Green Lizard
12 years ago
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Measure of Love
Kevin preached about the Syrophoenecian Woman today. I’ve always loved this story, especially when Jesus says, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it unto you as you have believed.” I long for Jesus to say that to me. To impress the Master and King with my great faith in Him! Is this not a worthy goal? After discovering how her faith expressed itself, however, I wasn’t sure I possessed that kind of impressive faith.
When Jesus said, “I did not come to give bread to dogs, but to the children of Israel,” the woman did not wince or turn away, offended that Jesus had called her a dog. She persisted in her request, for the sake of her daughter. She didn’t care what Jesus called her, if she could only have a well child. My eyes were opened to her sacrifice of faith when Kevin concluded with this statement: “Real love shows itself in how much it is willing to be inconvenienced.”
Ouch.
Do I commit to pray for someone, and then lay it down if it is taking too long for the answer to come?
Am I persistent in prayer, even when it seems God is ignoring me, or passing over my request to give others what they want? Do I trust my feelings, or His character, proven to me again and again?
How much am I willing to be inconvenienced?
The question for me then becomes not “how great is my faith?” but, “how great is my love?”
God, forgive me.
--- Jen
When Jesus said, “I did not come to give bread to dogs, but to the children of Israel,” the woman did not wince or turn away, offended that Jesus had called her a dog. She persisted in her request, for the sake of her daughter. She didn’t care what Jesus called her, if she could only have a well child. My eyes were opened to her sacrifice of faith when Kevin concluded with this statement: “Real love shows itself in how much it is willing to be inconvenienced.”
Ouch.
Do I commit to pray for someone, and then lay it down if it is taking too long for the answer to come?
Am I persistent in prayer, even when it seems God is ignoring me, or passing over my request to give others what they want? Do I trust my feelings, or His character, proven to me again and again?
How much am I willing to be inconvenienced?
The question for me then becomes not “how great is my faith?” but, “how great is my love?”
God, forgive me.
--- Jen
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Miracle Eve
It is Christmas Eve, 2008. This last year has been awfully challenging for millions of people, including us. The world is full of hopelessness and panic pushers. But we have a hope that pierces through the blackest headlines. We have eternity in our souls. We have Jesus, the light of the world and the Master of Miracles.
The original Christmas Eve was a hopeless time for the world, too. God had promised a savior and redeemer, but that was seven hundred years earlier. Do you suppose the Israelites wondered if Isaiah had made the whole thing up? Where was this redeemer who would rescue them from the tyranny of a godless government? Why was God taking so long? Didn’t He care?
Then, in the swiftness of a baby’s first wail, God came to earth. Light was embodied. Hope was born. The world has never been the same.
We all have prayers we are waiting for God to answer. We know His word promises us certain things, and we don’t understand why He takes so long in fulfilling His promises. Did we misunderstand His word to us? Does He really care about our plight? We have the same questions the Jewish nation had just before Jesus came.
One of my favoriter preachers, Joyce Meyer, likes to say: "faith requires unanswered questions." If we knew what God was going to do ahead of time, it would not be faith for us to believe His love and goodness, and rejoice in Him in the darkness.
Let’s not give up on God. He may be planning the greatest miracle we’ve ever experienced. He may be staging our rescue this very moment. The blackest picture can transform to a lovely, light-filled landscape with one word from Him. He is still the Master of Miracles. Let’s hang on just a little while longer, and believe that He will come through. Any night just might be our Miracle Eve. --- Jen
The original Christmas Eve was a hopeless time for the world, too. God had promised a savior and redeemer, but that was seven hundred years earlier. Do you suppose the Israelites wondered if Isaiah had made the whole thing up? Where was this redeemer who would rescue them from the tyranny of a godless government? Why was God taking so long? Didn’t He care?
Then, in the swiftness of a baby’s first wail, God came to earth. Light was embodied. Hope was born. The world has never been the same.
We all have prayers we are waiting for God to answer. We know His word promises us certain things, and we don’t understand why He takes so long in fulfilling His promises. Did we misunderstand His word to us? Does He really care about our plight? We have the same questions the Jewish nation had just before Jesus came.
One of my favoriter preachers, Joyce Meyer, likes to say: "faith requires unanswered questions." If we knew what God was going to do ahead of time, it would not be faith for us to believe His love and goodness, and rejoice in Him in the darkness.
Let’s not give up on God. He may be planning the greatest miracle we’ve ever experienced. He may be staging our rescue this very moment. The blackest picture can transform to a lovely, light-filled landscape with one word from Him. He is still the Master of Miracles. Let’s hang on just a little while longer, and believe that He will come through. Any night just might be our Miracle Eve. --- Jen
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