Faith as a Tool

Monday, May 10, 2010

Have you ever received a small appliance that you never put to use? Over the years I have had many domestic devices that I thought looked handy and that I would use frequently. However, I used them a time or two and then stored them in the farthest corner of the pantry never to be seen again. Oh, I’d run across them occasionally and put them in a yard sale or give them away. I readily recall finding new homes for a wok, crepe maker, fancy roaster, and cappuccino machine. They each had a purpose, but I failed to put them to use on a regular basis.

Sometimes our faith is like those gadgets. Some people have faith but rarely use it for its intended purpose. Some call on faith when it’s convenient. Sometimes we shelve our faith instead of exercising it every day. Faith is not just a set of ideas that we think about. An active faith requires action. Faith is living out our God-given beliefs in relation to God and others. Faith is not just something we put on for Sunday mornings in worship services. It is something to be used every day as we study God’s word, worship God, and serve others.

I recently read a story about missionaries in Africa that illustrates this point. Some missionaries were looking forward to working with a primitive tribe in a remote part of Africa. Unsure of how they would be received, the missionaries decided to send a goodwill gift to the tribe. They arranged for a shiny new plow to be dropped by parachute into the village. When the missionaries arrived a few days later, they encountered something unexpected. The natives, who had never seen a plow and had no concept of how to use one, put the mysterious equipment to an unusual use. They put it on a pedestal and worshipped it!

Instead of using the plow as a tool, the natives used it as a reverent ornament. Like the plow, our faith is an active tool. Our faith can revolutionize our lives and the lives of others. We have to put it to use!

Faith is an active tool. Use it in service for Him!

“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” Philippians 1:27

To Faith

Sunday, September 13, 2009

What does it mean to have Christian faith? Faith is not just a single act of belief. It is not just a belief in a doctrine. It is an ongoing commitment to Jesus Christ. Dr. James Fowler, the foremost researcher on faith development, refers to faith as a verb. He says “to faith” involves continual growth and nurture from less to more mature stages. He states that a person comes to faith through community. In other words, a person’s faith is shaped by his own experiences and the influence of his family and faith community.

Let’s look at these influencers of faith.
Family Influence -
In the 1990s the Search Institute study titled Effective Christian Education surveyed over 11,000 people in 561 congregations. Researchers discovered several key factors that promote faith. The first is family religiousness. Families who participate in devotions together, parents who talk about their faith to their children, and the families who do service projects together have the greatest impact on a person’s faith.

Faith Community Influence -
The study also examined congregational factors that promote faith growth and maturity and discovered that Christian education is the most vital factor. Christian education is defined as the programs of study outside of worship services, such as Bible studies, Sunday School, and small groups, that help us grow our faith. In fact, the study showed that Christian education has twice the impact on faith growth of all other areas of congregational life. This influence began in the first Christian church established at Pentecost. “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42

Personal Experience -
Much of my own faith growth has come through trials and tribulations, or what the Bible refers to as "the testing of our faith" ( 1 Peter 1:7 and James 1:3). While coping with cancer, divorce, and deaths, I struggled with the direction my life was going. I questioned God and tried to make meaning of suffering and pain. However, I clung to the belief that God is faithful and called on him for peace. He gave me a strength and courage I could never have imagined. During those dark times, I turned to the firm foundation I had been given through my family and faith communities.

I’ve learned that faith growth can be both intentional and unintentional.

We can be intentional in our families as we encourage faith development. We can choose to have family devotions, participate in service projects, and discuss our faith.

We can be intentional in our involvement in the community of faith. We can participate in Bible studies and small groups in order to learn about our faith. This is what Rev. Mark calls learning the orthodoxy, or “right beliefs” of our faith. We can reach out in orthopraxy, or “right practice” by sharing our faith and giving sacrificially of our resources.

If we are diligent with our intentional faith development, then when the trials and tribulations come, however unintentional they may be, we will have that strong foundation to see us through. We will be armed with the influence of our family and faith community so that we can face the storms.

As we mature in faith we move beyond a belief about God toward deep abiding in God. We move from studying the orthodoxy, “right practice” to orthopraxy, “right practice.” We become not only “hearers of the Word” but “doers of the Word.”

Here’s “to faith!”

Hummingbirds

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Hummingbirds fascinate me. They are able to fly in all directions – even backwards - and can reach speeds up to 60 miles an hour. When in flight, their heartbeats can reach up to 1,260 beats per minute. Imagine how high their metabolism must be! And oh what thrilling air shows these feisty fliers provide with their swoops and dives! A great deal of energy is spent flying, and they spend most of their time feeding (not a bad life!). When not searching for food, they conserve their energy by perching. As the world’s smallest bird, their struggle for sustenance is hard. Fortunately, their keen senses help them to key in on their food source. They typically consume half their weight in nectar each day, so they must visit hundreds of flowers in order to survive. If they’re lucky, they can feast off of sugar water in a feeder left by a caring bird watcher. Fiercely determined, they work hard to survive.

Let’s review some of their characteristics. Clearly these smallest of birds know their goal and stay focused on it. They spend their energies working toward their goal and know the importance of rest as a way to replenish their bodies. They show perseverance by going from flower to flower or feeder to feeder in order to meet their needs.

Erlanger Hospital has chosen the hummingbird as their symbol for the fight of the cancer patient. As cancer patients lie in their beds and gaze toward the ceiling, they view the images of hummingbirds beautifully painted on the tiles. What an appropriate symbol for their valiant fight for life.

What inspiration can we as Christians get from the hummingbird? First of all, let’s see what Jesus said about our goal as Christians.

Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Matthew 22:37-40)

What does scripture say about staying focused on our goal and persevering?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Like the hummingbird fixes his sight on his source of life, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, our source of life and run with endurance whatever race is set before us.

Grapple Questions....
What energies do you have that should be spent living a Christ-centered life?
What hinders you from living that life?
How do you remain fixed on Jesus?