Fall Back Into Faith Fridays - Part 10 Fun

I can't believe our fall study is almost over!  We've tackled Faith, Family, Fortune, and now, in the last part of Fall Back Into Faith, we take these final weeks to tackle FUN!  What fun!  Also, drum roll please, my new website goes live Monday.  There will be some fun giveaways and some series I'm rolling out, so I will try to make sure this redirects to what will be www.gindivincent.com next week!

I think a lot of folks, even those that have had a longstanding relationship with God, disassociate their faith and fun.  That's a shame because they should work hand in hand and your faith should inform the decisions you make in the "fun" aspects of your life. 

Today we're going to look at some Christianity misconceptions about what a faith-filled life looks like.  Next week we'll take a look at things to consider when you're having "fun," and our last week will focus on friendships, one of my favorite topics!

Here are Two Common Myths About Christianity: 

(1) If you’re a Christian, then life will be all suffering (using scripture like II Timothy 1:8 in a silo);

(2) If you’re a Christian, then life will be all blessings (using scripture like I Chronicles 4:10 in a silo).

 

God gives us extraordinary joy that could not come outside of following Him   Did you know that there are 72 references to suffering and 242 references to joy in scripture?  God is a fan of fun.  I want everyone just to hear that statement.  My grandaddy minister, who was one of the funniest people I've ever known, always gave great examples of God's sense of humor that started with the duck-billed platypus and ended with his hair loss!  However, the road is not joy-filled all the time.  The really key thing to remember is that if you are living in a time of blessing or of suffering neither, that fact alone does not reflect the depth (or lack thereof) of your walk with God. 

 

So today, let's just look at what Scripture shares about God's love of fun, and remember that Jesus' first miracle was performed at a wedding feast!  Talk about fun!

 

Zechariah 8 - This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there….” This is what the LORD Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”

 

Ecclesiastes 8 - So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun….

Nehemiah 12 - At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. The musicians also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem.

Esther 8 - And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating.

Deuteronomy 16 - Be joyful at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. For seven days celebrate the festival to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.

Psalm 149 - Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp. For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.

 

{See also the Parable of the Lost Son, Luke 15 (when he came near the house, he heard music and dancing);  and Jesus’ first miracle at Cana, John 2 (the wedding feast!).}

Fall Back Into Faith Fridays - Part 9 Fortune

Happy Friday and welcome back to our ninth installment of Fall Back Into Faith and final look at the third topic, "fortune" (for those of you new to us, you can check out three weeks of faith and family in past posts). This week, we are looking at God's call for us to be generous, after now having acknowledged Him in our work, doing what we are called to, and working hard!

I struggle with what generosity looks like in my life.  My husband and I make a comfortable living.  I live a very different life than I did growing up.  And I love giving.  I have no problem donating to World Vision or supporting hurricane relief or giving clothes and furniture away to those in need or writing a check out to my church.  But if I don't have to give anything up, is it really generous?  If there is no sacrifice and I still buy the new shoes and go out for a tasty lunch at work and buy the kids a room full of birthday toys, is it generous?  I don't know. 

Here are three things the Bible says about generosity, among many, and the rest I think is a personal decision between you (or me) and God:

1.  Don't just give generously, do it JOYFULLY! 
"Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward [the] poor and needy in your land."  (Deut. 15)

2.  If you have, then share.  And don't get caught up in what you have. 
"Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." (I Tim. 6)
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." (John 6)

3.  The more He has entrusted you with, the more He expects. 
"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.  For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."  (See Matthew 25 - see also II Corinthians 9 below)

Further Reading:  Deuteronomy 12; II Corinthians 9, Luke 19, I Timothy 6

Fall Back Into Faith - Part 8 Fortune

Happy Friday and welcome back to our eighth installment of Fall Back Into Faith, our fall bible study for working women.  We have wrapped up looking at faith and family and are in the middle of "fortune."  Last week, we looked at doing what God has called you to do and acknowledging Him in what you do.  This week, we are looking at God's instruction to WORK HARD!  And next week we will look at God's call for us to be generous - with our money but also with our time and talent which certainly are part of our "fortune." 

Some of us may have seen the words of Proverbs 31 more times that we can count - other may never have read it.  Let's just say this chapter describes one busy busy woman:  "She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night."

Don't you love this?  I think sometimes we see push back from some corners of the faith based community about working women, but this "ideal" woman described by the Bible is working full time.  SHE provides food for her family.  SHE buys a field.  SHE plants the vineyard.  SHE makes sure her trading is profitable.  Is this a crazy busy business woman or what?  

There are over 500 references to work in the Bible - that is a book that tackles work.  The one thing we learn from all corners of the Bible though is that you must work hard.  Be diligent.  Don't give up.  Stay faithful. 

But those of you overwhelmed by all of this work and life spinning around you, I have encouraging words of action for you.  Rest.  God also commands us to rest.  Maybe we're so frantic because we haven't taken a moment off in three years. 

So today, work hard when you work, take some time to rest, and give Him the glory. 

Work Hard:  2 Chronicles 24 - The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them; 2 Chronicles 15 - But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded; 2 Chronicles 31 - This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.; 2 Chronicles 34 - The workers labored faithfully.; I Chronicles 28 - And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you…Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.

Rest:  Genesis 2 - By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (See also Hebrews 4)

Give Him The Glory: Colossians 3 - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.; I Corinthians 10 - Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Further Reading:  2 Timothy 2, Colossians 3, 2 Thessalonians 3, all of 2 Chronicles

Fall Back Into Faith Fridays - Part 7 Fortune

Well friends, we're half way through our Fall Back Into Faith study.  We have covered faith and family and now we're moving on to fortune.  If faith is our foundation, and family is our cornerstone, fortune is essentially what we do.  By fortune, I mean what we do to make money and what we do with our money. 

So over the course of the next three weeks we will focus on three areas God instructs us: Do What God Has Called You/Gifted You To Do and Acknowledge It Comes From Him; Work Hard and In a Manner Reflecting Him; and, Be Generous With What God Has Given You. 

Today is a hard topic for me to tackle.  Sometimes we work at a job because it pays the bills but not because we feel "called" to work there.  While we certainly should not work somewhere that God clearly does not want us to work, we also need to realize that we may have been placed in the position we are in because God has a very specific purpose for us to impact the lives of those we encounter. 

Pray about where you need to be, where God is calling you, but simultaneously pray over where you are today.  The steps you take and the paths you cross are ordained by God to do a work for His kingdom.  You can be a positive force where you sit today.  I constantly catch myself trying to figure out what my life, and my family's life, will look like two, five, ten years from now.  I make these plans and forget to include God. 

If you are a planner, you may be able to identify.  What if instead of looking ten years out we did this:  (1) pray that God would direct our paths today and in the days to come so that we could follow where He leads, and then (2) look at the next ten HOURS instead.  What does God have for me today?  How can I be a blessing?  How can I work to best reflect HIM?

We are told from the beginning to the end of the Bible that God has prepared us to do good work and he will establish the work of our hands, but we must at all times acknowledge that it is He at work in us.  Ephesians 2 says, "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do," and Jeremiah 29 shares, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you…'"

The plans should be God's.  We have to spend time listening so we can participate in His work.  Then, remember that all we have comes from God and the work, and relative wealth it creates, is ultimately His.  Deuteronomy 8 cautions,  "Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.  And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day."

My prayer for me, and for you, today is that of David's in Psalm 90:

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands.

 

Further Reading:  Deuteronomy 8; Psalm 90; Colossians 3; Deuteronomy 30

Fall Back Into Faith Fridays - Part 6 Family

Happy Friday - it's Fall Back Into Faith time and our last installment discussing Family.  Next week we take up fortune and will close out on "fun."  Family can take on all sorts of forms and sizes, and God is such a supporter of growing strong families of faith.  A lot of those families have kids.  My immediate family includes triplets.  So if your family involves one kid or 18, step kids, foster kids, or any other kind of "kid," then today is for you. 

Being a Godly parent is the biggest challenge I have faced in my whole life.  Suddenly, I am not only responsible for my own faith choices, but for raising a generation of children that love God and know Him and His grace and sacrifice and compassion. 

I am no parent of the year as you may have picked up as you read the ups and downs of my parenting.  I offer no advice of my own on parenting.  I do turn to Scripture, and I see one theme repeated over and over again.  Bind the Word of the Lord on the hearts of your children.  Raise them in the knowledge of the Lord.  Teach them at an early age what faith is and how wide and deep is the love of Christ. 

Do your best.  Daily turn your life back over to the Lord to run so that you can be a better parent.  If you're anything like me, you will make mistakes.  Some you will feel terribly about.  Some you won't even realize you are making at the time.  But the Bible will never change, so even if you mess up, you are way ahead of the game if you are teaching them daily about the love of their Heavenly Father and the grace and sacrifice that offers them an eternal personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe. 

I prayed for years for these children.  I prayed Hannah's prayer in I Samuel as I waited.  I love her prayer in response, after Hannah had Samuel: “As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord.  I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” 

All we can do is rely on God for strength and direction.  Then love them.  And teach them.  Teach them every day in every way in every place about the love of God.

Instead of "further reading," today I wanted to leave you with the actual words, just as we must do in our families: 

Deut. 6 - Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Isaiah 54 - All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children’s peace.

Psalm 103 - But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children - with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

Matthew 18 - And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.  But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Cross references:

1. Matthew 18:4 : S Mk 9:35
2. Matthew 18:5 : Mt 10:40
3. Matthew 18:6 : S Mt 5:29
4. Matthew 18:6 : Mk 9:42; Lk 17:2

Mark 10 - People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.  When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Ephesians 6 - Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Colossians 3 - Do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

Cross references:

1. Mark 10:13 : 10:13-16pp — Mt 19:13-15; Lk 18:15-17
2. Mark 10:14 : S Mt 25:34
3. Mark 10:15 : Mt 18:3

Cross references:

1. Matthew 19:13 : 19:13-15pp — Mk 10:13-16; Lk 18:15-17
2. Matthew 19:13 : S Mk 5:23
3. Matthew 19:14 : S Mt 25:34
4. Matthew 19:14 : Mt 18:3; 1Pe 2:2

Proverbs 22 - Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Proverbs 3- My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart for they will prolong your life many yearsvand bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight

Fall Back Into Faith Fridays - Part 5 Family

Welcome back friends.  I love to write about today's topic, but I tend to avoid it because inevitably if I talk about marriage my intensely private husband is implicated! 

Well, I can talk today about marriage in the context of this study without implicating my own marriage one bit, I'm sure much to his relief.  As most of you know, we're studying faith, family, fortune and fun this fall in our study.  Last week was the first week of the family quadrant and hopefully it encouraged you with the promises God has for your family, whatever it looks like.  Today's and next week's study on family may not directly affect all of you, but since these relationships are the primary ones in many of our families, I wanted to tackle the two topics of marriage and kids. 

I shared a little bit of my personal marital challenges yesterday, but today focuses on how faith functions in the midst of your marriage. 

Your marriage may be on one of three different places - you and your husband both hold the same strong personal faith, you and your husband basically hold the same beliefs but he (or you) does not rely on his faith in a strong and daily way, or you and your husband have completely different faiths or he has no faith beliefs at all.  Because the faith in our marriages can be at completely different places, it is hard to write a one size fits all growth guide for faith in the middle of your marriage. 

The most critical piece of information to remember is that you are not responsible for your husband's faith.  You are responsible for your faith.  And you are responsible to make sure your faith shines brightly in your marriage.  Sadly, I think we often are the poorest witness inside our marriage.  If you both have a strong faith in God, you can hold each other accountable and pray for one another and strengthen one another as you grow in the knowledge of the Lord.  But if you are at very different places in your faith walk, or if you hold different beliefs, you can only work on allowing God to grow you closer to Him and then allowing that relationship between you and God to serve as a testimony to your husband who can't join you on your walk at this point in your marriage.  Do not allow the differences in your places of faith to drive a wedge in your marriage.  Instead, do you best to grow more fully in your relationship with God and just pray for your husband. 

I love this prayer for husbands from Renee Swope's A Confident Heart and also from Lysa Terkeurst's Capture His Heart.  This prayer is beautiful because it works regardless of whether your husband is a strong and solid believer or has no interest in God at all.  News flash:  God is interested in him, and always will be, and He is interested in your marriage succeeding.  Here is some of that prayer and I have provided a link to Renee's full free downloadable version as well.   

Head - Father, I ask that You would continually renew my husband’s mind, resulting in a transformed life. Help him bring every thought to Christ and make it obedient to You....(Psalm 119:15, Rom 12:2, 2 Cor.10:5)
Eyes - Lord, keep open my husband’s eyes to spiritual truths that You have for him. Help him to see things as You see them. Please guard his eyes from things that make his heart wander away from you and me. (Psalm 119:18, Psalm 119:37)

Ears - Father, help my husband to hear Your voice clearly. Give him wisdom to recognize your voice with certainty. Protect him from listening to those who aren’t seeking or walking with You....(Is 30:21, 1 Kings 3:9, 1 John 4:1)

Mouth - Jesus, help my husband to speak the truth in love...Let the words he speaks be Yours, not his own...(Psalm 19:14, 119:13, 41:3; Eph 4:15, 4:29; James 1:19)

Heart - Lord, instill in my husband’s heart a desire to seek passionately after You. Teach him to guard his heart with diligence and wisdom. Help him deal with anything in his heart that is not pleasing to You...(Psalm 78:72, 119:10-11; Prov 4:23; 1 Thes 3:13)

Hands - Lord, I pray everything my husband does would be done with his whole heart, serving You rather than man. Seeking to please You alone. I pray You will increase his skills and abilities so that he might bring honor and glory to You...(Psalm 24:3-4, Col 3:23)

Feet - Jesus, I pray my husband would love Your Words and walk in Your ways. Help him walk in a manner that is worthy of You, bearing fruit in every good work. I pray You’d show him how to creatively share your truth with our kids as he does life with them. Father, when he walks through the valley of the shadow of doubt and difficulties, I pray he would fear no evil because He knows that you are with him. (Deut 6:7, 8:6, Col 1:10, Psalm 23:4)

 

For Further Reading:



Proverbs 31, Ephesians 5, Hebrews 13:4-6, Song of Songs 4,

Fall Back Into Faith Fridays - Part 4 Family

Welcome back!  I hope you're enjoying our Friday study Fall Back Into Faith.  We worked through three weeks of looking at our faith, and I could spend thirty more, but we still have to tackle family, fortune, and fun.  If faith is our foundation, then family is our cornerstone. 

Today is family.  My family has been lots of shapes and sizes over the years.  I was an only child for four years.  At 12, my immediate family went from a family of four to a family of three.  I was fortunate to have all four of my remarkable grandparents until my late 20s.  I have aunts and uncles and cousins.  I have friends and their moms that feel like my own sisters and mothers.  Then I married into a huge family over six years ago and a small family gathering with the Vincents is always over 20 people eating around tables and couches. 

Your family may just be one or two people.  It may be 50 people.  You may feel that your family is extended or small.  Your family may have words like step or half in it like mine does.  Whatever your family looks like, God loves your family. 

Our scripture today comes from II Samuel.  I love this passage:

"The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever…Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever." Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign LORD, is for a mere human!  How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. …And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever."

Do you ever feel like that?  I do.  Sometimes I look at the amazing blessing of my family and I say to God - WHO AM I?  What is my family?  That you would be so gracious to us, so mindful of us, so faithful to us.  You have brought us so far. 

There was a song decades ago that came out by a Christian band called Truth.  I remember singing it in high school, but it resonates even more today:

We have come so far, you have been so good.

When I trace the road that we have traveled, I've got to tell you Lord.

I look at where we've come, I see where I could have been,

And I need to say again, you've been so good.

Who would have guessed that we would come so far. 

Don't you know that is what King David was singing to the Lord in II Samuel.  Can't you hear him marveling at the generosity of the God he served?  Not only have You brought us this far, but You speak of a future for us.  You speak a promise over our family for years to come. 

I don't know what your family looks like. 
I don't know what struggles your family faces this year. 
I don't know what rich blessings the Lord has poured out in your life. 
I do know that families can be complicated and hard at times.  And I know families can be chaotic and frustrating.  But families are also His precious miraculous gift to us.  Families are the cornerstone for our lives when all else unravels. 

Trust Him with your family today.  In whatever space you are in, good or bad, TRUST HIM WITH YOUR FAMILY.  Trust Him that He will establish a house for you.  God will use your family to establish His kingdom if you allow Him. 

Fall Back Into Faith - Part 3 Faith

Welcome back to Fall Back Into Faith Fridays, our fall bible study for busy women.  We have been taking a look at our faith - its foundation, the joy of our faith, and today our faith in a season of trials.

If you missed it yesterday, this week has given me a lot of fresh material to test my faith in the midst of trials.   

When we walk through a dark valley, one of two things can happen.  One, our faith can weaken in the face of opposition and we turn from God because we believe He has turned from us.  Two, our faith can strengthen because we have nowhere to turn for comfort and support but our Heavenly Father. 

I have seen both happen.  Heck, I have experienced both.  I have faced dark challenges and walked with friends through unimaginable suffering.  While we will certainly know joy in our faith, we also will doubtless experience suffering. 

The Bible shares stories of suffering from Genesis to Revelation.  We see countless trials in the life of Abraham, Moses, Job, Esther, Daniel, God's own chosen people, Paul, Stephen, and of course Jesus Christ himself, just to name a few. 

Walking through a dark valley can feel incredibly isolating.  I had one of my closest friends lose a baby at 9 days old.  I truly can not fathom her pain.  I sat with her for months as she cried and questioned God.  There is no answer.  But there is understanding.  God Himself suffered as he watched His own beloved Son tortured and killed. 

I have no idea what your heartache is today or what it has been.  I have no answers for why things happen the way they happen.  But I do know there is a reason. 

Romans promises the outcome of improved character and a shared inheritance with Christ.  Chapter 5 tells us, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope..."  Chapter 8 says, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God."

2 Corinthians promises that not only will we find comfort in Christ in and in fellow Christians during a season of trial, but we will also be able to comfort others because of what we have endured:  "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."

Paul shares in Philippians that our suffering will allow us to better know Christ, "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him...I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him...Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Ultimately, it is that wisdom from Paul that I try to keep foremost in my mind when going through a dark season.  Forget what is behind.  Press on.  Focus on the prize - knowing Jesus and and keeping my eyes fixed on Him. 

And friend, know you are not alone.  You are not alone in your trials and suffering.  Not only does the God of all Peace stand with you, carrying you when you can no longer walk, but your sisters in the faith stand behind you helping you move forward.  And so it has been since the beginning of the faith. 

 I leave you with I Peter 5, a reminder for those struggling followed by encouragement, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

A little while dear one.  Just a little while.  Then the suffering will pass and you will be restored and strengthened. 

Further Reading:  2 Corinthians 1, Philippians 3, I Peter 4 - 5,

Fall Back Into Faith Fridays - Part 2 Faith

If you missed it last week, Fridays this fall will be an on-line bible study mirrored after my working women's study last fall called Fall Back Into Faith.  We are currently studying aspects of our faith.

Today we study joy.  The joy we find in our faith.  The joy we find in receiving Christ's blessings in our lives, no matter how big or small.

Often Christianity (like politics) can swing between two extremes.  The believers that count it ALL joy and preach/study/believe only about the prosperity and blessings of Christianity without recognizing the struggles.  But then there are believers who feel that their entire Christian walk has to be a struggle and to recognize, accept, or pray for blessings is to have only a shallow faith not rooted in the sacrifice of Christianity.

I do not have a degree in theology.  But from my personal study and walk of faith, I reject that true faith has to exist at either of those extremes.

So today let's talk about the joy of our faith and giving thanks to our Father for His gifts, and next Friday we can talk about the challenges and hardships our faith will encounter along the way.

Our faith calls us to joy.  There are nearly 250 uses of the word joy in the Bible.  Nehemiah reminded the people that "the joy of the Lord is your strength."  (Neh. 8:10)  Jeremiah and Isaiah repeatedly remind us joy is to be found and that we must sing or SHOUT for joy because of what the Lord has done. One of my favorites is: the Lord sent him to bestow "the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."  (Isa. 61:3)  Of the nine fruit of the Spirit, aka qualities that show faith to people around us, one of the characteristics is JOY.  (Gal. 5:22)  Those are just discussions of "joy" - the Bible is replete with words like blessings, providence, provision, Healer, Deliverer, overflowing, goodness, bounty, and more.  Talk about some language to fuel your joy!

Sometimes though I struggle with HOW, or even if, to share my blessings and joy.  I never want my joy to be salt in the wound of a believer that is struggling with a similar issue and walking a different, harder, road.  Ann Voskamp in One Thousand Gifts, a book I highly recommend, wrote a passage recognizing the suffering of the world around us but simultaneously issuing a call to action to give thanks:

I only deepen the wound of the world when I neglect to give thanks for early light dappled through leaves and the heavy perfume of wild roses in early July and the song of crickets on humid nights and the rivers that run and the stars that rise and the rain that falls and all the good things that a good God gives.  Why would the world need more anger, more outrage?  How does it save the world to reject unabashed joy when it is joy that saves us?  Rejecting joy to stand in solidarity with the suffering doesn't rescue the suffering.  The converse is does.  The brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in the small, who give thanks for it and discover joy  even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring fullest Light to all the world.  When we lay the soil of our hard lives open to the rain of grace and let joy penetrate our cracked and dry places, let joy soak into our broken skin and deep crevices, life grows.  How can this not be the best thing for the world?  For us?  The clouds open when we mouth thanks.  

Wow.  What a charge.  Our joy can bring Light into our suffering world!  Always bear in mind though that your joy must have a strong foundation: a faith built upon solid roots and a deep and growing love and knowledge of Jesus.  The authors of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all share the same parable of the seeds.  A farmer was sowing his seeds and some were eaten by birds, some fell on rocky ground where lack of moisture prevented them from growing, some were choked by weeds, and finally some fell on good soil and yielded a bountiful crop.

This is what He tells his disciples the parable means:
“The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." (Luke 8)

Every single author translates those rocky ground people to have received the Word of God with JOY but fell away when tested.  That is the prosperity gospel - God is good all the time and if you encounter struggles you just must not be believing hard enough.  No wonder people run from God when they are confronted with challenges if that is their understanding of faith!  

This joy, the real joy bubbling out of our faith, is rooted and grounded in Christ.  This faith finds joy even when those around us might find circumstances joyless.  Our joy, blessing we can see given to us by a gracious and loving God, is light in a dark word.    

Romans 15:13:  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace 

as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope 

by the power of the Holy Spirit.

For Further Reading: Hebrews 12, Galatians 5, Romans 15, 

Fall Back Into Faith Fridays - Part 1 Faith

Last fall, I hosted a working women's bible study downtown.  Because of location issues this year, I was not able to host the bible study again.  But then it hit me, do it online this fall! 

The reality is, so many of the women that wanted to come would have a last minute conflict come up with work, so the group was always revolving and changing from month to month.  Everyone can get on the Internet during the day though! 

So every Friday this fall I will explore a scripture passage that has to do with one of the topics we studied last fall:  Faith, Family, Fortune, and Fun. 

Faith encompasses everything that we believe and that sustains us.  I am a Christian so my faith is in Jesus Christ and the passages we study will be from the Bible.  Family covers everything from a husband and kids to your parents, siblings, and extended family - those family members who are a part of your life in whatever stage that may be right now.  Fortune means our money.  The money we make, our job, and the money we spend, which often covers our struggles with false gods.  Finally, fun includes everything from our friendships to what we do with our time. 

I would love it if you would join me on Fridays, the post will always be up by lunch, and study the scripture with this community.  I know commenting on blogspot can sometimes be a challenge, but if you can't comment here, feel free to do so on Facebook.  I would love hear what God reveals to you during this time. 

Because of the introduction today, we will start with a short, but powerful, verse on faith, Hebrews 11:1-2:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

This is what the ancients were commended for.

The chapter goes on to list the faith of Old Testament greats and how they were still living by faith when they died even though they had not seen all of what God promised.  Then the author goes on to say, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."  Then, in closing the chapter, we are reminded, "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

Some days it is hard to have faith.  Some days we look at our circumstances and wonder where God is.  Some days we doubt it will get better.  Or we struggle to continue to believe against all odds. 

The New King James translation of that first verse in Chapter 11 says faith is "the evidence of things not seen." 

I am having a good day.  But I have had some bad days.  And I know that I will have them again in the future.  Storms will come.  Battlefields will arise before me.  Faith requires having confidence in what we hope for even if the evidence does not bear it out in the present moment. 

Hebrews tells us that God has planned something better for us.  God (creator of the universe) has planned (way in advance He designed what cool things are going to happen) something (we can't possibly imagine what it is) for us (that's right, you and me).  We just can not see it right now.  But you're in good company - Noah was in the same boat (pun intended), Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the list goes on and on.

Whatever storm is assailing your ship today, please do not give it the power to topple you and your faith.  We serve a God that stills the wind and storms.  Have faith.  He has something better planned for you. 

For further reading:  Hebrews 11, Ephesians 3, II Corinthians 5