Thursday, September 26, 2013

A walk to remember

This week God challenged me with a question from a book I was reading. The question was "How do you love God?" It really stood out to me afresh and I began to think on it for a few days. How do I show that I love God?
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight, the only thing that matters is faith working through love" Gal.5:6
Circumcision is an external act performed, something visible and even painful. The christian disciplines we perform can be the same way. It's something we can check off on our christian list and even boast about. But true faith is different. It's visible to others only when expressing itself through love and that is very powerful. It requires faith because it can be very hard to show love at times. And if faith and love is not present in what we do, it carries no weight according to God. Not only that, we probably inevitably have replaced faith and love with pride, self reliance and self confidence. So I ask this question again, how does faith express itself through love in my life? 
I found the answer in this vers:
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Luk 10:27
Simply put, it's acts of love performed toward God and others, with emphasis on my service to God first, then my neighbor.
As my day went on, God quickly gave me some challenges to show me how it works. First off, I got a head cold on monday and felt like just laying around and letting the kids do whatever (I homeschool my 2 boys) Then I felt that challenge from God: will I trust Him to supply the strength and do school as usual? I said yes and He did. That was a very full but wonderful day.
Same evening, my friend txted me and asked me to lead the bible study in her stead the next day. My first response on the inside was "no way, I'm not up for that!" Again I felt that question; will I be willing to serve my God and exercise faith? I responded reluctantly yes, I would be willing if someone would benefit from me being there. As God would have it, that night the girls all cancelled and I felt Gods provision for me to stay home and rest. That was another wonderful day with Him. 

I have to emphasize what took place in my heart during this exchange between my God and me. I FELT HIM! Yes, I could have just decided on my own that I'm staying home because I don't feel well. But to choose to rely on His prompting to either send me or release me, put faith into action and expressed love for God and others. Faith, the very thing, the only thing that truly pleases God, created this wonderful dance between the Father and his beloved child and most importantly; it made my walk real. I came to realize that I can exercise faith even in the smallest things. Every time I say yes to that prompting and every time I wait for God to either send me or release me in something, I'm walking with Him. Of corse the opposite is also true, every time I make my own decision without asking and waiting for His will in faith, I miss a chance to walk with Him. I have had to repent and ask Him to help me and make me willing to engage in this daily walk with Him afresh. Now I challenge you with the same. If you have accepted Him, do you know how to walk with Him daily or is your reliance on Him very selective as I discovered my walk has been? 
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, becauseGod is love1 John 4:7-9

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