Something is missing. I think I know what it is and the irony of it is that I talk about it often about other people. Action. Doing more than talking about something but actually doing something about it. In this case, I’m talking about my faith. Yes, I talk a lot about it but do people really see me living it out? Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, there is a big hole in my faith and I can finally see it.
Do We Pursue God’s Blessing And Not His Heart?
Where is my focus? Is it only in how my faith impacts my own life and my family? If I were to take an honest look at how my prayer life has been, I’d say it’s selfish. ”God, please bless my children. Help them grow up to know you. Please bless my marriage and help Julianne and I keep our focus on you.” Don’t get me wrong, these are great prayers to ask but do these really get at the heart of God? Where is my prayer about what God is calling me to do in this life with my resources and time?
Let’s put some context around this. Do you consider yourself rich? I originally thought I wasn’t especially when you put it in the context of the country we live in. What if you put it in the context of the entire world? Did you know that my family is in the TOP 0.49% of the richest people in the world? In the world! Wow! If I’m so rich, what am I doing with my money? Who is being blessed by it other than me? This doesn’t just have to be about money either. Where are you spending your time?
As Christians, if we were to truly follow the heart of God, we’d be doing more. A lot more because what I’m doing now isn’t enough.
Faith Alone Saves But Faith Is Never Alone.
What I’m talking about is more than doing things. This is about taking to heart the idea that someone loved me enough to pay the ultimate price for my sins so that I can share that love with my family AND OTHERS.
“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19 NIV)
This is about believing in Someone I can’t see. Trusting my wife and my kids to Someone I can’t see. Surrendering my entire life to Someone I can’t see. It’s called faith for a reason and at some point you just have to believe. I’d rather take the risk of believing in God than not at all because if that can help me become a better husband, father, friend and co-worker then it certainly is worth it to me and to those that I am in relationship with on a daily basis.
I believe that my faith in God has saved me but I can’t just rest on that. I need to live out the “We love” part of the verse above and that is why faith is never alone. If I really believed what I’ve just written and if I believe that what the Bible says is true, then my faith is going to be accompanied by action.
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. (James 2:14-18 NIV)
This Is What Is Missing…
Now comes the part where I ask you all to keep me honest. This is where I actually tell you what I’m thinking about doing and in all honesty, it scares the crap out of me. Two things keep coming up in my life:
- Foster Care and/or Adoption
- Going on a mission trip
These are things that I’m digging into this year. I’m going to take that first step in each one of those things and commit to following a nudge from God (through others) and seeing where it takes me. I have no idea where all of this will lead but what I do know is that I can take comfort in knowing that I’ll be doing more for my faith and my family by stepping out of my comfort zone and following the heart of God and serving others.
To The Skeptics…
Some of you might think I’m crazy. Thank you. What I’m hoping this does is motivate you to look at your own beliefs and decide if the God I believe in is worth your time. I’m more determined than ever to live out my faith and let it be a way to have a dialogue with people that might not believe. You all are out there. I see it in my Facebook News Feed every day. I know I’m not going to miraculously convert all of you by the Bible verses I generally post. I am certainly not going to debate you on matters of politics and religion. What I am going to do is attempt to live the best life I can that is based on the life of Jesus Christ and the things He did when He was here on earth.
To My Fellow Christians…
Take this to heart and evaluate your own faith. Is there something missing? I challenge you to found what your mission in life is and follow it. More than likely you are only scratching the surface of what your life is all about. Take a moment and listen. Keep your eyes open. Be aware of God’s will for your life and follow it. If all of us did that, the church could radically change the world as we know it…brick by brick.
If you’re wondering where all of this is coming from, take a look at the video below. If you’re interested in seeing this series yourself, I invite you to go to Kensington Church and check it out. In the five years that I’ve been going there with my family, this series will be a catalyst for my faith and how live out my life moving forward.
What about you? What’s missing in your life?
