March 14th - A Journey of Faith

The story...

Pastor Pete said: "If you aren't 100% sure of your salvation then you've got a big problem that you need to deal with."   He proclaimed messages like that frequently and it bothered me.  Why?  I'm a conversationalist who asked about and heard other conceptions of God.  I remember believing in the gospel, during a Baptist outreach, when I was about seven.  However, I also rationally understood how the whole construct might've been worked out to help people deal with their fear of pain and death.  Wouldn't the fear of chaos motivate men to create a religion to appease and control the masses?

I'm not sure what the process was, but one day I fully believed and stopped entertaining doubts - began more humbly and honestly walking with God in a more "right' relationship.  It could be my personal version of what happened to Abraham in Genesis 15.  I'm not sure whether it was an act of my will, powered by the Spirit of God, an experiment, or something worked out in prayer.  I do know that I fully believe God's Word now as opposed to rationally considering and evaluating each idea before "I" make "my" decision.  I hope that my current faith is more like the faith of Abraham - God's friend.

I struggled to find a picture that might best relate to faith.  I chose this bolt head that helped secure the bed of my old truck to it's rusty frame. If you've worked on old cars, you've learned that you'll find a way to get that seized bolt out even when it appears that there is "no way."  Fretting or thoughts of quitting don't help.  I was so thankful that I was able to grind this one off - I keep it as a reminder to trust the process and to remember past victories.

How might the only church in town work out their faith together and individually?  Preaching, teaching, praising, worshiping, communion, eating, serving, loving, helping, building, listening, sharing, caring, and likely most importantly - trusting in the will and hand of God.  The faith journey may start in a moment like Don and Betty had at their son's camp.  Their sin and the consequences are easy for the viewer to see; yet, they don't appear to really know what's going on.   There is a curse, the law of sin and death, working it's way out in people who were created for something better.

Just for today...

"If we do finally ask for God's help, we must do so with absolute confidence. It is fruitless to take back into our own hands the problem which our powerlessness forced us to turn over to Him." One Day at a Time (p. 74)

"It stands to reason that a change in us will be a force for good that will help the entire family." Courage to Change (p. 74)

"Swimmer's speed; Developed in water - Cares of the day; Washed away too."  Am I a Poet?