
“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice; and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings.” (NIV)
Sacrifices and offerings were the religious rituals that Israel was going through. This is not what God wanted. Hosea 6:6 is calling Israel to come back and worship Him with their whole hearts, not just their religious actions. This is the same call that God makes to us today. When we begin to wander away and move into cold religious ritual, God calls us to come back from our religious ritual and bring our whole hearts back to Him. God desires our entire heart and we are to bring that to Him.
Take some time to think about your own life: Are there areas where you have grown cold? A re you playing with fire? What can you do to come back to God with your whole heart in those areas where you have grown cold?
As I thought about this in my own life, I realized how easy it is for myself and how often I do it. I seem to go in cycles - I go from walking closely with God to growing cold and walking as far away from God as I can, in at least a few areas of my life. I can see certain areas where I tend to play with fire on a regular basis.
God has really convicted me of this in the last few weeks. It was a challenge for me to take the steps I need to so that I don't end up growing cold again. I often find that when summer comes it is easiest for me to fall away in areas of my life; so, this is the time that I need to be the most intentional about making sure that I don't grow cold.
A couple of weeks ago at Alive in the Park, the speaker spoke about growing cold. It is so easy for us to do such a thing. We find ourselves growing distant and farther from God. I have been thinking a lot about it in the weeks since. It has seemed like that has been something that has come up just about every time I have opened my Bible in the last couple of weeks as well.
So many of the prophets in the Old Testament were speaking to a nation that had done just that – had grown cold. Their hearts were no longer following God – they were going through the motions, but that was all that it was. Hosea 6:6 expresses God’s desire for His people – the way He truly wants to worship:
“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice; and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings.” (NIV)
Sacrifices and offerings were the religious rituals that Israel was going through. This is not what God wanted. Hosea 6:6 is calling Israel to come back and worship Him with their whole hearts, not just their religious actions. This is the same call that God makes to us today. When we begin to wander away and move into cold religious ritual, God calls us to come back from our religious ritual and bring our whole hearts back to Him. God desires our entire heart and we are to bring that to Him.
Take some time to think about your own life: Are there areas where you have grown cold? A re you playing with fire? What can you do to come back to God with your whole heart in those areas where you have grown cold?
As I thought about this in my own life, I realized how easy it is for myself and how often I do it. I seem to go in cycles - I go from walking closely with God to growing cold and walking as far away from God as I can, in at least a few areas of my life. I can see certain areas where I tend to play with fire on a regular basis.
God has really convicted me of this in the last few weeks. It was a challenge for me to take the steps I need to so that I don't end up growing cold again. I often find that when summer comes it is easiest for me to fall away in areas of my life; so, this is the time that I need to be the most intentional about making sure that I don't grow cold.
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