November 29 2014

November 29 2014 Greetings My Friend, Thoughts rolling through my mind. I am sensing a theme in life from the Bible. I find that my faith journey often follows the same steps as I see happening as Abraham steps out in faith and goes to a land he has never known. I go back to Noah even when he is building the ark and others won’t listen to God’s warnings. So goes my faith. First I believed God was real but did not know Him. I learned the truths but did not understand. I see Abraham believing God going to Canaan forgetting that God had provided for him and trying to do it on his own only to find that God was able to take care of all his needs. In the end Abraham and Sarah did have a son when they were well past their childbearing years. I see Isaac and Jacob and the Israelites all taking the lessons and growing in a deeper faith journey. My faith journey has gone in much the same direction. I asked God to “help me” and He provided only to forget soon afterward. I found God’s provision and began to slowly absorb the lessons that God is always there. As the Israelites left Egypt God gave them the 10 commandments and other laws. They were to circumcise the male infants. It is a cutting away of skin. It is painful but if I understand right it is also healthy for the male as well. Next I learn that I need to circumcise my heart and I see the correlation in a physical removal of skin to cutting away layers of gunk from my spiritual heart. In the beginning of a faith journey we are not able to understand our spiritual life with God thus He teaches us through the physical life. As we absorb these lessons from the Bible we can begin to walk in faith. I don’t know why it was taught to us through years, centuries in fact but I find comfort in reading about these actual events and then applying them today in my life. I am thankful to find people who struggled as we do now that were able to learn, to grow and to be forgiven. It helps me to keep going even in the hardest darkest of days in my life. Many people talk about the wrath of God of the OT. For me I see God’s great love and patience and perfection in teaching us to be in a relationship with Him. He gave us choice and we chose to sin so now He teaches us to chose Him. It is a decision we all must make. Many people have to hit bottom before they find their way to God. That is how it happened for me. As I have accepted Jesus as my Savior I find I am growing and changing. So God took me right where I was and then in love He has taught me and I am changing because of my love for God now. Last week I understood eternal life a little more fully. When we truly accept Jesus as our Savior and repent with a sincere heart we begin to enter at that moment into eternity. For years I felt I was learning and growing for eternity and that is true but I also have entered into eternity so at my death I am still in eternity. Some won’t accept Jesus and repent their eternity won’t be pleasant but in accepting Jesus I learn I will live with God forever so I’ve started this journey this side of heaven and will continue on. Next I see Jesus after the resurrection. He has a body, He talks, walks, eats and moves about much the same way we do today only He does a few other things, like walk through walls. That uncertainty I had for a long time is leaving me since I understand my physical body and heaven means I will still move like I do today only in a body that won’t decay. All this sounds good to me so I will continue on in faith learning, growing, loving, serving and giving. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet