I'd love to spend some time with God, in the most chilled out way ever. I've got myself into a little swing of buying BK at the drive through recently (since I got myself some roller kicks and a chassis) and taking it down to Bucklands Beach.
I'm not going to waste that time anymore. I'm going to use it as a way to do 'nothing much' with God - except there won't be any L&P (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X64DZr7MPwU).
At home group tonight, I got a better perspective on it though. I'm not going to do it so that I can be uber Christian or to even get closer to God that way. The point is, I already have a relationship, and a great one at that (it's not possible to have a bum relationship with Him), so it'll just be a time for growth... and allowing Him to enter for a least little bit more time of my week.
So while I'm eating my Outlaw, I'll be deliberating with the Rebel in a bid to expand my capabilities for growing the Kingdom through Him.
Man, the argument between faith, rest, works and character about reaching success as a Christian (and what that even means?) is my biggest struggle with God. I'm content with my answers to how He created the world? And what about evolution? And is there a heaven? How do I get there? But when it comes to faith... I'm so inspired by others that talk about it - and stories from the Bible - take this one for example:
The Faith of the Centurion
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."
Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
Matthew 8:5 - 13
But still it concerns me so much that maybe I don't have the right faith. Merely saying I have or haven't got faith isn't enough for it to be true.
And how about works. What counts as works of our own doing. And when does it become Christ-centred?
This is what I hope to find out through lifes experience, others testimony to it, the Bible and through prayer. I'm just going to keep growing, and work towards the goal. And one day I'll finish strong.
Lord, thank you for our relationship. I thank You in advance for anything You make me capable of doing. Lord, help me to remember Your magnificence when I get praised or complemented for anything. Let my life point back to Your life that lives within me.
Amen
Hey boss. I'm pretty chuffed with what I have read of your blog so far. I have a comment regarding faith.
ReplyDeleteAt the weekend I listened to a man named Geoff Smith talk about Abraham and faith, and he had a point that hit me right between the eyes. In a convicting way.
His point was that faith is not a hunch. Faith is not a wish. It is not an idea you have. Faith is trusting in what God has said He has done; and what He will do. Trusting implicitly. God hasn't promised us anything more. Faith which tries to be more than that, like a magical wishing jar, is just fluff. Faith, then, amounts to simply believing God's word.
It wasn't that Abraham had a hunch that God wasn't going to really make him sacrifice Isaac. He wasn't hoping that He would change his mind at the last second. Abraham knew. God had promised Abraham he would be the father of a nation through Isaac. He knew then that something miraculous was going to happen. If Isaac died then God was going to have to resurrect him there on that mountaintop.
I guess the Centurion knew as well didn't he? He knew who Jesus was. He knew His authority. It wasn't just a hunch; he didn't even need Jesus to come with him!
The point of this is... well what do you think of this? I thought I'd ask. I think it's a pretty awesome way to look at it. Of course there are people who will disagree. But I like the idea that faith isn't spiritual voodoo; it gives a rationale for why so many of my selfish prayers aren't answered. God hasn't promised to answer those prayers. It is still true that faith as small as a mustardseed can move a mountain. But this faith is knowing that what God has promised God will deliver.
Anyways... God bless man. I'm sorry for lecturing you.
Also: I love that video. I hadn't seen it. Brilliant. I love doing nothing much myself. You've encouraged me to diversify the way in which I do nothing much. Could we do nothing much together sometime soon?
Amen.
Thanks for the response my friend. I don't feel lectured. Rather I feel relatively enlightened by the wisdom that you have payed forward.
ReplyDeleteWithout realising it, I started owning this view of faith after reading the reply. Yesterday, one of the boys in my small group was baptised. His Dad prayed beforehand that he would stand firm in the faith. And I felt it necessary to repeat it and make clear that faith is believing in nothing more than God's will made clear through scripture.
What's your point of view then on reading the Bible? How important is it? Do we get closer to God through reading, or does it simply solidify what life already teaches us?