Living Faith

"[T]here is enough loveliness, enough beauty, enough love in this world — enough food in this world —- if we would just share...

[T]he problem of evil in the world isn’t a problem for proof of God —- but a problem of our own turned-in hearts...when we turn our heart outward — we in turn bear testimony to the loving existence of God, of the body of Christ right here…"
~Ann Voskamp

I'm studying the book of James at the minute and have just worked through Chapter 2.  The above quote taken from Ann Voskamp's recent post spoke to me especially because of what I had been meditating on in God's Word.

James speaks of that love in action.  The fruit of faith.  I ought not love anyone for what they can do for me, but simply because God loves them and so I must love.  To care for the poor and brethren who are not able to meet their own needs.  To show mercy because I serve a merciful God.  To have a faith, not of mere intellectual assent ('for even the demons believe') but a living faith in Christ.

It is our living faith that shows the world we serve a living God.  He most certainly exists and He most certainly cares.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
~ Philippians 3:17-21

Prodigal Son

“For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to know God, to love God. I have tried hard to follow the guidelines of the spiritual life—pray always, work for others, read the Scriptures—and to avoid the many temptations to dissipate myself. I have failed many times but always tried again, even when I was close to despair.

Now I wonder whether I have sufficiently realized that during all this time God has been trying to find me, to know me, and to love me. The question is not “How am I to find God?” but “How am I to let myself be found by him?” The question is not “How am I to know God?” but “How am I to let myself be known by God?” And, finally, the question is not “How am I to love God?” but “How am I to let myself be loved by God?” God is looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and longing to bring me home.”

~ Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

I have never read a Henri Nouwen book, but this quote moved me so much.  I am re-reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis at the moment and a thought occurred to me whilst reading the chapter on Christian Marriage.  The thought wasn't particularly related to marriage, but it was simply how often we try to make the words of Jesus law rather than life, we live in fear of breaking the 'law' and hide ourselves in shame from the giver of life.  The scripture that I thought of in particular was where Jesus speaks about divorce in Matthew 5.  I won't go into it in depth, it's a fairly well known scripture.  I simply reflected how we (in Christian circles) have made this scripture into a law - the 'law' being that unless your spouse is unfaithful you cannot divorce or remarry.  But it isn't law, and I don't believe that Jesus was instituting a new rule.  The only law we are under as Christians is the law of love and it is the lack of love that Jesus is speaking against using marriage as an example; because the ultimate law is to love God and love one another.  There were obviously some who were using God's law as an excuse to discard a wife to get a new one, misusing the teaching of Deuteronomy 24. Not showing the love of God, but selfishness and unfaithfulness.  Of course, God loves us and if our spouse is beating us or being unfaithful...well, he offers us grace for all things.  There is no condemnation for the broken, the damaged, the enslaved.  Equally there is forgiveness offered for those who sin.

Anyway, I said I wouldn't get into that.  The point is that it isn't our work that gets us close to God, it isn't our strict keeping of Old Testament or even New Testament teaching that gets us close to God.  (The Old Testament law simply proved to us we couldn't even in our wildest dreams ever be perfect.) It is God who gets us close to God.   He is the Father seeking, longing for his prodigals.  When we make a mistake, or we sin, we have our speeches (prayers) all planned out, we plan to grovel, we plan to work really hard for him to impress him, we plan to make ourselves lowly slaves for him, we cannot even lift our eyes because we feel so unworthy.  But, before we even reach the threshold of God's throne he is running to us arms outstretched.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! [Here's the planned speech] I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:17-20

God is waiting for you arms outstretched.  Watching the road, scanning the horizon for you.  He is longing for you.

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.  Isaiah 40:11

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:10

I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands. Psalm 119:176

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18

There is no formula for life except Jesus

The Christian is in a different position from other people who are trying to do good. The Christian thinks any good he does come from the Christ-life inside him. He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us. ~ C.S. Lewis

It is damaging when I reduce my Christianity to formula.

Too often I rely on orthopraxy and not Jesus.

Too often I fear rejection by God because I cannot follow the formula someone has prescribed for 'a great Christian walk' - despite the fact that God says He will never forsake me or leave me.

There is no formula for life except Jesus.  He gives His life to those Who ask.

It's all about Jesus.

Jesus loves me.

I love Jesus.

Making me think about Making me think

 

I wrote a post called Making Me Think the other day - I'd watched and read a couple of sermons by Paul Washer and had gone into a bit of a decline.  In my flesh I am a worrier and fearful and I had fallen into fear.  A comment made on that post today reminded me that I have given into a spirit of fear.  A number of scriptures came to mind:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.(2 Timothy 1:7)  

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (Romans 8:15) 

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18).

It is quite correct to feel godly sorrow for wrongful actions - but this brings life compared to the worldly sorrow that brings only death and depression:

Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:9,10).

Jesus didn't die on the cross and rise from the dead to give us new life and then have us wandering around full of fear and misery.  Oh we'll have trouble, but praise God because Jesus has overcome the world.  What a beautiful, joyous hope we have in Christ.

I ought to write those scriptures out and post them about the house! :)

It's Friday...

What time is it?

08.02 am

My plans for the day.

To fit black-out lining to Chatterbox's curtains - I'm taking them down to Mum's later today we are going to do it together (they're quite heavy). She did have a blind but the plaster is so bad in our house the blind kept falling down.

Work - I have to go in an hour earlier because we are a member of staff down for a while.

Some ironing, a bit of cleaning.

What am I listening to.

The music on my blog.

What song have I been singing this morning?>

Jesus is Lord, creation's voice proclaims it, and by His power each tree and flower was planned and made!

What I am thinking.

How wonderful our God is and how beautiful Jesus is. My heart swells with the wonder and the depth of what we don't even know and yet will one day. Our Lord and Saviour, King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Amen.

What I am reading.

The Stripping of the Altars by Eamon Duffy, a look at religion in pre-Reformation England and the aftermath.

Chronological reading of the Bible - I'm in Genesis now with the stories about Abraham, I've read part of Genesis and all of Job so far.

To Chatterbox: we are about to start The Sea of Adventure by Enid Blyton

To Squidge: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Cat of the Week

Simon's Cat - Hidden Treasures



Some blog plans:

I want to put some profile stuff on - perhaps as 'Page Elements': what I believe, my testimony, a few likes and dislikes. Other than that I'm quite happy with the look of my blog right now.

Scripture thoughts:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13.

Love abides eternally. The love we have outside of God is transient and doesn't last - as CS Lewis wrote: "Everyone feels benevolent if nothing happens to be annoying him at the moment". The love of God lasts forever. The greatest act of love in all time was the giving of Jesus upon the cross. The only way we can show love is through God abiding in us by His Holy Spirit. Love is the greatest of the gifts from God. What we understand now is just a shadow of the truth that awaits us when we will meet God face-to-face.

When He died in the Wounded World He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less. Each thing, from the single grain of Dust to the strongest eldil, is the end and the final cause of all creation and the mirror in which the beam of His brightness comes to rest and so returns to Him. Blessed be He! C.S Lewis

Have a great weekend!