The only thing that counts

I like to DO something.  I want to be active, engaged, fixing rather than fretting, using my hands, using my words.  So when I read Galatians 5:6b, I focus on the "doing" part.  Here's what it says:

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

I immediately zoom in on the "expressing" part... that's the part that calls for action.  That's what counts, where it's at... the active expression of love. 

However, a closer look reveals that the phrase "expressing itself through love" is a description linked to the main object of the sentence: faith.  The only thing that counts is faith.

My faith is in God and in His son Jesus.  This faith means that I accept every aspect of His character.  Such as:

God is love. 1 Jn 4:16 

God is truth.  Jn 14:6 

God is holy.  Lev 11:44

I cannot have faith in a God who loves me and live as if my life is insignificant.  This denies the God who calls me His beloved. 

I cannot have faith in a God of truth and think that His promises do not apply to me.  This denies the God who has given me "these very great and precious promises." 2 Pet 1:4

I cannot have faith in a God of holiness and believe that He will "understand" my weakness if I harden my heart to His call.  This denies the need for Jesus' death as a way to bring me back to God.

I could go on.  Faith is not a mental mind-game, a "yes, I believe in God."  It overtakes every aspect of my life, every thought, every decision, every action.  

Everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Rom 14:23b

Whatever thoughts I think, decisions I make, actions I take, if they are not rooted and grounded in true faith in a God of love, truth, and holiness, they are sinful.  They cannot stand.  They will not stand. 

 

I join the father in Mark 9:24, pleading:

I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!

 

I want to be like Micah

"When I get bigger, I will... "

... drive an orange truck, eat chocolate, use that big scissors ...

I hear variations of this all day from my darling son Micah.  I don't know how I missed this phrase in my recent post, Overheard.  This boy has big plans and dreams.  

I want to be like Micah. 

See, I had a  birthday today.  I've been thinking about just how broken I am, how much I have to learn, how much I need to grow in faith and understanding.  I want to know that "when I get bigger, I will... "  

... understand the gospel better

... walk more closely with Christ

... pray more

... have more faith and less fear

... display more spirit-fruit in my life.

I want to be like Micah.  This is the boy who you take to the zoo and show him his favorite animal, the hippopotamus, and you think you've handed him the world.  Instead of saying, "Hey, that's neat," he says, "Can I touch it?"  If you took him to the top of a mountain and showed him all the beauty he could take in, he would say, "Can I jump off?"  He always wants to take it to the next level. 

Lord, keep me hungry and thirsty like my son Micah.  Please take me to the next level. 

I don't trust God for that

I don't trust God for some things.  Some big things.

I don't trust God for happiness. 
I don't trust God for a life free from tragedy.
I don't trust God for good health or enough money to pay the mortgage.
I don't trust God to preserve the lives of my children.
I don't trust God for a healthy, growing church.
I don't trust Him to protect me from debilitating depression, from loss of home or death of spouse, from doubt and confusion.  I don't trust Him to make the sun shine everyday and to give me neighbors who always smile and wave. 


So, you may ask, why do you trust Him?  What is He good for?

I do trust God with some things.  Some big things.

I trust God for joy.  
I trust God for peace beyond my understanding.
I trust God to love me with love greater than any other love I'll know. 
I trust God, whatever else this life may hold, that He holds me in His eternal loving grasp.
I trust God to forgive my sins, which are many, and to release me from death and condemnation.
I trust God to be as faithful in my future as He has shown Himself to be in my past.
I trust God for my future home and life, eternally celebrating His love. 

I look at these lists and I feel anxiety creeping.  I also feel amazing comfort and excitement to see how God is going to keep His promises to me. 

Do you trust Him?  Do you not?  What would be on your lists today?