A Journey of Faith
"This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
I began praying alone this morning, then my wife and I prayed together. Afterward, I received a phone call from a dear and very close friend who always encouraged me in many ways. In the afternoon, a much older friend who is much younger in the Lord drew me into an age-old debate about the sovereignty of God and free will.
Young Christians are like teenagers; they know what they think because of their parent's beliefs, but once it becomes their own, thoughts transform into convictions.
This next part will be challenging to read because it is not usually the way people like to view the Church. The Apostle Paul disclosed the nature of the Church as Christ planned it. "...pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith" Ephesians 4:11-13. Unity in the New Testament is never viewed as a local body of believers; that idea developed over hundreds of years of divisions.
The New Testament views the Church in different places but still only one. Previously Paul wrote, "There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all" Ephesians 4:4-6. How could Churches be divided when the same God is through and in all? To divide God is to harm the reputation of His holy character, divine nature, and transcendent name.
As the daylight turned dark, my wife and I decided to view the movie A Walk to Remember. It is a tear-jerker about a high school girl who, by her sincere faith, turns a clueless boy to see the meaning of life. The tears begin to flow when you realize she previously told him not to fall in love with her then she reveals her leukemia and precious little time left.
When tears wash away discontent, unholy anger, and self-centered focus, they are then replaced with inner joy by those who know Jesus. At that point, I became aware that much of my weakness in this life is often due to a lack of joy, which Nehemiah 8:10 teaches us, "For this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Nothing can beat a person down who is strengthened by the perspective of being loved by God, who is ever-present. Therefore, see to it that every day is holy.
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