Recently, I was asked by a magazine to write an article for them. The topic: faith on the mission field.
It really started me thinking. Yes, I've had those great faith-building experiences where God did what only God could do, and when all was over I sat back and said "Wow! What a God!" But, as I scrambled to think of what to write, I realized it's been a couple of years since I had one such experience.
"What's wrong with my spiritual life?" I thought.
You would think, that since it is our first term on the field, I would be full of experiential faith-building stories to tell; but that is not so.
"Why????" I kept asking myself. "Is my faith that cold?"
Then it hit me- BIG stories of faith are encouraging, heartening, and enlightening; but they don't make up the whole of faith. After all, in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, you see Abraham listed along with Rehab and Samson listed in the same paragraph as Samuel. Really?
Okay, Abraham is easy. He left his home and ungodly country to go to an unknown land to follow a God he was slowly learning about. Yes, he made some mistakes, but wow!!! What BIG faith-building stories. -But remember, we see only a few chapters of his life. There were many days, months, and years in between the BIG experiences we see. We see the big choices, the big promises/covenants, and the big events, but the relationship between Abraham and God built on more than these. He had to be faithful in the little things in between the dynamic points of his life. I would even lean toward saying that his every day faithfulness led to the big choices, promises/covenants, and events shown in the pages of Scripture.
What about Rehab? She was a harlot who chose to help and harbor the Israelite spies fulfilling a reconnaissance mission on Jericho. We see her BIG choice to follow the Israelite God and obey His advice. We see her being accepted into Jewish culture and even marrying into the lineage of Christ. Quite an honor! -But there is lots we don't know. It is easy to see though, that her everyday faith led to these BIG mountain-top experiences. For, why would Jewish spies stay with a known harlot, and why would she hide the enemy? Her everyday faith and choices led to what we see. I am sure.
Samson is quite a character. We see lots of blunders, wrong choices, and weak morals in his life. Yet, he too is listed in the faith hall of fame. His overall, everyday faith led to one of the greatest hero stories of all time. He killed more of the Phillistines in his death than in his life (and he killed quite a few in his life)! That's BIG. We may have a harder time seeing it, but God saw his heart, used him in a mighty way, and he too is listed as a great man of faith.
Samuel has an entire book of the Bible devoted to him. That's a lot of BIG encouraging stories of faith. Perhaps it is easy to overlook the everyday choices that led to each of those stories. How did he get to be so in-tune with God's Spirit? It had to be in his everyday prayer life and faithfulness to God.
See a pattern?
Now I am encouraged and exhorted to keep making godly choices, being faithful in little everyday things; for they either strengthen my relationship with Christ, or they destroy it. Faith is action upon truth and trust in God.
Paul, the greatest Bible missionary, said that the work that he accomplished (those BIG faith-building experiences we read about) was because of the work of God IN him. "Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." Colossians 1:29 (emphasis mine)
- So, whether I choose to read my Bible for my few free minutes or scroll Facebook makes a difference.
- Whether I choose to honor my husband's decisions or "tease" him in front of the kids makes a difference.
- Whether I respond to my child with love and discipline or react in anger makes a difference.
- Whether I choose to sing a song to uplift my attitude or allow myself to be downcast and cranky DOES make a difference.
A pattern of everyday faith. This is what shows to the world that we are Christians.
"So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing." 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8 (emphasis mine)
It really started me thinking. Yes, I've had those great faith-building experiences where God did what only God could do, and when all was over I sat back and said "Wow! What a God!" But, as I scrambled to think of what to write, I realized it's been a couple of years since I had one such experience.
"What's wrong with my spiritual life?" I thought.
You would think, that since it is our first term on the field, I would be full of experiential faith-building stories to tell; but that is not so.
"Why????" I kept asking myself. "Is my faith that cold?"
Then it hit me- BIG stories of faith are encouraging, heartening, and enlightening; but they don't make up the whole of faith. After all, in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, you see Abraham listed along with Rehab and Samson listed in the same paragraph as Samuel. Really?
Okay, Abraham is easy. He left his home and ungodly country to go to an unknown land to follow a God he was slowly learning about. Yes, he made some mistakes, but wow!!! What BIG faith-building stories. -But remember, we see only a few chapters of his life. There were many days, months, and years in between the BIG experiences we see. We see the big choices, the big promises/covenants, and the big events, but the relationship between Abraham and God built on more than these. He had to be faithful in the little things in between the dynamic points of his life. I would even lean toward saying that his every day faithfulness led to the big choices, promises/covenants, and events shown in the pages of Scripture.
What about Rehab? She was a harlot who chose to help and harbor the Israelite spies fulfilling a reconnaissance mission on Jericho. We see her BIG choice to follow the Israelite God and obey His advice. We see her being accepted into Jewish culture and even marrying into the lineage of Christ. Quite an honor! -But there is lots we don't know. It is easy to see though, that her everyday faith led to these BIG mountain-top experiences. For, why would Jewish spies stay with a known harlot, and why would she hide the enemy? Her everyday faith and choices led to what we see. I am sure.
Samson is quite a character. We see lots of blunders, wrong choices, and weak morals in his life. Yet, he too is listed in the faith hall of fame. His overall, everyday faith led to one of the greatest hero stories of all time. He killed more of the Phillistines in his death than in his life (and he killed quite a few in his life)! That's BIG. We may have a harder time seeing it, but God saw his heart, used him in a mighty way, and he too is listed as a great man of faith.
Samuel has an entire book of the Bible devoted to him. That's a lot of BIG encouraging stories of faith. Perhaps it is easy to overlook the everyday choices that led to each of those stories. How did he get to be so in-tune with God's Spirit? It had to be in his everyday prayer life and faithfulness to God.
See a pattern?
Now I am encouraged and exhorted to keep making godly choices, being faithful in little everyday things; for they either strengthen my relationship with Christ, or they destroy it. Faith is action upon truth and trust in God.
Paul, the greatest Bible missionary, said that the work that he accomplished (those BIG faith-building experiences we read about) was because of the work of God IN him. "Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." Colossians 1:29 (emphasis mine)
- So, whether I choose to read my Bible for my few free minutes or scroll Facebook makes a difference.
- Whether I choose to honor my husband's decisions or "tease" him in front of the kids makes a difference.
- Whether I respond to my child with love and discipline or react in anger makes a difference.
- Whether I choose to sing a song to uplift my attitude or allow myself to be downcast and cranky DOES make a difference.
A pattern of everyday faith. This is what shows to the world that we are Christians.
"So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing." 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8 (emphasis mine)
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 (emphasis mine)
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