Dave’s Monday Blast – January 30, 2017
“Walking by Faith, not by Sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7) is an appropriate goal for an INTENTIONAL Man. Over the last two weeks, we have shared stories from Hebrews chapter 11 of five individuals who chose to walk through life by faith. Scripture uses their examples to affirm that faith in God is THE TOOL needed to live a life according to God’s design for us. Faith allows us to be used by God in ways we could never imagine and with results that were unexpected.
Some of the things we learned:
Faith is about giving, even when it’s a sacrifice.
Faith is about changing, even when you’re certain it’s impossible.
Faith is about building, even when people don’t admire what you’ve created.
Faith is about obeying, even when you don’t understand what’s being asked of you.
Faith is about remaining faithful, even when you’d rather not.
Within the context of the OBJECT of our faith being Christ, Pastor Ray Johnston says, “If these five things are happening in your life, then faith is being unleashed. And if these five things are there, you’re in a position to make a difference for yourself and for future generations”. This of course is what every Christ-Follower desires.
One of the challenges we face as we strive to “Live by faith, not by sight” is the unpredictability of life. We are frightened by what we cannot control. Our lives can be defined by anxiety and fear. Pastor Jim Denison states it this way, “This is so because we inherited from the Greeks a linear view of time divided into past, present, and future. Business leaders make business plans and formulate long-range strategies. Geopolitical analysts study national meta-narratives…the historic purposes and aspirations of countries…to predict future actions. When we forecast the future, we feel a measure of control over it.”
The problem is, our Western, linear, rationalistic view of history doesn’t align with history. The past is gone and the future is unknowable. As Heraclitus famously observed, you cannot step into the same river twice. Change is the unchanging principle of life. The only foundation for stability and serenity in this chaotic world in which we live is the unchanging reality of God (Hebrews 13:8). Next week I want to chat a bit about the faith of Abraham and an antidote for the anxiety that defines our existence. I suspect you know it has something to do with our view of God!
