Faith

Jesus said to her, ’Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ —John 11:40  

It is interesting that, from time to time, I start thinking devotionals are motivational,  profound, cool...but not pertinent to my life, until I find myself in life and devotional in the same breath.  Like the past five days. 

This one is a personalized rewrite, for me, from Oswald Chambers.
Every time I venture out in my life of faith, I will find something in my circumstances that, from a commonsense standpoint, will flatly contradict my faith. But common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense. In fact, they are as different as the natural life and the spiritual. Can I trust Jesus Christ where my common sense cannot trust Him? Can I venture out with courage on the words of Jesus Christ, while the realities of my commonsense life continue to shout, "It’s all a lie"? When I am on the mountaintop, it’s easy to say, "Oh yes, I believe God can do it," but I have to come down from the mountain t o the demon-possessed valley and face the realities that scoff at  my Mount-of-Transfiguration belief (see Luke 9:28-42 ). Every time my theology becomes clear to my own mind, I encounter something that contradicts it. As soon as I say, "I believe ’God shall supply all [my] need,’ " the testing of my faith begins ( Philippians 4:19 ). When my strength runs dry and my vision is blinded, will I endure this trial of my faith victoriously or will I turn back in defeat?
Faith must be tested, because it can only become my intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging my faith right now? The test will either prove my faith right, or it will kill it. Jesus said, "Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me" Matthew 11:6 ). The ultimate thing is confidence in Jesus. "We have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end . . ." ( Hebrews 3:14 ). Believe steadfastly on Him and everything that challenges me will strengthen my faith. There is continual testing in the life of faith up to the point of my physical death, which is the last great test. Faith is absolute trust in God— trust that could never imagine that He would forsake me (see Hebrews 13:5-6 ).

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More and more I have come to the realization of what it means that every word in the Word is God-breathed.  Every word is important in scripture.  Over the past months, I have been ministered to by the word compassion.  This piece is from a message by Charles Spurgeon and he speaks to an understanding of that word  in the Word, as it applies to our Lord Jesus.  As I read through this, I am asking myself, Am I compassionate?

  He was moved with compassion."
        -- Matthew 9:36

        This is said of Christ Jesus several times in the New Testament. The original word is a very remarkable one. It is not found in classic Greek. It is not found in the Septuagint. The fact is, it was a word coined by the evangelists themselves. They did not find one in the whole Greek language that suited their purpose, and therefore they had to make one. It is expressive of the deepest emotion; a striving of the bowels--a yearning of the innermost nature with pity. As the dictionaries tell us-- Ex intimis visceribus misericordia commoveor. I suppose that when our Saviour looked upon certain sights, those who watched him closely perceived that his internal agitation was very great, his emotions were very deep, and then his face betrayed it, his eyes gushed like founts with tears, and you saw that his big heart was ready to burst with pity for the sorrow upon which his eyes were gazing. He was moved with compassion. His whole nature was agitated with commiseration for the sufferers before him.

        Now, although this word is not used many times even by the evangelists, yet it may be taken as a clue to the Saviour's whole life, and I intend thus to apply it to him. If you would sum up the whole character of Christ in reference to ourselves, it might be gathered into this one sentence, "He was moved with compassion."

Decisions

Over the past ten days, I have had a decision in my life.  After a friend listened to my story, he presented me with this: 


When a ship comes off a large body of water and enters the mouth of a river in the dark, the pilot wants to ensure that they are in the center of the channel, lest they run aground on rocks.  And so they look to line up a series of beacons floating in the river mouth.  When they are all lined up with one another, they know that they are in the channel and can safely proceed forward.  Likewise, God has provided multiple beacons to provide direction and guidance for us when we are determining whether to proceed, and whether we are in the center of his will.  His Word – Are there biblical mandates, prohibitions, or principles that apply to the action I’m considering.  His People – What do others who know me, know God, and know his Word advise me concerning this action? His Spirit – What inner prompting am I sensing about this action as I pray about it? Circumstances – for too many people, this is the only consideration (“Wow, God opened the door for this.  It must be his will.”).  While circumstances must be considered, it is subject to interpretation through the other categories.

Do you wait for all 4 to be lined up before you proceed?  Probably not.  But you better have more than one pointing in the same direction – lined up – or you risk running aground.