rwgrace

Can you remember any instances in which God used difficult circumstances to refine and purify your faith? What did God accomplish in your life? The early years of my faith were forged in great emotional pain followed by another decade of what I'll call "inner healing." I was a very broken soul back then but now I know what it is to be free. During those early years I came to know God as incredibly faithful and always near to me. Those seasons of pain along with God's intimate care for me, have caused me to live the rest of my life with a sense of profound gratitude that He would choose me... gratitude that the God of the Universe has made it possible for me to walk through life with an intimate relationship with Him. Each time I take communion, each time I think about the cross of Christ, I am still deeply stirred and often brought to tears. I never cease to be amazed at the power of God's love to change a life. He has... and continues to change me. How, exactly, does genuine, tested faith bring glory to Jesus? Genuine, tested faith always points to Jesus, past, present, or future. A person whose faith has been tested has stories to share of Jesus' past faithfulness. A person who is in the midst of testing has genuine hope in the Lord who will sustain and often intervene to change the course of events. And because of the promises of the Bible and a track record of faithfulness on the part of God, a person with tested faith can look at the future with a sense of peace and hopefulness.

Q1. (1:1) How would you describe the behavior of a Christian who identifies more with his present homeland than his heavenly one? Have you ever caught yourself doing this? What has to happen to get our spiritual priorities straight? His behavior would be similar to someone who doesn't yet know Christ. He would react to the stresses and challenges of life in ways that reflect fear, self preservation, and his own well-being above that of others. I'd love to think that I don't do this, but it's not true. Every time I over indulge or don't act on God's promptings in my heart... every time I misuse the resources that God's put in my hands... my body, mind, money, energy, time, etc.... any time I turn a calloused eye away from the needy... I'm reflecting the fact that I'm no longer keeping an eternal focus. The best way for me to get my spiritual priorities straight is to return to Jesus. Sometimes when I get caught up in the rat race, in fear, in confusion, in myself ... I hear Him say to me, "eyes on Me, child... eyes on Me." So I try to keep "fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith." I need to keep returning to the words of my Bible often, letting them sink in and change my bent nature. It helps me to go out in nature, alone with God too. My head and heart and spirit seem to clear when I walk in the hills.