So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left.
This verse is important in my family-life right now, to keep trusting when the decisions we are making, from the world's point of view, are financially disastrous ones. The Holy Spirit gives us the courage to explain where we get our strength from and my husband is allowing this to happen as he explains to the people with whom he is in business that it is his faith which shapes the decisions he makes. Some of his business partners are beginning to be a little more accepting of this.
It is so exciting to see the growth of your friendships. When you can rely on one-another and be there for each other in any circumstance. I have been blessed within the last year with one very special friend who is going through some similar adventures to me and it is great to look back on how this friendship got started and how much it has grown. She is lending a tent to us for New Wine, alongside a double sleeping bag (now that's friendship) and a full gas bottle and a number of other essential items. But we can look at our relationship with God in the same way, it is not the same today as it will be tomorrow and by spending time with God, it will grow. Friendships can transform us a little, it takes quite a while but in relationship with God, transformation is exciting and life-changing and continues to happen.
Selwyn Hughes writes “Many Christians never get far in the development of their faith because they see it as something fixed and final and thus they have no expectation of growth. They point to the text: “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith and infer from this that our calling is to go through life functioning within our appointed and pre-ordained circle. But take a look at 2 Thessalonians 1:3 “because your faith is growing more and more” (Phillips translation says ”your faith has made such strides)..I consider the belief that “we are given a fixed measure of faith and cannot expect it to increase” to be one of the most injurious of all the errors in the Christian Church today.”
Selwyn Hughes, in his book “8 Ways to Deepen Your Faith”, answers the question - WHAT FAITH IS NOT?
Faith is not mere intellectual acceptance
College is not enough.
Faith is not blind credulity (something ridiculous and unreasonable)
It's a truth the world wants to measure when it is immeasurable
Faith is not naïve optimism
It is acceptance and seeing God in everything
Faith is not trying hard to believe
As I discovered last night, in the gift of a new Christian in house group, it is about asking questions and expecting answers.
Faith is not positive thinking
This is more a personality trait
Faith is not presumption
It's letting God be in charge of the outcome, whatever it is.
Who ever could have imagined faith would be so exciting.
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