By Faith I . . .

March 30, 2012

"So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless." James 2:17

What have you done because of your faith?

I penned this question in the margin as I devoured my latest choice of Christian non-fiction. Few questions, or books for that matter, have challenged me more.

I spent three months engrossed by the book Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman (Zondervvan, 2011). Normally I finish a book within a few days but this read required time to marinate. In his book Kyle challenges readers to determine if they are truly followers of Jesus . . . or simply fans.

Kyle writes, "Here's what fans tend to do: they confuse their feelings for faith. But your feelings aren't faith until they are expressed. . . . As we see in Hebrews 11, faith should have a story attached to it. There is a tendency to define yourself as a follower based on how you feel about Jesus, but following requires there to be more than a feeling. Following requires movement." (pp 105-106)

What have I done on account of my faith?

The question haunted me for days.

I attend church every Sunday. But that doesn't require faith, except for maybe a belief that the building in which I choose to worship will not collapse.

I'm kind and loving toward my family, friends and neighbors . . . er, um, most of the time. "But even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners do that much!" (Luke 6:32-33)

I found myself at a loss for words.

What have I done, in what area have I stretched myself to act because I truly believe what I say I believe?

The Gospels tell us that everywhere Jesus went people brought the sick to Him. Mark 6:55 reads, "and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard He was."

I get the impression from this verse that "they" who carried the sick people on mats were not sick themselves. Rather, because of their faith in Jesus, these believers acted; they carried to Jesus those who were in desperate need of healing but who were too sick to carry themselves before the Healer.

What have you done on account of your faith in Jesus?

Oh friends, if all we do is attend church on Sunday, we're missing out. If all we do is listen to Christian radio, we're missing out. If we commit ourselves to Bible study but never share with another through our actions what we've learned, we've missed out.

We can't just listen to God's Word. We must do what it says. Otherwise, we are only fooling ourselves. Pure and genuine religion
in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in
their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt us. (James 1:22, 27)

What have you done because of your faith?

The question should not ignite a sense of condemnation but rather a sense of wonder, awe and excitement, "What have I done because I truly believe in Jesus?" We do not earn our way into Heaven. In John 6:29 Jesus said, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the One He has sent." We become reconciled with God through faith in Christ. But it is on account of our faith that we act. Faith by itself isn't enough. James said that unless our faith produces good deeds, it is dead and useless (James 2:17).

Maybe we travel out of the country to minister to those whom the world considers "the least of these;" maybe we simply walk across the street to take a meal to an unbelieving neighbor. Maybe we teach a class to share with others the hope we're found for ourselves through His Word; maybe we simply read the Bible and begin to share what we've learned with those inside our own home. Maybe we invite one of our child's non-church-going friends over to play. Maybe we forgo a cup of coffee or a fast-food meal and instead use that money to buy a meal for the homeless; maybe we travel downtown once a month taking the homeless bags, blankets, personal garments and hugs (I have a friend who does this, you can join her). Maybe we cancel our cable (only to discover the joy of FREE basic cable, including 5 Christian channels, through an antenna and converter box) so that we can afford to sponsor a child in need. Maybe we homeschool our children; maybe we begin a family devotional time at the end of the day. Maybe we travel 24+ hours in the car with our young children in one weekend to help tornado victims from out-of-state (nope, wasn't me); maybe we help a widow spruce up her yard for the spring. The possibilities are endless.

I invite you to respond. Post a comment to answer the following statement:

By faith I . . .

According to Your Faith

March 27, 2012


"Then He touched their eyes, saying, 'It shall be done to you according to your faith.'" Matthew 9:29

My Journey to Africa

March 25, 2012


"The Lord
had said to Abram, 'Leave your native country, your relatives, and your
father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.'" Genesis 12:1

The call of Abram (a.k.a. Abraham) began vaguely. God simply said to him, "Leave and go where I will show you." But God promised Abram it would be worth his obedience. "I will make you a great nation and bless you. I'll make you famous; you'll be a blessing. I'll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I'll curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:2-3). In the very next verse we read, "So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed."

I believe Abram followed God away from everything he knew not for the perks, but because Abram knew that regardless of his own desires, safety or comfort, the most abundant life he could live was the life God ordained for him.

This past November I began to ask God to take me to the next level in my relationship with Him. I believe God is alive and active and that His depth knows no end. I had reached a point where I felt stagnate in my walk with Christ, and knew I would be remiss if I failed to ask Him for more of Himself.

Immediately I felt God answering my request, and I became overrun by fear. What if God called me to do something I considered dangerous? What if, because of my obedience, I inadvertently compromised the safety of my children? Oh Lord, I prayed, I'll follow You as long as You'll promise me my children will remain unharmed.

I prayed that prayer for nearly six weeks. I imagined thousands of ways that something might happen to my children, and at the end of those six weeks I had all but resigned to raise our children within the confines of our home. All the time the reality of God's truth continued to knock at my door. Jenny, you can do all that is within your power to keep your children safe but at the end of the day it is Me who ensures their well-being. These are My children, not yours. I love them more than you can fathom. My will for you is also My best will for My children.

I realized I had a choice. I could run from God's call, falsely believing that "my way" would prove safer for us all, or I could follow Him. Mid-December I resolved to go wherever He called me to go.

I felt certain God had allowed me to walk through a valley of fear in order to prepare me to say yes to whatever He had in store. I began a new prayer journal in anxious expectation. On December 16th I recorded these words, "Lord, we've had a breakthrough! I feel you permitted me to be tempted by fear, to be reminded of how it would feel to live a life led by fear so I that I would know to say yes when Your perfect will is revealed. Help me to say yes, to obey with no backtalk or alternate suggestions, without consideration. I decide today to trust You."

Two days later a similar entry, "Lord, You are calling, preparing me for deliberate obedience" (which also went along with a recent devotional, see Utmost for His Highest, December 1st). In my journal I wrote, "What He called me to do ______________________," and dog-eared the page so that I could return at a later date and fill-in the blank.

In mid-January I delivered to a group of women at my church a message of the work God has done in my life--living abundantly in spite of our circumstances. The next day God began to gently place upon my heart the desire to share a similar message to Pastor's wives and missionaries who minister to women in Third World countries. Having never before considered going "on mission" I decided this idea must be from God, and vowed to be faithful to that vision in prayer.

In February I not-so-coincidentally ordered a book titled Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan and Gospel for Asia. With God tugging at my heart for missions I felt I should read up on the subject. In his book, K.P. emphasizes the need for and benefits of training indigenous missionaries to reach their own people groups with the Word of God. In the gospels Jesus met many physical needs but never without first addressing a person's spiritual need. Feeling passionate about doing what I could to help train national missionaries, I continued to wait for God's lead.

On February 24th I felt convicted (once again) about checking e-mail and social media before my time with the Lord, and as I shared in a blog titled My Morning Routine I vowed to leave my computer turned off until I finished my quiet time with the Lord. One week later The E-mail arrived. The rest, is his-story . . .

I share the details of my spiritual life with you not because I expect you to be enthralled by these events. I share the beginning steps of my journey to Africa to demonstrate God's faithfulness, His willingness to stoop down from Heaven to gently lead His sheep. God has a plan and a purpose for each of us if we will only stop long enough to ask Him for a revelation.

I agreed to go to Africa not because I want to, not because Africa is a rung on a career ladder I'd like to climb, not so that I can list "Africa" as an achievement on my resume. I agreed to go to Africa because I believe that is where God has asked me to go.

Like Abram, God's call to us may feel vague at first. I agreed to say yes to God this past December, long before I knew where the call would lead. We say yes to God's call regardless of our safety, without concern for our comfort or for the comfort of those we love, because when we say yes to God we experience the joy of His presence (Psalm 16:11). When we say yes to God we enjoy life to the fullest as He works through us to reconcile a lost and hurting world to Himself.

The E-mail

March 20, 2012


"Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3
 
God speaks through e-mail.

In my last post titled My Morning Routine I shared with you my struggle to place God before my desire to check e-mail. For the past few years I've felt sure that God would use an e-mail to reveal to me His next move. I awoke each morning with thoughts of, "Maybe someone e-mailed me for spiritual help or support; maybe someone reached out to me desperate to find hope; maybe a publisher decided to acquire my book."

Two weeks ago I realized God did intend to speak to me each morning but not necessarily through modern technology. I resolved to leave my computer turned off until my quiet time with the Lord ended. I quit waiting for God to speak through e-mail and decided to let Him speak to me directly through His Word.

However, just as I ceased looking the e-mail came.

The title read, "Africa Missions." In part the message said, "I received your name from a friend of mine . . . I am writing because we are hosting a women's conference in Africa this summer. It is for women who have lived through a lot of personal challenges . . . you would be teaching along with a couple of other women . . . we would love to have you join us."

After much prayer and fasting I have agreed to go.

Crazy? Maybe.

Risky? You bet.

Will it require a sacrifice? Absolutely, on my part and on behalf of my precious family.

A random e-mail? Not a chance. In my next post I'll share the initial steps of my journey, a path I believe God began to place before me this past November.

God speaks. And when we turn off the computer long enough to call to Him, He'll tell us great and mighty things that we do not know.

My Morning Routine

March 5, 2012


"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3

Each day my alarm sounds at 4:45AM. Oh, I usually smack (yes, smack) the snooze button once or twice but I strive to arise by 5AM. I once preferred the
late-night hours for accomplishing tasks, but with three kids my energy
level seems to dissipate after 7PM. If I want quiet time with the Lord
the morning hours prove to be my best option.

I
enjoy--indeed, look forward to--spending time with the Lord each day. But last week I was rudely awakened by the fact that God no longer held His rightful place in my morning routine. Rather than arising with anxious expectation to hear from the Lord I found myself more highly motivated by the warm, creamy, hazelnut-flavored cup of coffee waiting for me in my coffee machine, which is preset to brew at 5AM. I nudged myself out of bed more intrigued by the thought of who might have e-mailed me during the night than the thought of what God might have in store for me for the day. Before I knew it I sat with coffee and computer in hand whispering to God, I'll be with You in just a moment . . .

Why?

Why isn't He enough?

In my grief I prayed and asked God to reveal that in my heart which offended Him. I realized that the reason I find myself more anxious to check e-mail than to meet with God is because e-mail (and Facebook and Twitter for that matter) is more tangible. With modern technology I can see, read, sometimes even hear that someone needs me or wants to communicate with me. It isn't always so obvious with God.

But God does want to communicate with me. He wants to renew me each morning. He wants to show me how He plans to use me today as He reconciles a lost and broken and hurting world to Himself. The God of the universe has written a most important message for me, and He waits all night for me to awake so He can inscribe His truth upon my heart.

Oh Father, that I may arise each morning anxious not for my cup of coffee, not for messages in my Inbox, but anxious to hear You speak.