'Walking in Faith, Loving in Action' & '24: A Day With God'
The connection of the entire day's message was so clear, after beginning my day with a message on 'Faith', 'Walking in Faith, Loving in Action', emailed from Jim Spivey and then ending with a message on 'Faith', '24: A Day With God', last night's message from our Youth Pastor James Rogers. There is no doubt God is loudly but softly reminding me what I am to do, 'I hear You loud and clear Lord'. I hope you too see the connection between these two messages.
The combined message is long but will bless your socks off, or at least it did mine!! I highlighted what helped me look deeper at the beauty of my connection with the Lord.
'Walking in Faith, Loving in Action'
"Faith embraces itself completely and loves even the doubt about itself." -- Paul Tillich
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." -- James 2:26"
Faith is kept alive and gathers strength more from loving practice than from speculation." -- Joseph Addison"
It usually happens that the more faithfully a person follows the inspiration he receives, the more does he experience new inspiration which asks increasingly more of him." -- Joseph de Guibert"
Faith is not being sure. It is not being sure and still betting your last cent that loving action and attitude will prevail. Faith is not making religious-sounding noises and rumblings in the distracted, reactive daytime. It is asking your inmost self hard questions at night - and then getting up and going to work on living the answers." -- Mary Jean Irion"
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of my next phase of life, 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into this unknown space.' And he calmly and confidently replied, 'Go out into the darkness in faith and reach out and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a clear, paved path.'" -- Lousie Haskins
There is one sentence, a question really, on the lips of just about every person I meet with at one time or another, and it is the question that can't be answered by another for us, even though we often wish it could, and the question is, "What do I do now?" When it is asked of me, usually right in the midst of a deeply spiritual conversation about "following," I have to look away for a moment and swallow hard, because there is no satisfaction possible in that moment and nature of inquiry, and I am habitually a pleaser and want to give satisfaction. But in this case it is not mine to give. My life is a day-to-day walk through not being sure. How can I (and why should I) give others assurance that I don't have (or require) for myself, when what they are asking for is a taste of the freedom they see in my experience? The only answers I've found can be found in the above quotes.
1) Believing what you believe has plenty of room for doubt. Doubt does not deny what you believe; it enriches it.
2) Act on what you believe is true. Bring your spirit to life through loving action that assumes your beliefs are true.
3) Don't get lost in inaction when you doubt, hoping some evidence will show up - be the evidence - live the proof.
4) Be ready and willing to give all to what you believe, because the stronger it grows, the more it'll require of you.
5) Don't fake it; ask yourself the hard questions; ask God the even harder ones; be still in the silence, receive, act.
6) Reach out; put your hand into the Hand of God; let go of everything else, including your fear, and simply follow.
7) Not from above, but from me through my experience -
Stop expecting/seeking answers/clarity from others - they don't have it for you - go deep within yourself to live.
That way, what flows and reaches out of you will be Answers from Him, wrapped in the greatest Love there is, rather than the endless questions and needs for (and the inevitable disappointment and upset with) others.
___
Then my day ended last night with a message on 'Faith' when our Youth Pastor, James Rogers gave this powerful teaching, I began to write, trying to write every word; scribbling notes all over several sheets of paper in my disorganized way of laying it out and with my atrocious handwriting (of which sometimes I can't read my own!) and as I ran out of space wrote around the margins and back around the other side of the paper (some of you may understand). Then finally I thought I can do this and retype what I wrote if I do this right away. Then the answer came to me and I asked Pastor James for his notes, and so this will be a whole lot easier. The message was so profound that as I listened and scribbled, my spirit is saying 'yes, Yes, YES!! as I hear the Lord speaking to me all day long. Maybe not 24 hours, but it was at least 12 of it!!
Since this is even longer, over the next few days I will type this message from Pastor James' notes. He asked me to give needed credit, since some of his notes are from Youth Resource by Doug Fields.
(For the sake of space and time I am not always quoting verbatim.
You have to picture this, through the entire worship service, prayer and a youth skit, he is wearing a backpack. I figured it was part of the skit.
24: A Day With God
"'I see a lot of problems during 9 to 5 hours. So much so that, I'm just going to call it a general problem, a problem that I'm defining as a compartmentalized faith.' Compartmentalized Faith: describes a person who gives God priority some of the time but not all the time. A pick-and-choose type of Christianity, to pick to live a Christ-like life some times and to live a Christ-less life at other times. The contrast given was the analogy of when the lights are on or off, determines if they choose God's way or not. Another was the ad enticing people to Vegas with the slogan, 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'. Enticing cheating on spouses, gambling away your life savings, the contrast of living one way at home and another way in Vegas.''
In church we live one way as you are inspired to love and another way when we are not. As you leave the church it all about love as you get in the car. Thinking about picking up a hitchiker but he's wearing a hockey mask, (it was in the message) so you decide against it. Inspired to do extra volunteer work, mowing your neighbors lawn, grocery shop for a shut-in, you even return your shopping cart to the cart corral, because you feel lovely. It is a great faith filled day. "
Then Monday hits." That loving feeling is gone. With your agenda, ambition and pride you arrive in the marketplace.
There is no guilt trip hour that you have to spend with God. Whether morning person or night owl; "Just make some connection with God where you hold His hand before you leave the house".
Here are some action steps:
Shout It Out
In the morning say, "God, I love You, I want to be connected with You."
Feel It
Remember the shower and the water coming down as a reminder of God's love raining on you. Feel God's love. In the marketplace 20% of the people aren't going to like you and want to attack you. Build up this emotional and spiritual fortress by feeling God's love and being reminded of it. (I want to interject a memory of something the Lord showed me last year. Our faith that we receive is like standing in the shower with a rain coat on and a rain hat, take off the rain coat and the hat and receive all that He is showering on you)
Hide It
Take a little bit of God's word. Hide some of His word in your heart. We didn't say 45 minutes or 19 chapters, just try one minute if you're not doing it at all.
Say It
Hold God's hand and take Him throughout the day. Talk with Him, connect with Him.
Now here's the backpack as a representation/illustration of Faith, your connection and relationship with God. In the backpack are a megaphone (was a styrofoam cup) to shout your praises to God, 'God I love You, I want to walk with You'; a blanket, to feel His love; a Bible, God's word to hide in your heart; a coffee cup representing morning converstion with God. (yes, I honestly can say I need a jump start in the morning too!!)
Now the questions; with the analogy of the backpack being Faith. Where is your backpack? at home? Left at church? In the car? In the trunk out of sight? Do you take it off at work to get to business? The message is don't leave it, take it with you everywhere. 'This is Faith in action'.
Live your faith in Jesus. Don't walk your talk, walk His walk, God's walk. A sign of an invasion and change in Christ, is how we live and interact. Jesus said, 'You will know who My followers are.' Jesus didn't say by their bumper stickers, crosses they wear, Christian t-shirts, yard signs. You'll know them by how they love each other.' Matthew 7. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced." God's Spirit in them produces fruitfulness.'"
_____
I love analogy and for some reason find myself not only using it often in my speech and writing, I am mesmerized by it in books and teachings which for me adds a depth of connection which gives 'real life' depiction. I love the analogy of the backpack because in real life it is something tangible and visual and in my spiritual walk I can make the choice (as you will see in the second part of this message) to keep it on and if it slips off, or I forget it, 'grace' says I can go back and pick it up, over and over again. This backpack will never wear out. And guess what? In this 24: A Day With God, 'this' backpack, it's lighter than a feather and lifts me higher and higher.
The message throughout my day was clear, 'Hold His Hand, Wrap yourself in the greatest love there is, Feel His love wrapped around you and raining on you...then use your 'Faith' to go out there and Walk in It, Share It.... It's Love In Action'.
Thank you Jim and James for listening and Sharing and Living In Action!
Ready for the World wearing my 'Faith' Backpack
Video & Song
'East to West' Casting Crowns
http://youtube.com/watch?v=s6zdihmwy1M
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