Today begins a new series at our church, 50 Days with Jesus. I hope to share some of my thoughts from my personal study as well as respond to the Pastor’s sermons and/or blog.
Today, Pastor Craig asked, “How do I insure that I will keep the faith?” since there have actually been studies done (Willow Creek Church) showing that “long-term” believers are often those who fall away. That would put me at risk as I have known the Lord since 1979 and I confess, I have felt the ebb and flow of my faith in recent years.
I wouldn’t say that Craig actually answered this question. He reminded us that our faith is key to remaining “connected” with God and Jesus is “the way, the truth, & the life” (Matt 9:20-22) and our faith must be supported by our belief in the Word… but none of these ideas feel like “insurance” to me. Pehaps the answer is that there isn’t any insurance after all.
In my view, keeping my faith “fresh” is up to me. I can’t blame anyone else. I can’t blame the church, the sermons, the pastor, or anything else. I suppose this is one of the reasons I started a new study, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. I’ve allowed my “activities” to crowd out time with the Lord and it’s only by spending time with Him that I can have more intimacy and it’s only through intimacy that my faith will grow.
What is faith? Trust and belief. While belief is a choice I think trust is built on intimacy. You must know someone to trust him and you must trust him to obey him. Psalm 84:12 – O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
Meditations from Zion 