Day 164: Trusting Patiently

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

Don't we all need to remember this message more?

It is so easy for us to turn to fear whenever things in our lives get tough.  When we are out of a job, or if we are facing some conflicts with our families or friends, we might try to go straight to stressing out about the situation and fearing for the future.  Rather than comforting ourselves, our response only serves to harm us more.  We end up turning away from our faith and even downright cursing God whenever we start to rely on fear.

I'm certain that we all enjoy having instant results for everything we do (just look at where our feats of technology have brought us in that regard).  However, when we live our lives with such a fast pace, we start to think that everything should be moving quickly; or, conversely, we think that things that take time are faulty.  Just taking a look at practically any passage from the books of Samuel, Kings, or Chronicles will show how the nations of Israel and Judah were struggling with that.  When things didn't go quickly for them, they turned away from God and went to other idols.  In the same way, we will start to turn to idols.  We will start to throw money at our problems as if that will save us.

But Jesus has told us time and again, if you would believe you would see the glory of God.  How many times have there been miracles in your life?  I can count so many.  I was born into a family that supports me in all my endeavors.  My family loves me for who I am.  I have great friends in my life.  I have been supported throughout my school and as I transition into having a full-time job.  God has provided so much for me, and I witness God's glory in every aspect of my life.  When I start to fear or turn away, it is because I no longer want to see God in every situation.  Rather than trusting in God, I would rather trust in other things.  But God is the only one who will set things straight in my life.  When we believe, we see the glory of God all over our lives.

Day 162: Knowing God's Voice

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."  John 10:27-28

This is a message of reassurance, and I am sure that many of us need this message this very day.

This reassurance comes with instructions, though, and we cannot avoid those instructions.  Jesus says My sheep hear My voice...and they follow Me.  Easy enough, isn't it?  When I was in grade school, as soon as the bell rang, I knew it was time to change classes.  I followed the sound of the bell.  Following Jesus should be just as easy, right?  Of course it can be that easy!  We just have to make it easier for ourselves.

As I'm on the way to the Viola da Gamba Society of America Conclave, I remember when I was at another historical music festival a few years ago, the Texas Toot.  I took a lesson with a professional, and I played in an ornate way that I thought was impressive.  She replied, however, that what I had done was not in good taste.  It was good playing, but not tasteful.  From then, I sought to understand what good taste in Baroque music was, and I feel now, especially after receiving guidance from many teachers and performers, that I have somewhat of a sense for this good taste.

What did it take?  Well, it took, and still takes, lots of listening.  I listen to many different artists and many different pieces to understand what is going on.  I read countless pages by teachers of the time period and modern commentators just to get a sense about the style of music from back then.  I have sifted through many do nots just to start doing.  Any profession will require this sort of dedication, and we all have a certain calling that we pursue with all our time and attention.

However, the good news is that we have a simple way of getting in touch with God.  We have the Bible with many quotes from great people and from God.  We can only understand the sound of God's voice when we surround ourselves with God's voice.  We can get a sense for it by sitting in church, where we all hear the word of God being read to us.  Even easier is just to grab a Bible and start reading.  Nowadays, we have an even easier step: listen to an audio Bible.   When we get connected with the Bible, we start to understand that God is calling us constantly.  We will learn that God reassures us more than scares us.  Rather than listen to the loud voices that are trying to scare us into voting one way or another, to scare us into killing ourselves, to scare us into killing and hating all those around us, we will find comfort in all that Jesus has to say.  Jesus tells us that times will be tough, but he reassures us so many times more than just telling us to be afraid.  As Christians, we are called to be brave and bold in all our tough situations.  We shall know God's voice, and we shall receive eternal life.

Day 158: Active Faith

"He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like his father and mother, for he removed the sacred pillars of Baal his father built.  But still he persisted in the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he did not depart from it."  4 Kingdoms (2 Kings) 3:2-3

I don't know why I don't see passages like this used to explain how faith and actions work.

This passage shows that faith isn't just about a one time confession, and it also shows that one action doesn't make a person faithful.  Perhaps another example I can think of is how the gym works.  I can go to the gym every single day but not do exercise.  Of course, there's the simplest explanation: I just walk in and talk on the phone or to others the whole time rather than exercise.  There is, though, another, and that is I can go into a gym and do exercises, but I might not be doing them correctly or in a constructive/productive manner.  One can spend hours in the gym and come out no different or worse, even.

In the same way, we can walk into church and come out unchanged.  We can go through the motions and not engage with God.  I see this with many musicians who work in churches.  I know many people who do church music just to perform and/or just to get a check.  Those people can spend hours upon hours either in the church for rehearsals or even just with the music and still come out not having taken a single word to heart.  King Jehoram is an example of this apathy to faith.  He removed the idols in Israel, but was still evil.  If this took place today, I'm sure many of us would accuse him of having done so just as a publicity stunt.

As Christians, we are called to action at every moment, and our goal is the same one as always: show love to all of those who need it.  Jesus came into the world to show us love, and he has called all of us to show that same unconditional love to each person.  We can't just live our life on the sidelines.  We need to be active in our faith to love. 

Day 153: The Sweet, Good Words

"Good words are a honeycomb, and their sweetness is a healing of the soul."  Proverbs 16:22

This metaphor is so full of imagery.

The honeycomb is something that represents many things, and in the wisdom literature of the bible, it represents God's word.  Today, in my reading plan, I just so happened to read "How sweet to my taste are Your teachings, more than honey and the honeycomb in my mouth." (Psalm 118(119):103)  And, whenever I come across this metaphor, I have to wonder, why is it used?  I mean, in the developed world today, we have rampant obesity, especially in the United States, and sugars are a major cause (I would dare to say the leading cause).  So why would God's word be like a sweet that spurs more lust than discipline?

To start, as I think about honey, I can't help but remember all of those "nature doctor" posts that make their rounds on Facebook, the ones that say that honey can cure any disease, even cancer.  Perhaps honey was seen as something more medicinal in the biblical age, but, then, the metaphors talk more about the taste than the healing properties (although the verse I want to talk about has both).

What I think about the most for this metaphor, though, is that the honeycomb is a result of so much work.  If you ever study or read things about bees, you'll come to know that they are hard workers.  The hive is an intricate layout of a home for the queen and the larvae, so that there can be more bees.  We have also come to rely on bees to pollinate our plants, which also help to nourish the bees.  Yet, after all that hard work, the bees lose their honeycombs to whichever consumers are brave enough to extract them.  Whoever ends up being able to take those honeycombs and extract honey from them has to face the bees.  I know that I could never become a beekeeper for fear of getting stung even through protective wear.  But, the end result is quite delicious.

In the same way, many wise people have pondered over so many concepts.  We have the fortune of having many words that have been dictated or said by God in our bibles, and we can continue to meditate and feast on them whenever we'd like.  The best part of this is that we can be healed by all the good words that we read and learn.  Whenever we learn all of the things that Jesus has taught us well, we will be healed.  We will become better people.  We will make the world around us even better, for the good words of Christ come down to one command: love.

Day 146: Avoiding Idols

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols.  Amen."  1 John 5:21

I have always found this verse to be one of the oddest things in the bible.  It's the closing of a letter, but it seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the book.

John, as I said yesterday, writes all about the Antichrist and about God's love.  Idolatry doesn't really get all that much attention in the first letter of his.  The last two chapters talk all about Jesus and how to follow him, so I'm surprised that it doesn't end with a doxology (glory be...) or some sort of closing blessing.  Instead, the letter ends with a brief note.  It's as if John wanted to write a P.S. before the custom was popular (I'm not sure how letter writing conventions of the first and second centuries AD were).

But, when I think about it even more, the note at the end had to be important enough for him to include it.  I remember when I was in high school, playing in an orchestra rehearsal, the guest conductor was not happy with how somebody was playing Mozart.  In fact, he stopped and said, "You know, back then, paper was expensive.  Ink was expensive.  Writing music was tedious.  So, if there is a dot on each one of those notes, you'd better play each one."  Perhaps the same logic can be taken here, where paper was scarce, and literacy was low.  This note seems to be important.

The other thing about this note, though, is that John assumes that the readers know what exactly he's talking about.  And, if we as modern day readers think about it, we know exactly what he's talking about.  It seems that following Jesus does require some explanation, and the explanations that John has given us reiterate everything that Jesus has taught us: to love unconditionally.  But ridding our lives of idols, now that's an easy one for us to understand.  We don't need an explanation for that because we know what idols are.  We know that our faith is being stretched just as our attention span is.  We are drawn to money, to beauty, to celebrities, to many other things besides God.  Those idols tempt us each day.  The same thing has been happening all throughout history.  Read any two chapters in 1 or 2 Chronicles and you'll see that.  Look at the wisdom books in the bible and you'll see so much about not straying from idols.  Yet, we always need a reminder.

Perhaps, John is giving us an answer to a question that we'd have after hearing his statement.  It's a summary of the entire letter.  We have a way out of our temptations of all those other idols.  When we devote our lives to idols, we no longer have the time or the energy to love.  So, when we love as Jesus taught us, as John reminds us, then we will draw ourselves ever closer to God.

Day 145: Being Loving Children of God

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."  1 John 4:7

The first letter of John shows two extremes: the love of God, and the deception of the Antichrist.

As I've been reading through this book, I feel like I'm reading the writing of a bipolar author, scaring people about the impending coming of the Antichrist and then comforting them with the discourse of God's unconditional love.  Perhaps that serves to make the parts about love more comforting than they already are.  At the same time, though, this is the sort of thing we encounter every single day, and John is equipping us with the necessary tools to make it through this troublesome life.

I must admit, I enjoy the fact that John doesn't dwell on the Antichrist problem.  If anything, he writes too much about love, but we need more of that anyhow.  We need to know more about God's unconditional love because it is what is saving us.  That love comes down to us in the form of grace of salvation from all the evils in the world.  On the other hand, there are many out there who claim to be Christians, using the bible to promote their doctrines of hate, and using God as an excuse to kill others by going on murderous rampages or ascending to power to kill countless people.  That is what we are facing each day: people using the bible for its physical weight rather than it's weight as wisdom.

As we encounter more and more of this hate, we can become comforted by knowing that all our Christian faith can be summarized in succinct verses, as opposed to ramblings of hate, exceptions to love, and discrimination.  Think about it: Jesus told us that there are only two commandments to follow - love God, and love each other; we read in John 3:16 that Jesus came into the world as an act of love; and right above, we have yet another verse - that those of God are ones who show love.  We know God because we can love.  That's just knowing, though.  We are of God because we love. 

Day 133: Building up a Community

 "Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing psalms.  Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."  James 5:13-14

I feel like this is something that we've distanced ourselves from in recent times.

We look at church like a place that exists far away from home that is only open on Sunday mornings.  It loses its spirituality over the week and becomes just a building.  We also become divorced from everybody at church once we leave on Sunday.  Yet, that's not what the point is.

When I read the above passage, I think about how important a church was to the community.  All of the activities that are listed above (and even after this passage) are things that we normally associate with church.  The thing is, though, that there isn't any fine print.  There's nothing that says, "If anyone is sick at church," or, "If anyone feels cheerful at church," or "If anyone is suffering at church."  It's plain and simple.  We are the church, and we take it everywhere we go.

The other side to consider is that we need to make sure the church is a community, not just a bank, where transactions happen between a teller and a customer.  Instead, we attend church as a community.  We should be willing to join hands in prayer and healing at any given moment.  We should feel as if the church is our second home, if not our fist.  We need to have camaraderie between all the members.  If there are issues, then we should make sure to go forward and solve them.  Rather than let evil break into our communities, dividing them and infecting every person, we should be guarding all the good that comes from our community.

Our faith is not something that we just say.  Anybody can crack open a prayer book or (in that case) look up the Creed page on Wikipedia and recite the words with no faith.  That's easy.  It's living our faith that we are called to do.  When we read the bible and learn what to do, we can build up our communities to become stronger.  It takes a great effort to build up a community, but when we do, it will benefit us, healing us, and celebrating with us.

Day 130: True Faith

"If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."  James 2:15-17

Here is a sharp way of putting this message.  Unfortunately, this same issue still applies today.

With the rise of social media becoming platforms for people to project all their feelings, including support and denunciations, there have been some ideas that have become quite popular.  One of these that has been getting lots of backlash from secularists is the notion of stating, "Pray for ___", where the blank is usually a country/city in the West.  I must admit, I agree with the secularist argument.  In fact, James even agrees, as he has written above.

For many, church has become something more of a habit rather than an act of devotion.  There's nothing ever planned on Sunday mornings, and there are many places that don't even open on Sunday, so what better to do than to go to church?  And that's all that happens.  Crowds fill up the pews in churches all over the world on Sundays, but that's all that happens.  So many people will show up on Sundays, but when it comes to volunteering for charities or giving time for other things, nobody shows up.  You can wear the cross around your neck, but are you ready to pick up the cross that is still lying in your room?

The truth of the matter is that our faith should be producing works.  Our faith is not something that just stays stagnant.  I mean, there are countless examples that remind us that our faith is not dead.  Jesus never says, "Say you believe in me, but stay seated."  No, in fact, Jesus says, "Follow me."  We have the Holy Spirit guiding us to do many great things in our lives.  The word Spirit comes from a word meaning breath/wind.  If it's still, it's no longer a breath or wind.  In this same way, we should be looking at all of our aspects of our lives in faith.

Why do we read the bible?  We should be reading for answers and for a strengthening relationship with God.  Why do we pray?  It should be so that we can keep up our communication and have a moment to breathe in between living our tough life and continuing with more works.  It should also be a chance for us to receive strength to continue.

So, when it comes to praying, it shouldn't just be a post on Facebook.  It should be a true meditation, one that gives us strength to do all that we can to help out those around us.  Our prayers should be our calls to action.  God calls us to action during our prayers.  Our faith calls us to action.  Our faith calls us to lead, to follow, to act, to love.

Day 129: Unwavering Faith

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind."  James 1:6

This is one of my all time favorite verses.  It taught me so much about faith when I first read it, and each time that I come across it, it bears the same weight on my life.

As Christians, we have to live our lives faithfully, and one of the ways to do that is to do everything out of faith.  We should be able to point all of our actions back to our faith in the one God.  Our love should come from our faith.  Our practice should come from our faith.  Our hospitality should come from our faith.  Our faith is the root to everything that we do.  If we do not have faith, we don't have anything.

Imagine if you asked a close friend or your partner to do something.  You ask simply because you expect/know that it will be done.  You have forged a relationship with this person because of the amount of trust that you have put into this person and because you know that there will be support coming from this person.

When I think about this, I immediately wonder why I would ever cast any doubt upon God.  I mean, why would I pray if I don't even have a reason to pray?  Why would I get all worked up, kneeling on the ground, reaching up with my hands, shouting before God if I am not expecting for my prayer to get answered?  That sounds like an awful lot of effort for something that doesn't matter.  Even worse, why would I place so much doubt upon the being who has guided me and saved me and transformed me in so many different ways?

God should have all of my trust.  I shouldn't have to wander away from time to time just out of curiosity or doubt.  That makes absolutely no sense.  If I do all of that, I become as a wave.  I cycle above and below the water, and I only live as long as I don't bump against a rock or any other body floating on the sea.  That's not a very good lifestyle for me to adopt.  Instead, I should be prepared to communicate with God.  More importantly, I should be prepared to encounter God, even when it might be a shock to me.

Communication with God is difficult because God is not like every other human being on the earth.  God is God.  Therefore, we need to prepare ourselves to talk to God.  It's not that God isn't going to listen, but it's that we are going to lose sense of God when we go unprepared.  There are some easier preparations, such as by attending church or reading the bible.  But the real test comes when you approach prayer.  Is your mind ready to speak to God?  Are your hands ready to reach for God's hands?  Are your ears ready to hear what God has to say?  It's only when we are prepared to communicate with God in faith that we will have a rewarding conversation.

Day 125: Our Faith in God

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."  Hebrews 10:22-23

This is a message that relates to another that James writes in his own letter, which is one of my favorites.

Faith is hard.  For a strictly logically focused mind, faith can be counter-intuitive, with there being little to no instant, tactile rewards for faith.  But, the epistle writers in the New Testament made sure to encourage all of their readers to continue in faith.  This is because faith is the most important requirement for our relationship with God to strengthen.

I like that the word faith really only occurs in two places in common English parlance: religion and relationships.  I don't think this is a coincidence at all, and I think there are many things we can learn about how to live religiously through the lens of a relationship.  In American culture, one of the most celebrated, if not the most celebrated, things in life is the romantic relationship.  I will admit that I put such an importance on romantic relationships almost immediately after coming out of the closet.  Sure, my family joked about the necessity for them, specifically so that we could have new babies in the family, but I will say that most of the emphasis has been of my own doing.  It was something that I strove for, going on countless dates, engaging in countless social meetups, and praying to God for.

Now that I am in a committed with a great boyfriend, I am learning more about myself.  There are, of course, many things I need to learn in order to have our relationship continue to grow.  However, the way that I learn about these things is by keeping up a constant communication between my boyfriend and me.  Communication is the only way I'll be able to learn anything about him.  Communication is also a great foundation for faith because it's an expression of interest in the other person.  It shows that I am willing to learn more and get even closer.  It also helps me keep my boyfriend in my mind.

Faith is much more important in our relationship with God, for God is the ultimate expression of love.  We learn so much about how to treat those around us through the ways God has transformed us.  However, we can allow for many different temptations to seize us at anytime, leading us away from our relationship with God.  Perhaps the strongest factor leading to such an overwhelming attraction to temptation is a lack of knowledge of the beloved.  When we wander around, knowing little to nothing about God, we start to find the things that we are looking for in other entities.  When we find ourselves seeking to make ourselves better, we will look for the instant gratification that comes from money rather than God.  When we look for satisfaction in our lives, we will look for self-destructive activities rather than edifying ones that we could find in God.  In other words, we lead ourselves astray from God by our desire to remain ignorant of all the good that God is.

This passage from Hebrews reminds us that we have been transformed by God in ways that only make us better.  God has cleaned us from every impurity that has infiltrated our lives.  God has promised us love, life, success, and so many other things.  And God is delivering on each of those promises every single day.  We need to be listening to God speaking to us and answering our questions rather than our own voices that lead us astray.  We need to ask God with the intent of seeking God out as opposed to just asking just for the sake of asking.  We need to make God a part of our lives so that we can continue living in a faith that is rewarding for our life.

Day 115: Seeing God

"He who oppresses the poor provokes his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy upon a poor man." Proverbs 14:32

Here's an important message for all of us to take.

In our society, we can get around just fine with a certain amount of wealth.  Usually, the type of clothes we wear and the kinds of things we bring around will show what our general wealth bracket is.  If we are lucky, we might be able to pass for someone higher up with some cheap knockoffs.  Even if one doesn't make that much, he can still try to make himself appear to be much better off by investing the little money he has into a fancy car, a pair of shoes, or some accessory that would cause many eyes to turn.  The bottom line, though, is that we need to show off a certain amount in order to be considered a "normal" person.

To go even further, imagine that we ourselves are really just buying a certain plating to put around our body, as if we were coins.  Chocolate coins can be covered in gold foil.  The outside is very shiny, but the inside chocolate, as delicious as it might be, is still not worth that same weight in a precious metal.  Look at the coins we have in circulation.  They shine and have certain colors, but they are not completely made of precious metals, if they have anything precious in them at all (except for our complete faith in money).

On the other hand, those who do not make that much money cannot cover themselves up.  They are living on what they need.  They eat the food that will sustain them.  They wear the clothes that will allow them to go about without being charged with indecent exposure or the like.  In other words, they are entirely expressions of themselves.  Whereas those of us who have enough to clothe ourselves with enough coating so that we can hide all our imperfections and/or rough edges, those who are less fortunate cannot.  And that's what came to mind when I read this proverb.  If we are going to treat all those around us, those living by stretching the truth - the politician who claims to be the savior when they are raping children, the priest who stands in front of congregations with full garb but who is promiscuous and breaking vows left and right, or even the one who has robbed many people of their money but still dresses in a coat and tie and shakes your hand as if he were handing you bars of gold - with utter respect, but look down upon the poor, who are we?  If we can't accept the truth that is placed before us in the form of humans struggling to make ends meet, then how can we even accept the higher truths about life and salvation?  How can we curse the work of the Creator while we tout the work of our lying hands and filthy money?

We need to see Jesus everywhere we are, even if we are presented with a picture we deem ugly or dirty.  We need to accept the whole truth that God presents us everyday as opposed to living off the crumbs of truth we deem most satisfying.

Day 114: God's Faithfulness

Then he told her everything in his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a holy one of God from my mother's womb.  If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like all other men."  Judges 16:17

The book of Judges is quite a depressing read.  There is a back and forth struggle with the Israelites and their faith.  It always seems that their lack of faith gets the best of them, and there are many stories throughout about what happened when they turned away from God.  Even the more 'heroic' stories are quite gruesome.  The story of Sampson is no exception.

When I read this verse, I thought that it summed up the entire story of Sampson.  He was a man set aside by his parents for God, but he always had trouble with temptations.  In the end, he fell for a woman who was trying very hard to betray him.  He gave into her out of complete desire for her.  And, when he finally renounces his dedicated state, he loses his God-given strength.

I find that this is a great metaphor on how our lives are.  If nothing else, Sampson's story shows us that we have many different challenges to face all throughout our lives, even if we set ourselves aside for God.  In fact, Sampson also shows that just because we are Christians by family association or my title doesn't mean that we are following Jesus or fearing God.

God gives us so many gifts throughout our lives, but it is up to us how we decide to use them.  Some of us will decide to improve on our gifts.  Others of us will try to hide or reject the gifts we are given.  Our rejection of gifts seems to be quite mindless, doesn't it?  I mean, if you're at your birthday party and your friends bring you different gifts, would you reject them right in front of them?  But that's what we do when we reject our own gifts from God - we show that we disapprove of them right before God's eyes.  What's worse is that we then turn away from all the good things that God has for us and head towards something that we think is good for the moment - that pretty guy, that throwaway job, those super expensive clothes.

The interesting, but hopeful, thing about Sampson's story is the sign of God's mercy.  Despite the fact that Sampson does some pretty questionable things throughout his life, he still has that godly strength throughout, right until he outright forsakes God with his own words.  And, even though it doesn't end in the best way for Sampson, God still answers his prayer right at the last moment of his life.  I pray that we will not have to wait until that moment, but it is still an example of the fact that God is always faithful to us, even if we aren't.  God wants us to do well, and God wants to bring us back to God.

Living life will involve lots of decisions, but if we take the time to pray and read the bible, then we will be able to find our way through our problems.  God is always faithful to us; let us be faithful.

Day 099: Strengthening Faith

But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master we are perishing!"  Luke 8:23-24

As I have been learning more about philosophy and taking more time to contemplate the wisdom literature of the bible, I have started to understand that wisdom involves a change of perspective.

This event shows a contrast between the wise person and the doubting one.  It seems that the end goal of wisdom is to find peace amidst all of the terrible things all around.  Jesus does this by falling asleep and remaining asleep during a storm.  Now, I don't know about you, but I know that I wouldn't be able to stay asleep (except for that one time while I slept through one of the worst hurricanes that swept through Houston).  I would probably be just like the disciples: scared, frightened.

But that's our problem with how we live our lives.  Despite the fact that we can describe ourselves as the good soil that accepts the seed from the sower and allow it to grow into something bearing the most beautiful of fruits, we might waver when we are faced with danger.  That's not what the Gospel calls us to do, though.  All throughout the Gospel, we find many words of encouragement.  Jesus has come to save us.  God will not test us beyond our means.  Go out into the world and preach the good news.  Behold!  The ill are healed and the poor are receiving the Gospel.  He is risen!

So why do we have trouble with accepting these words?  The issue is that we still deceive ourselves.  We like to say that just because we go to church we are faithful.  It's easy for anybody to walk into a church.  We say that just because we read a few words of the bible that we are faithful.  Just take a moment to scroll through Facebook to see how easy it is to read a word, even if one doesn't believe a single word.

"The wisdom of astute men will know their ways, but the folly of men without discernment is in their deceit." (Proverbs 14:8)  We can't live our lives deceiving ourselves about what faith we have.  We need to be diligent in our faith.  That involves knowing why we are faithful.  We need to take time every day to understand our faith.  We can only strengthen it through the practice of meditation through prayer, and through discernment while we read the bible.  We can only prepare ourselves for the storm when we actually prepare ourselves.  It's one thing to be in a house and say that you've watched all the safety videos for hurricane preparedness, but it's another to go to the store and buy a preparedness kit and know all of the ins and outs of the disaster.  We can tout our faith all we want, but God knows what's actually going on.

In order for us to make it through the storm, we have to reject all of the distractions from our faith.  We have to follow and stick with Jesus through all the times: the good and the bad.  When we do this, we will find that our faith is stronger than ever.  Jesus has called us to follow him; let us follow him.

Day 081: Building Faith

Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going." John 12:35

This is a poignant message from Jesus, especially as he prepares to go to the cross.

I just learned that it is a description of how our lives are so short that we only have a little while to walk in the light so that we may head in the right direction.  And, when I think about the short time that we have, I also think about how we can even learn to make our lives ones of light.

I love to study languages.  The hardest part about learning a language, in my opinion, is building up vocabulary.  There are usually so many words to learn.  Sure, there are few that you need to get by, but after getting a "survival level" in your target language, you have to start fleshing it out until you can achieve "fluency", whatever that goal might be for you.  The issue with learning vocabulary is that it is so easy to forget it.  I can learn a word now and forget it in thirty seconds.  I could learn a phrase today and forget it tomorrow.  So, I have had to figure out ways to master my mind in order to learn vocabulary.

Another image that comes to mind is working out.  From a visual standpoint, it is usually pretty obvious who spends time exercising and dieting and who doesn't.  From a personal standpoint, though, you can't lie to yourself.  When you go run for a day, you might only be able to go so far for so long.  However, after training for weeks or even months, you can build up an endurance to run quite a distance.  When you build up that endurance, you will find smaller physical tasks to be much easier.  But, when you lay off of exercise for a period of time, you realize that you have to start the training all over.  Your endurance wanes, and/or your muscles shrink.

In the same ways, I like to think about walking in the light.  We have let the world of darkness take over so many facets of our lives that we need to put in an effort just to walk towards the light, let alone in it.  We need to surround ourselves with the resources we need in order to get to the light.  And, just as Jesus was showing us in this example, the Gospel is the easiest way to the light.  We have all this guidance from Jesus to walk in the right direction.  Pair that up with some prayer and you should be set for life.

In the end, whatever the method, we have to remember that it is not instantaneous.  We need to develop our lives in faith, and we need to build up our faith like a strong vocabulary or a set of muscles.  During Holy Week, take the opportunities that are out there to build up on your faith.  Attend a few services.  Read a few devotionals.  Pray. 

Day 077: Fear

"Behold, the Lord your God is delivering the land to you in our presence; go up and take it as an inheritance, in the manner the Lord God of your fathers spoke to you; do not fear or be afraid."  Deuteronomy 1:21

Imagine that somebody calls you on the phone right now to tell you that your dream job is set up for you: you will do what you love, and you will get paid to do it - no risks.  Would you turn it away?

I find that the story of the Israelites going into the Promised Land is a great example for us to learn from.  God, who delivered them from Egypt and who led them through the desert with a sign of a cloud by day and fire (an entire pillar!) by night, told them that their land of promise, one flowing with abundant resources, one that they would be able to clear for themselves, was prepared and ready for them.  Almighty God told them this.  But they, in response, asked to reconsider everything, to make sure that everything was 'safe' and 'ready' to their arbitrary standards.  They became afraid because they reconsidered every single detail and found things to be afraid of, despite God's promise.  This, obviously, did not end well for them.

However, we face this same sort of situation frequently in our lives.  We can go to church and pray and read the bible, but when it comes time for challenges in our lives, we cower.  We turn away from everything we have been taught and have seen and run away to our own detriment.

God used Mosaic Law to teach the people of Israel how to follow God.  Then, when the time was appropriate, God sent Jesus to free us from the tutelage of the Law so that we could walk in faith towards him without any reservations.  Jesus made it so much simpler for us.  But, we continue to walk away, saying it's too scary to follow, too risky to become a disciple, too good to be true.

And then, we have all of the blessings that we receive every day.  We can't seem to be thankful for each one of them.  Instead, we go to God, asking for God to make things the way that we want them, for the moment, for the minute that it sounds good.  Instead, God shows us the bright way, but we find the things to make it scary for us.  God shows you the dream job, but your investigation shows that you would have to put in a greater effort.  God shows you the dream house, but your investigation shows that you would have to mow the lawn.  God shows you salvation, but your investigation shows that you would have to follow God.

This Lent, take some time to thank God for all the blessings you have received.  Ask God for courage through every situation in your life, so that you might be able to become the best that you can be.

Day 076: Total Devotion

"Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall be blessed.' So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham."  Galatians 3:7-9

This is a revelation to us about how to live our lives.

On the one hand, Paul is clarifying the fact that the Gospel is not restricted to those who are related by blood line to Abraham.  In fact, the only way to become children of Abraham is through faith.  On the other hand, this is actually an explanation about how we can be true Christians.  Just as the Jews could only claim heritage to Abraham through their faith, in the same way we can only claim discipleship to Jesus through our faith.

We have all been called to become followers of Jesus through our faith.  And what does that entail?  It entails a total dedication of our lives to Jesus.  The neat thing about being followers of Jesus is the fact that we have lots of his teachings written down in the Gospels.  We know how Jesus wants us to live.  He calls us to put aside all of our judgments, our prejudices, our discrimination, and instead show our love for one another as signs of our love and devotion to God.  We have so many invitations to follow Jesus that you would think that more people would decide to become followers.  Again, it seems that it is because of the simplicity of the Gospel that we can scare ourselves away.

This Lent, take some time to read one of the Gospels (I'd recommend Mark because it's the shortest) and find out how you can become a closer follower of Jesus.  Point all of the things you do in your Lenten devotion to God.

Day 065: Lawn of Life

He who works his own land will be satisfied with bread, but those who pursue vain things are in need of discernment.  Proverbs 12:11

Here is a commentary on how we should be living our lives.

On the surface, this admonishes us to live productively.  The second half of the proverb is pretty vague when it is taken by itself, but in context with the first half, it suggests that living one's life just to judge somebody else's is pointless.  As a musician, I have learned that I can't be directing my craft towards every set of ears out there.  In fact, I shouldn't even be directing my practice just to somebody else's ears.  I need to play for myself.  I have learned over the years about what I like and what I don't like in music.  I've been quite fortunate to have teachers direct me towards understanding my preferences and keeping consistent with them.

In the same way, we should be living our lives concerned with our own tasks at hand.  We have so many different challenges facing us each day that we can't handle all of them at once.  Just think about the things that you are already leaving off for tomorrow, next week, or even next year.  Yet, we think it's alright to make sure we are judging all the people around us as well.  That is what our issue is.  When we start bringing other people's faults (according to our own perceptions) into our lives, we end up wasting so much of our precious energy on the things that don't benefit us.  Rather than finishing up our projects for our school/job, we stand in a corner, burning with anger about someone else who - at least - is doing something.

Think about the image of land.  This past winter (which barely existed) has been quite an ugly one with our front yard.  I didn't bother to rake the leaves this winter, and the grass stopped growing, so I figured that everything was going to be alright until the next rains would come and wash away the superfluous leaves.  However, a bunch of crane flies decided to lay their eggs among the leaves instead.  Now, for the past two months, we have had quite a few crane flies just hanging out all over our front lawn, cars, trees, doorway, and, with little effort, in our own house.  Now that plants are starting to grow once again, there are very tall weeds growing around our rose bushes.  My own land is quite horrid at the moment.

Now, place that entire concept of land into the proverb.  Our lives are just as horrid as that land.  We face many different challenges with the land: weeds, flies, gardening, pruning, cutting grass, raking.  When we do the work that is necessary in our lives, we will receive our daily bread, and we will be satisfied.  When we tend to our spiritual lives, we will receive the bread of eternal life.

During this Lent, ask God to turn your discipline into daily bread.  Ask God how you can work on all the challenges you are facing.  Then, go and do them.

Day 059: A Healing Faith

When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."         Mark 5:27-28

Here we have a great image representing how we are to live out our faith.  Jesus came to the world and preached and left us with lots to think about.  Now, through his words and through the Holy Spirit, he continues to move around everywhere before us.  There is a movement that has been going on since his ministry.

Our faith involved our own decision to act.  In order to proclaim our faith, we have to begin with, "I believe."  We have to make the effort, and we have to take the steps forward.  In this story above, we see a woman who was unclean because of her bleeding come forward to touch the clothes of Jesus.  However, Jesus did not condemn her as an unclean person stepping out of line.  Just as Jesus had been doing with many of the oppressed in those days, he healed her and told her that her faith had made her well.

Jesus is walking before us all the time, but we don't always take the first step.  Many times, we use our own constructs as excuses.  I can't go before Jesus because I'm a woman.  I'm too far into sin to be healed.  I'm hopeless because my pastor says so.  Rather than wallow in a bout of self-guilt, run to Jesus.  Jesus is ready to turn our faith into healing.  Jesus is ready to transform us.  He radiates with so much power, and all we need to do is reach out and touch him.  Make Lent be a time where you take one step closer to Jesus.

Day 54: God Is Faithful

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."  1 Corinthians 10:13

This is one of my top five favorite verses from the bible.  Reading it in context caused the verse to have extra resonance with me.  If you can, I recommend you committing some verses to memory, at least enough so that you can come across it and speak the words before they appear on the page/screen in your reading.

This verse is very powerful because it comes at the end of a summary of the unfaithfulness of many of the Israelites during the period of time covered in the Pentateuch.  Paul even makes it a point to say that it was some of the Israelites who strayed, not all.

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man

This statement can hurt a little, because it makes any situation you're in sound quite diminished.  But that's the point.  We like to bring our troubles to our neighbors, while they have just as many issues to deal with as we do.  However, this statement is also there to help us, because we can then look for how other people dealt with our problems.  We can consult our parents, grandparents, priests, teachers, friends, and so many other people.

But God is faithful

If you're struggling with a specific situation, you need to look no further than the bible.  In 1 Corinthians 10, you can find the different temptations that came about.  But, you can also see that God delivered the entire nation of Israel from destruction time and time again.  Read Exodus to see one story of deliverance.  Read Joshua for yet another story.  Read Kings and Chronicles for so many more stories of deliverance.  And, most definitely, read the gospels, any of the four: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.  You'll understand that God has been faithful to us throughout all our troubles and tests.

[God] will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape

Here is our safeguard.  Times are going to get tough, but they will never get impossible.  Even at the point of death, God is there to save our soul, and when our time comes, God is in control.  Our legacy will last as an example for all those who are struggling.  The great thing about living as Christians is that we have one great escape: the church.  We can go and refresh ourselves with prayers we pray or from those of our fellow Christians.  We can talk to many more faithful people to learn about how great God is.

That you may be able to bear it

Here is an important distinction.  It is one thing to have a way out of our problems.  The easiest way out of any problem is just by doing nothing at all.  We can stay in the comfort of our bed all day unto eternity, allowing our bodies to waste away, let away our minds, our dreams, our talents.  But that's not what God wants.  God is sending us out there into the world as sheep against wolves.  God will guide us through all the difficult parts, but it will all be for our personal growth.  This last clause implies that we weren't able to bear our challenges to begin with.  What's the only way to bear a heavy weight?  Get stronger!  God is guiding us through our difficult times so that we can become stronger beings.

During this Lent, let God guide you through your discipline, whether it's giving up sweets, reading more of the bible, saying a prayer every once in a while, or even just to step foot in church just once this season.  God is faithful, and will guide us through all of our trials.

Day 048: Servants of Faith

"Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."  1 Corinthians 4:1-2

 I know that I definitely fall short as a Christian to fulfill my duties.

These two verses make me think about going to a fancy restaurant.  Usually, I'll be dressed up so much, in at least church clothes, in order not to stick out of the rest, particularly the waiters, who are in crisp, white shirts and slacks.  In fact, it is usually how the host and the waiters are dressed that determine the attire of the restaurant.  I expect good food when I go to a restaurant with people in such attire.  When I look at the menu, there are many things that I have never heard of, so I decide to ask the waiter.  However, when I ask, the waiter doesn't really know what the foods are, and he even admits to hating the restaurant.

How does that even make sense?  Why would such a waiter be allowed to work at that restaurant?  That's where the notion of a faithful steward comes in.  We are walking all over the earth, whether with a bible in hand, a cross tied around our neck, or a bible verse inked onto our arms, representing Christ.  How will we live up to what we are showing around?  Are we sure that we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good?  Are we sure that we are not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes?

The people we meet along the way will be asking us questions about our faith, especially if we deem ourselves Christians.  Is this meant to scare anybody away?  Not at all, for we have the ability to learn more because of our faith in Christ.  However, we need to be sure to serve faithfully.  We need to be ready to spread the good news when the occasion arises.  We also need to be ready to serve in all the ways that Jesus has taught us to at all times.

Our redemption is one where Jesus finds us, cleans us, and then sends us on our way, our new way, to expand the community, the church, the body of the faithful, the body of Christ.  

When we received ashes on Ash Wednesday, we showed the world that we are ready to suffer with Christ.  The season of Lent is the time for us to follow up on our statement.  We need to read the bible, pray, and turn away from our old selves so that we can follow Jesus.  We need to tend to the house that Jesus has built up.  We need to be faithful stewards of the Gospel.