Faith

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Faith is a both a living and active force in our life. It swells within us as we begin to believe in God and grows stronger as we come to trust in His Word, realize His great love for us, and begin to experience His grace and forgiveness

Sometimes, when we first come to believe, He fills us to the brim as His Spirit flows into us. It overwhelms our consciousness with an abiding sense of His presence. With His Spirit comes a knowledge of God’s truth, goodness, and love

As we come to know these things, we place our full trust in Him. Even during those difficult days of unending pressures and doubt, we can harken back to our faith in Him, to the truth of His Word, and sense His love, and then we are assured that God is good, and that He loves us without measure

No believer is immune to those days when we don’t feel God near us. Reach then into your toolbox and select a time for prayer, read a chapter in the Bible, or praise Him for something good in your life. Acknowledge Him in everything that you are given in life

Faith is both a living and active force in our life. It is an adventure we must take each day and precious beyond any earthly measure

That is why we cannot allow ourselves to store our faith in a safe place. We can’t keep it locked up like a treasure in our safety deposit box. Like we would with a piece of jewelry, or an important document

Faith is something that must live and breathe. It is active by nature, a reaching out to God, a quiet conversation with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, or a living out of His truth and goodness in our lives before the world

Faith is precious, it is real, it must be lived out in the moments of our life

Faith can be quiet in a moment of prayer, or, sometimes a bold and loud profession of faith in sermon or song. It can be our day-to-day soundtrack, our inner conversation, a calm response

But it is never present when we lock it away

Life in these times is full of distractions. There are a million pressing things that surround us each day that can distract us away from our faith and leave us empty

Faith cannot exist in us if we lock it in our safety deposit box. It cannot link us with our God, if we set it aside so that we deal with something, or focus on what is demanding our immediate attention now

How many times do these things take over our days and nights, so that we lose sight of Him, and get cast adrift in worries and stress?

Faith is not a natural part of this world we live in. It is the light and life that connects us with the God of the universe

Faith takes effort sometimes to continually come back to Him and acknowledge His presence and imminence within all that happens

It is vitally important for every believer, because it makes real our friendship we have with our creator and opens all the possibilities that He so generously offers, so that we might live a full and realized life for all our days.   9/20/2021

God is Our Comfort

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4

The Lord is My strength when I have become weak. He is my comfort when sadness has overtaken me

When the loss of someone comes, as surely they come to all who live, when the pain of separation swells and washes over me, He gently rests His hand upon my shoulder to remind me that He is there

God calms our nerves when they’ve frayed from the blows that come from living

For when we rest upon the promises of God, they will give us comfort and cause us to see with a far-reaching perspective, the nature of life and death

How great is our God, that He takes the time to visit ones so small and brings healing through the power of His love

By the works of all His manifest ways, through His Spirit, from His Son, and by His power, He mends us and guides our way through dark valleys

Oh Lord, I thank You for Your presence. I rejoice in the ways You uplift those who trust in You and heal the broken places with your gentle touch

So that even in such dark times, we can see hope through the light that you shine upon us

The Lord is faithful to those who put their faith in Him. He lifts them up as they put their trust in His ways

He loves those who love Him, and cares for those who walk according to His ways

In this world, our lives will have to endure many trials and pain. We can’t even imagine what might happen in the coming years. But we can be sure that there will be the pains of loss, illness, and suffering

In Christ we always have hope. He will lift us up and help us overcome all of life’s challenges

Rejoice during the days of calm and peace. Thank God, and praise Him, for they are truly gifts from Him. Sing forth with joy, for our trials will not last forever

Our God is faithful, trust in His promises. He will never leave us or forsake us, and will certainly provide us the strength to overcome the darkest day

God will stay with us during all the uncertain days of our lives. Even unto the farthest days of eternity. Amen.   7/22/2021