The Life Of Faith Is...

Yesterday we read Psalm 127; Ruth 3: 1-5, 4: 13-17; Mark 12: 38-44; and Hebrews 11 and 12: 1- 13.

The life of faith isn't an easy life, but it is a blessed life. It's also a life that requires giving it all we have. That's what the widow Jesus takes notice of does. Those with position, money & land, and power (rich people in that day always had position, money & land, and power), didn't give God their all, and guess what?, Jesus, God Incarnate, notices. But the poor widow gives all she has and expects God to provide what she needs.

That's what the people of faith have always done to the best of their ability.

There is much in some modern theologies that says, "God wants us to be rich and financially and materially prosperous (the "Prosperity Gospel"), God's going to keep us physically safe at all times and God's just not going to let the hard times come and stay. If we're in God's will, relax and no harm will come." You get the picture.

We look to some of the favored promises in Scripture and forget that God's often talking about Him protecting our spirits, our souls, our faith. Oh, He may extend the promises to include our bodies sometimes, but that's HIS choosing.

If we look to the giants of our faith that the writer of Hebrews lifts up as examples, we are reminded what the life of faith really looks like. We'll do better to look here than to follow some modern day heresies.

The life of faith is one where we have abiding hope that God will keep His promises, even if we don't live to see them fulfilled. We believe God exists, is the Creator of all and creates even in our nothingness and creates in what we cannot see.

A life of faith will look like Abel's when we bring God the best we have and are willing to sacrifice our best for Him. God asks us to do that on a daily basis. "Place the best you have, the best of you, the best, in My hands and see what I do." God's can use our hum-drum and ordinary, but that means we're hoarding our best for ourselves and He won't be happy and we won't be in right relationship with Him then. Remember Abel and Cain. Abel sacrificed his best and Cain gave his ordinary. Which of them is still, to this day, lifted up as righteous? Which isn't?

A life of faith will look like Noah's. God can look at any of us, at any given time, and tell us to do something that will make us look crazy and set the neighbors to talking. He can tell any of us to "Go build a boat, a big boat, in your backyard." A life of faith will go get busy building that boat to God's specifications. Now, I don't know what your "boat" may look like. But it will be something totally out of left field and folks watching will think you're nuts. But if you're sure God said, "Build a boat," you better build a boat!

A life of faith will look like Abraham's. God can look at any of us, at any given time and say, "Go. Trust me on this one and just pick up and go. I'm not telling you where or why. Just do it." A life of faith will "go." When I was pastor at Concord and Seaboard UMCs before coming to Warren Plains, we all thought I'd retire while serving those churches. But there came a time when I was sure God said, "Go." Mitch and I didn't pack boxes and leave our home, but, we moved from a church setting we never thought we'd leave to "go", and at the time, didn't have a clue "where." I'm a local licensed pastor, which means, in the Methodist denomination, I have to have a church or I'm not "clergy" and I can't go to Duke for Course of Study. My DS, at the time, presented me with two choices and God was telling me "no" to each one. As time, that year, drew closer to Annual Conference when our appointments would be fixed, I needed God to get on the ball and reveal His plan. I needed a third option and when Mack and I met that day in June, less than a month away from Annual Conference and he told me about a "third option," I knew God was leading me where I was to go. A life of faith trusts and a life of faith "goes."

A life of faith can look like Sarah's. Not necessarily to have a baby at an older age, but to be open if God says, "Expand your family." He may be calling you to adopt a child, foster one, open your heart to a child. Don't laugh. Have faith and "have a baby".

A life of faith understands that this world isn't all there is and we're journeying through this place. God's got some place better than this prepared for us. But we've got to move through here first.

So do our children. And, like Abraham, our life of faith can involve God asking us to trust Him with our child. That child of promise and hope. That's a hard one to be sure. And we place our child in God's hands and sometimes God gives our child back for a season and sometimes God doesn't. But a life of faith trusts God has kept and will keep His promise, even when we don't see it or understand it.

A life of faith can be like Jacob's and give blessings and worship, even while dying.

A life of faith can be like Joseph's and make plans to move with God's promises even if you know you won't be alive to physically move with them, but you count on others to move for you. Can you imagine the hope it gave the people when Joseph said, "When God moves us out of Egypt, take my bones with you."?

A life of faith looks like Moses' parents when they defied Pharaoh and protected their baby and didn't let him be killed like other baby boys. Gee, maybe that's where Moses got it from? Because a life of faith also looks like Moses, who later defied Pharaoh (who was his adopted granddaddy!) and not only left Egypt but took the Israelites, and Joseph's bones, with him!

A life of faith focuses on what God is doing and where God is going and goes with God and doesn't let the fear of what's coming up from behind, or what's staring us in the face, deter us from God's plan.

A life of faith gets thrown in the lions den and sometimes the lions' mouths are shut. And sometimes they aren't.

The people from Scripture are in our cloud of witnesses to our faith. They cheer us on. We, in turn, will one day be in that cloud with them, cheering on others. We are, all, to look to Jesus and keep our eyes on the cross. A life of faith will move towards the cross and we all have a cross that we are to pick up and bring with us. And we are to follow Jesus with our cross to the cross.

The writer of Hebrews likens this to an endurance race, a marathon. Life isn't a sprint. We cheer each other on but we also have a Coach, God our Father, Who disciplines us as we race towards our finish line. It's not an easy race but it was never meant to be. Much will be asked of us. But much more will be given us. Because a life of faith understands that as we race towards our finish line here, we are racing into God's arms as we race through His Gates of Praise.

There will be pain, disappointment, heartache, and things will be asked of us that we cannot imagine. But a life of faith trusts God in all things and understands all of that that is unholy can serve a holy purpose and the purpose is to perfect our faith. To strengthen our weak knees and help those who are struggling.

A life of faith will require trust. It will require giving all we've got to give. It will require us being disciplined by God. It will require us looking toward the cross and following Jesus' example.

A life of faith is not an easy life but it is a blessed life.

Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.

Today and tomorrow.

Blessings.