Sunday, September 26, 2010

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

I am humbled. Convicted. Every Sunday after hearing the message when we do communion, I pray that God will help me to understand and feel both His presence and His love for me. You see, it's so hard to truly understand how deep of a love He has for us that He would shed his blood and that He would allow for His body to be pierced. Yet, he loved me so much that He did it -- so that I could live this life... undeserved. And yet, I doubt Him. I don't have faith. I don't have time. I don't have patience. This morning, I jotted in my journal that I want to give up. Times are hard and I'm tired of fighting. And, in the midst of church this morning, in the midst of a passage in 1 Timothy which on the outside talks about us not having a love for money, are these words, "Fight the Good Fight of Faith." I need to have faith in Him who shed his blood, whose body was broken for me. It's a fight to keep that faith and I will win. God will win. I ask that God help me maintain my faith. That I be content with food and clothing -- that I would not be in want for those extra things. I ask that he would make me eager to pursue righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. I ask that He give me the faith, committment and discernment to understand his desires and the desire to live in simplicity. May He keep breaking me and allowing me to see how much I need Him.

Colossians 1:9-13 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened withall power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified ou to sharei n the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.