Walk By Faith

Recently our pastor preached a sermon about a beautiful gem that she saw in Tiffany’s.  She spoke about how every angle that you looked at it there was a new sparkle, and how it drew you in with it’s complex beauty.  She then brought it around to the Bible.  She said, as she looked at that beautiful gem, and how it’s beauty changed constantly with different lights, different angles, different times of day, that it reminded her of God’s word. The Bible, she explained is just like that gem- it’s complex beauty is constantly changing as you look at it from different angles, in different light, and at different times of the day.

This stuck with me like glue.  How many times have I read over a passage of scripture and at that moment in time it hits me in a TOTALLY different way then it ever has before.  The way I understand the passage is greatly affected by the angle I look at it from (what sort of a mood I am in, or what is going on in my life), the different light (new things I have learned lately about this crazy adventure of life), and at what time of day (or what season of life I am in).  It is something that has always fascinated me.  It is also a reason I have so enjoyed being in Bible Study- because others’ interpretation of the same passage will be affected by the same things, and if you’re willing to have a listening heart you can learn so much through  others’ experiences.

Which brings me to today….  This is the passage that hit me differently today:

How many times have we said this?  How many times have we read this?  It is a very popular passage…..

Here’s how it hit me today:

In relationship with other Christians, we should walk by faith, not by sight.

We have to live in this world with other people.  Our families are full of people.  Our communities are full of people.  Our churches are full of people.  People hurt people.  Sometimes it is intentional, sometimes it isn’t.  Sometimes it just happens. 

How quickly do we get our feelers hurt and respond in anger?  How quickly do we allow our anger to dictate our next move?  When you have a problem with someone, you should go to them and resolve your differences.  You can not resolve any differences as long as you are allowing anger to control you.

In relationship with other Christians, we should walk by faith, not by sight.

How often are we hurt by others and we forget our relationship with them and it changes everything? 

It is a difficult practice to Walk by faith and not by sight in relationship.  You will get hurt, because people hurt people.  But here’s why I think it’s important to make it a goal:

Our perceptions are what they are- we believe the sky to be blue, the grass to be green, water to be wet.  Is this how God views these things?  Is the sky blue to Him?  Is the grass green?  Is water wet?  We don’t know, because we are not God.

As humans, we see varying degrees of sin- gluttony, for example is not as bad as murder.  White lies are not as big of a deal as other lies. Coveting your neighbor’s house is not as big of a deal as stealing their bench.  You get the idea.

God sees sin as sin.  Period.  It doesn’t matter what value we, as humans place on the sin, to God, it is sin.  Sin is sin is sin.

And that, I believe is part of how He is able to heal ANY sin, and to forgive, through Jesus ANY sin.  Because to God, we are all equal.  His love for us is not based on works, it is grace based.  He loves us first because we are His creation.  So often we hear of people who feel they have gone so far away from God that there is no coming back, and that is simply not true.  God loves, forgives, heals the murderer, just as he loves, forgives, heals me, the glutton (among other sins).  Why?  Because God works by faith, not by sight.  He has faith is who He knows us to be.  He allows us to make mistakes.  He allows us to suffer consequences and learn from our mistakes.  But he never lets our mistakes dictate His relationship with us.

And so, in our journey to be as Christ is to the world, we, as Christians, must sometimes walk by faith, and not by sight in relationship with others.  We need to have faith in those who have hurt us that they are a work in progress, just like we are.  We need to guard our pride, and try not to measure the “sin factor” of someone’s actions, and trust God, that He is in control, and He does have a plan.

Has someone done something recently that hurt you?  I challenge you to ask God to help you to see that person as He does.  He loves us all and loves all of us.  We should be quick to love those around us.

Remember my life verse for this year? 

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

In Relationship, Walk by Faith, Not by Faith

I just love God and how he can take anything and make something good out of it.  We simply have to have faith