Time with God

Today I had a doctors appointment in town at 10am, so I decided to take the whole day off.  A very unusual occurrence but one that I knew would be nice.  I got up at my usual time and just puttered around the house and read a little.  My two dogs were so content with me being there.  When I returned home, they were thrilled.  What a short day! they must have thought.  They got to go out whenever they wanted, got a few extra treats and even an extra walk.  But the best part of the day, (I think they would say if they could talk), was that they got to be with Mom all day.  Our dogs want to just spend time with us.  Same with our loved ones.  There is nothing better than hanging out with family or friends and developing a stronger relationship.

I believe that God is the same way.  He longs to have us spend time with him, to get to know him better and to develop a stronger relationship with him.  How much time do I give to God in prayer and worship, in reading his word and listening to him in quietness?  Do I give him as much time as I give my dogs?  I don't think I want to answer that question.  Faith is not stagnant, it needs to grow and the only way to mature in faith is to focus on God. 

     I love the way God works through his word.  I have been studying the book of James and in fact, writing my research paper on faith as discussed in James.  So of course, I am fairly immersed in this topic currently. But apparently not enough, because the message today at church included the very passage that I have been working on for the past few days - James 1:2-4.  Don't you just love it when God does that?
     These verses essentially tell us that trials happen in our life for the purpose of testing our faith.  As our faith is tested, we develop perseverance, which leads to the ultimate goal of spiritual maturity.  Each difficulty that we face is, in fact helping us to grow in our walk with God.  James even makes the radical statement that we should be joyful as we recognize this fact.  God blesses us in our trials.  If we continue to turn to him for comfort, wisdom and strength during the hard circumstances of life, our faith and our understanding of God will increase.  God's desire is for a progression of our faith over time and he knows exactly what each of us needs for this growth. 

I have finally made a decision to move to another church.  It has not been an easy decision, for I love my brothers and sisters at the old church, but I feel that God is directing me to move and I have peace in my  heart over the decision.  I have been visiting for awhile, but it is time to make the commitment and to plug into where God wants me to serve.  I am looking forward to new possibilities and new opportunities, for I know that God always has a plan.  I might not have one, but God always does.  I pray that I will listen to God and discern his will as I journey forward in faith.

Blessings

Today has been a blessed day.  Two or three times a month, I drive over to the other side of the island to work at Kaneohe Marine Base.  The beauty of the drive never ceases to amaze me.  As I come out of the tunnel on the other side of the mountain, there is an incredible panoramic view of God's scenery - the steep cliffs of the mountain range and the ocean all visible.  God "did good" when he created Hawaii!  And God has blessed me by placing me in this paradise.  I don't deserve to see this beauty every day.  I also don't deserve all the other blessings that God has given me but I am grateful. 
We need to  remember that none of us deserve God's mercy and grace and forgiveness, but he gives them to us anyway.  And while God does not need a payment for his gifts, he does deserve our devotion and our faithful service. What an awesome God we serve!

Being an example

I have a 3 year old poodle mix (Chewy) and his son (Max), who is now 6 months old.  Both are cute and hyperactive and make me laugh every day.  I took them for their walk after I came home from work today and  couldn't help but  laugh as I watched Max.  Over the past few months, he has been slowing learning to copy all the things that Chewy does.  Initially, Max only ran along beside Chewy, but then he learned to start smelling everything and finally that he was suppose to be doing his business.  Now he is just a mimic.  Today for the first time he did that little back leg scratch thing that dogs do in the grass, showing who is in charge - just like Chewy.  Chewy has been demonstrating to Max what it means and what it looks like to be a dog. 

It made me think about how we also set the example for our children.  What are we teaching them about faith, about God, about priorities and about service.  What am I teaching my children on how to be a Christian?  As I examine my life, I have to admit that I have fallen down in this area as my children have gotten older.  They see me reading, praying, serving at church and worshiping God.  But do they see me as living a life truly in service?  I fear that I have not demonstrated a faith that is always lived out in service to others.  As I continue on this journey, I will be more aware of how I reveal my Christian life to my children and to others,  so that I can be a better witness.

Being faithful in the little things

Today I came home from work and answered some emails- finally.  I often glance over email messages quickly and plan to get back to those that need an answer later.  Sounds reasonable, but of course, later gets pushed back to never.  So much time passes, an answer is no longer required.  So what is wrong with this?  After all, we are all busy and understand. 
Well, the problem is that I am not being faithful to my commitments or friendships or whatever is involved. What example am I setting?  As Christians, we are called to live a life that mirrors Christ, in everything we do.  Not just the big things, but in everything.  My failure to answer an email in a timely manner is showing my selfishness.  It shows my pride by saying that my time is more important than the other person.  Now of course, there are times where we just can't do everything and priorities need to be set, but this is not the case in this discussion.
I realize that I need to be faithful in the little things because they form the pattern of my life.  How can I expect to live a life of faithful service to others, if I don't begin with common courtesy.

The First Step

As I study the book of James in the New Testament, I realize just how much of my faith is superficial.  James tells us that faith without action is not really faith at all.  In other words, if we don't live our faith, show our faith through service to others, then we need to question our true commitment to God. I realize how much of my faith is only talk.  I know my heart and God knows my heart, but left in my heart, my faith does not produce fruit - it doesn't result in action or service to others.  We are called to become like Jesus, who was all action.  His life was service - teaching, healing, mentoring.

My first step on this journey of faith is to start a blog.  This is a big step, since I have never even read a blog before, which I am sure you can readily tell by this first post.  I hope to inspire and encourage others to join me on a journey of faith - a challenge to live life as James describes and God expects.


Sharon