Beginning a new year is simply beginning a new day. Nothing changes but the calendar. But it is a chance to refocus and set new directions, new priorities, new commitments. It's also a time to check your thinking. Life gets crazy and we often lose sight of the basics. For me it's good to revisit the basics often to help me stay on course.
One of the basics is this- The just shall live by faith. It's a truth mentioned four times in the bible in four different books. But, what does it mean? It almost feels like there needs to be more to this basic truth. I know it would help me if it said, The just shall live by faith in _______. Fill in the blank for me and I can do that, but the blank is left empty because the implied object is God himself.
We live by faith in God moment by moment and the walk of a Christian is almost always a life lived with blanks in it. We don't have all the answers, all the directions, all the insight, but we trust in one who does. It's a moment by moment walk of faith in the one who guides our every moment...even when we can't see the way, don't have the answers and don't have all we need. A vibrant Christian faith is lived with a lot of blanks in it...trusting in the one who will fill them all in for us as we go.
3 comments:
I was reading Philippians 1 this morning and thinking about a statement Paul made near the end of the chapter - to love a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus. I read that many times and never contemplated the message. But in thinking about it, it's living in those "blanks" like a citizen of heaven who knows the good news of Jesus! I have always thought of this verse in more negative terms rather than positive. It is a positive statement of fact and should bring confidence to the reader.
I have always read this as an impossible standard of conduct, but today I saw it as am realistic view of life. And it was a very positive and good thing!
Ok, that would be to LIVE a life. Of course to LOVE a life is a great interpretation, too!
great thoughts, Lori, either way. I read Phil. 1 this morning as well and completely missed that. I need to read it again.
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