We walk by faith, not by
sight. —2 Corinthians 5:7
{CHAMBERS} “We are here [on this earth], not as immature angels, but
as men and women, to do the work of this world. And we are to do it with an
infinitely greater power to withstand the struggle because we have been born
from above. […] what God wants us to do is to “walk by faith.” How many of us
have set ourselves aside as if to say, “I cannot do anything else until God
appears to me”? He will never do it. We will have to get up on our own, without
any inspiration and without any sudden touch from God. Then comes our surprise
and we find ourselves exclaiming, “Why, He was there all the time, and I never
knew it!” Never live for those exceptional moments— they are surprises. God
will give us His touches of inspiration only when He sees that we are not in
danger of being led away by them. We must never consider our moments of
inspiration as the standard way of life— our work is our standard.”
{ELGIN} We live in this world as lights in darkness. Our message is that there is hope and there
is eternal life in Jesus. Our light
shines because of our walk of faith. Our
light shines not because of our perfection but because of the manner in which
we navigate this life journey. Perhaps
the greatest testimony to the reality of our faith is our perseverance through
trials. I had coffee with a friend the
other day. My friend experienced a deep
hurt of rejection by people he cared about.
It was several years ago, but each time we meet, it seems sometime
during the conversation his pain bubbles up to the surface. What I told him is
that God is using that pain in his life to minister to other people who have
been rejected. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says
that God is the God of all comfort, who comforts us so we can comfort others. Are you willing for God to use you in that
way? Or do you want to avoid pain in
this life and live a life of blessing. We
experience joy … peace … and the rest (Galatians 5:22-23) not because of our circumstances but in spite
of them. God’s expectation is that we be
“poured out wine” as we live our lives out.
We will not fulfill our purpose if we are self-focused, constantly “looking
to hills” merely for personal relief and blessing. The purpose of your salvation is much bigger
than that.
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