A Life of Faith

“Where are we?” and, “Which road should we take?”

GPS navigational systems, such as those produced by Tom Tom and Garmin, have changed how we think about these two questions. For $100 or less, we can access satellite technology, determine our position, and set a course for a chosen destination. These devices have reduced the number of maps in our glove compartments – thank goodness – and have permitted us to focus our attentions on far more important questions, such as: “Where do we want to go?” and “Where do we need to go?”

That’s great for cars and road trips, but what about for people and their lives? Have you ever wished you had a personal GPS device to help answer these sorts of questions: “Where am I in my personal life?” “What should I do next?” and “Where am I headed?”

The good news, of course, is that all of us believers have been given something and Someone much better than a GPS device. We been given God’s Written Word, the Bible, a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path, and the indwelling Holy Spirit, Who promises to lead and to guide us in His ways.

As Christians, we know that. So why do we sometimes feel that things are malfunctioning in us? Why does it occasionally feel as though our metaphorical GPS unit is on the fritz? And is there anything we can do to ‘get things working again’?

Well, here are some possible reasons for those experiences:

First of all, perhaps we have forgotten that, if there is a problem, it isn’t with God’s Divine GPS system. Both His Word and His indwelling Spirit are prefect, Humans may fail, but God never does.

Second, perhaps we have forgotten to listen carefully to the directions God’s Divine GPS system is giving. In the midst of our busy lives, we may be failing to take the time or invest the energy to study God’s Word and hear His small quiet voice. We may even be drowning out the Spirit’s voice with amusements and diversions. Bottom line? Sometimes we just are choosing sin over sanctity.

Third, perhaps we have forgotten that the accurate setting of a destination is primary. If we don’t enter an accurate destination into our car’s GPS, we will fail to arrive where we want to be, no matter how accurately the technology guides us. In our lives, it is essential that we allow God to pick the final destination. That doesn’t mean we don’t have a role in ‘entering’ the destination, but it does mean that the destination we enter must be the one God desires.

So, what I’ve really been talking about here, very briefly, is how to live a life a faith. In short. I suggest that living a life of faith includes: remembering that God has provided us with everything we need for life and godliness in Christ Jesus; taking the time, daily, to fellowship with Him through Bible reading, prayer, and meditation; and, accepting wholeheartedly and embracing completely His overall purposes for our lives by obeying His commandments.

Then, I think, we will be living faith-ful lives.

What do you think?

 

NEWS YOU CAN USE…

• How to Hear the Voice of the Spirit. This article offers helpful thoughts on a topic that confuses many Christians. Read it at: http://www.tillhecomes.org/how-to-hear-the-voice-of-the-spirit/.

• Have We Gotten Heaven Wrong? Popular notions of the afterlife have a way of seeping into our minds and undermining a biblical understanding of heaven. This article summarizes the efforts of some modern theologians to address the issue. Find it at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/nt-wright-asks-have-we-gotten-heaven-all-wrong/2012/05/16/gIQAD4lTUU_story.html

• When Bible-Reading Doesn’t Work. We all know we should read the Bible. But what should we do when it doesn’t seem to address our day-to-day problems? The author addresses that here: http://livingbyfaithblog.com/2012/06/04/when-bible-reading-doesnt-help/.

• Why the Real Challenge to Marriage is Heterosexual. This article seems to be a bit of a plug for a new book by Tim and Kathy Keller, but it does contain some interesting ideas and useful statistics. Read it at: http://thinkchristian.net/why-the-real-challenge-to-marriage-is-heterosexual.