Friday, April 9, 2010

Take a seat!

"Take a seat", someone might say to us. How common to hear that, yet if we think about this everyday act in response to a friendly command, we may get a more clear understanding of what it is to act "in faith".





You may have heard this reference to "sitting in a chair" as an act of faith and it may seem too simplified, but it is something we can all agree on.  Unless we are staring at a ramshackle bit of flimsy antiquity we all pretty much do not hesitate to be seated. Here is where I will insert that my love of vintage junk and antiques has indeed given me many opportunities to be more than a little wary when it comes to choosing a spot to rest!

We have all sat in a chair, and most of us have not had it crack and fall apart on us. So because we are familiar with chairs and their ability to support us, we don't worry and wring our hands each time we think about it. We just do it. We sit in the chair without a moment's hesitation.

This is what God wants us to feel about Him; that He is familiar and that He is capable to support and uphold us when we are living our daily lives. Sitting in a chair is not something we do on a rare occasion, but something that is daily and commonplace, matter-of-fact living.

I remember being in Bible Study Fellowship many years ago and we were talking about something and I made mention that I was "having faith" for something in particular to happen. I don't remember what the particular circumstance was, but I will always remember the look on a certain woman's face when I made the statement. Then she said "What do you mean, 'having faith', I don't understand what you're talking about?" Now that response was something I couldn't comprehend and never had stopped to think about. There were Christian people out there that had no concept of "living by faith", or "having faith" other than for "saving faith" for salvation.

Version: NAS

Colossians 2:6
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk in Him,


Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

The Colossian verse references the fact that it took faith on our part to believe in Jesus and then receive Him as our Savior. So if we have the faith to "receive Him", should we not have faith in Him in our daily Christian life or "walk"?

Hebrews 11, the great chapter on faith, says that we cannot please God if we don't have faith. If you stop and think about that, it is a pretty powerful statement...and pretty frightening. I'm not sure how you all feel, but I really want to be pleasing the Lord. "Pleasing" in thought and deed. I don't want to be in the place where He looks at me and is displeased... not a good place to be. Not because of retribution from Him, but if I'm in a place where I'm "displeasing" the Lord, then I'm in a place where He cannot work with or for me. And that equates to losing any "blessing" that I might be desiring.

For me "having faith" and "walking by faith" are as essential to my life as is breathing. I cannot imagine going for even a moment if I didn't rely on my faith in Jesus Christ. Not just for my salvation, which is indeed the very beginning of our "walk of faith", but for my very life and existence. Faith for my family's well being, my own health, driving down the highway, and even the food I put in my mouth. Are you with me?  How could you live if you didn't find faith for living in the source of understanding that God loves us and is with us, and that He will never leave us? To me all that is the "rock" of my life and my faith in Jesus Christ.

The Oxford dictionary defines faith as "complete trust or confidence; firm belief, without logical proof; certainty and conviction."

This all goes back to our knowing who God is, and His attributes. I guess if we don't know someone very well we cannot trust them or have confidence in them. So then, next step would be, to know someone we spend time with them. That's how we get to know someone. Then we "give them a chance" to prove themselves to us in the "trust" department. Can we trust them? All this causes us to "know" someone, trust them, have confidence in their character, and then have "faith in them as a person".

Reading God's Word, not just once a week, but on a daily basis. Consistency in our relationship through prayer and just meditating on the things of God. Being in a place where we desire His company. These are all ways to get to know Him better.

So think about "walking by faith" like this. Jesus is greeting you with a smile and a hug, inviting you in, and saying "Hello my friend, take a seat!"

love in Jesus,
Debra

9 comments:

  1. A question that every professing Christian needs to ask himself/herself is, "what is the object of my faith?"

    Simply put, the only right object of our faith is the Person of Jesus Christ (Gal 2:16; Phil 3:9). HE is what we believe. HE is Who we trust. HE is Who we listen to and obey. HE is Who we are commanded to preach.

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  2. Could I ask you to please pray for my faith. That I would know Christ through the Word and not just by the experience of others knowing the Word. I'm willing to finally admit I know so little of the Bible and His life, but I'm also very scared, where do I start. Thank you for your time.

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  3. Hi Dear Glenda, you are in a place where so many of us are and have been, even go there again. Looking in our own hearts and being honest is the first step to seeing our relationship with God move forward. You are in the best place. Honesty and admission that you want more of Jesus. I can guarentee He is ready and wanting you to pursue Him as He pursues you.
    In prayer ask Him to meet with you as you open up the Bible. John is always a good place to start. Just begin with a verse or two a day, pray about it, re-read it and ask God to reveal Himself to you. He will. As we submit to God and seek Him, then reading everyday from the Bible He will begin to infuse you with His Presence. Getting to KNOW Him is the first step in building our faith.
    I don't know how long you've been coming by this blog, but I'd love for you to start at the beginning when you can and just read thru my posts. You'll see my journey with God. It's not always been easy, but I know deep in my heart He waits to show Himself to us and to meet with us. Faith grows when you spend time with Him. It doesn't have to be "burdeness", just a commitment to read each day just a little, then pray, and be open to hearing Him speak to your heart.
    As I said, email me if you'd like, we can speak personally.
    much love in Jesus,
    Debra

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  4. Hi TOG! You are so right, THE important thing about faith is WHO are we having faith in? And of course the answer is Jesus! Good subject matter and strong point, Faith is a wonderful deep well of information which is so life changing. Glad you're here, and weighing in!
    blessings,
    Debra

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  5. Debra, thank you for inviting your blog readers to be a part of this bible study. I hope you don't mind me chiming in on one of your statements. (if you do, you can always delete it)

    "I don't want to be in the place where He looks at me and is displeased... not a good place to be. Not because of retribution from Him, but if I'm in a place where I'm "displeasing" the Lord, then I'm in a place where He cannot work with or for me. And that equates to losing any "blessing" that I might be desiring."

    More times than we care to admit, even the faithful are in a place that is displeasing to the Lord - that is the wonder of God's Grace. God can work with and for us, no matter what the circumstance. He can use our failings for His good. His blessings do not hinge upon anything we do; all fall short. It is only by His grace and glory that we receive.

    Rom 6:14 For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.
    Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
    2 Cor 12:19 He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
    Eph 2:8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God

    Even our faith is a gift from God. (sorry if I got off subject)
    :)Heidi

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  6. Hi Heidi, wonderful comment and such truth, I totally agree with you! Our salvation and God's great love for us are not based on anything that we DO. It's not based on works at all, as some believe, it is based on God's profound love and grace for us white we were yet sinners.
    In this post I was talking about our "fellowship" with God, Salvation having been completely secure we walk with God each and every day.
    Here is what I was refering to. I'll give an example. What if I had been praying for God to work in my relationship with my husband. We were not getting along, we were not praying with or for one another. Our marriage was lifeless and unhappy. I wanted things to change and was asking God to step in and intervene. Now what if God had been convicting me and speaking to me about my mouth with my husband. Maybe I was angry, bossy, complaining, and didn't give him a chance to express himself. Maybe God was trying to get me in a place to be quiet and gentle and not demanding. What if I flew off the handle instead of trying to sit down and talk to my husband in a rational way. Would I think that God would step in and "change everything" if I was ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit to do my own part?
    This is what I'm getting at. We are in fellowship with God, as His children. When we ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit to do what He asks, we place ourselves in a position to not receive.
    1Peter 3:7 Says "Husbands, be considerate as you live with your wives...so that nothing will hinder your prayers". In other words, a husband that is mean spirited and unloving ought not to expect that his prayers will be answered if he is not living and loving as Jesus does.
    See where I'm going with this? I'm talking about our daily "walk" with Jesus, our prayer life, and walking in the Spirit. Hope I explained where I was coming from a little better. Thanks for bringing this up. I want everyone know where I'm coming from. Sometimes it's hard to lay the ground work for my statements. If you'd like to look back at a few other posts where I discuss this here are a few;
    Nov. 4, Nov.7 and Nov. 11 were all about why God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, and then on Feb. 11,2010 I have a post about "relationships".
    God expects us to be living according to His Word. If we are not striving to do that, then we will not see things happen that God wants to do for us. Blessing follows obedience to God's Word, a principle throughout the Bible.
    Thanks again Heidi for feeling free to leave a comment, I really love that you all do. That's how we discuss and share.
    lots of love,
    Debra

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  7. You said it yourself and quoted the scripture...without faith it's impossible to please God.
    A recent follower.

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  8. typo up there in the post to Heidi, that's supposed to be "while" not white, hope you all knew what I meant!

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  9. And yes Covenant Keeper. You said it so succinctly. Faith is what pleases God and if it's not "of faith" it's not pleasing to Him. Our walking in a lack of faith (in who and what God is all about, not our "salvation faith") puts us in a place of "displeasing" the Lord, that is exactly what I was getting at. Thank you, great point!

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