God's Work

"As I urged you when I went into Macedonia,

stay there in Ephesus so that you may command 

certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer

or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies.

Such things promote controversial speculations

rather than advancing God's work--which is by faith.

The goal of this command is love,

which comes from a pure heart

and a good conscience

and a sincere faith.

Some have departed from these and have turned

to meaningless talk.

They want to be teachers of the law,

but they do not know what they are talking about

or what they so confidently affirm."

1 Timothy 1:3-7

One of the biggest problems in the fitness industry is with trainers who have been taught how to put others through a workout but have no experience or background in exercising themselves.  When they try to help someone else to increase their fitness level or prepare for a sport, they have no experience to fall back on.  The only thing they have is book learning without practical knowledge of how things work in practice.  

It's the same in my walk with Christ.  I can read the Bible and learn about His ways, but until I walk with Him, going where He leads me, giving up what gets in the way of my relationship and enduring hardship as I struggle forward in my faith, I have no basis with which to draw from in order to help someone else in their walk.  I can't teach others if I don't have the relationship with God to back it up.

One of the ways to know whether or not this relationship exists is to examine the fruit of my life.  If there is no compassion for those who are hurting, or forgiveness for those who wound me, or patience for the late bloomers, then maybe it's time to check my source.  Am I trying to generate work for God out of my own strength, making things happen that seem right to me, or am I letting God do the work through me?

Love is the hallmark of the life of a believer.  This love, however, cannot be faked or produced on my own.  Instead, it flows freely when I am connected to the source of love who is God Himself. (1 John 4:8)

Pure Heart

Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8)  Possessing a heart that desires nothing more than to love God and please Him results in the ability to see evidence of Him in even the smallest of things.

A flooded backyard is seen as evidence that God provides more than enough to satisfy my needs.  The tiny blade of grass peeking up through the brown thatch is received as a sign of the new life I have in Christ.  A male cardinal singing with all his might reminds me that everything that has breath praises the Lord, encouraging me to do the same.

When I love God with all my being, I find that I see the world differently than when I'm concentrated on my own selfish concerns, my wants or on gaining my share of power.  A pure heart desires nothing more than Jesus.

God's love rules in my life when my sole motivation for living is to love God.

Good Conscience

Jiminy Cricket was the helpful and ever-present guide appointed by the Blue Fairy to serve as the wooden boy's conscience in the beloved children's classic Pinocchio.  He struggled throughout the story to get the puppet who wanted to be a real boy to pay attention to him.  Whenever Pinocchio ignored his conscience, he got into trouble.

This reminds me of my own life!  When I listen to that still, small Voice who guides me down paths of righteousness, I feel no guilt and I sleep well at night.  When I go out on my own, however, things begin to fall apart and my conscience is bothered.  I lose that peace that comes with being right with God.

When I love God with all my being, I find that I have nothing to hide and no hidden agenda to conceal.  A good conscience is at peace with God, knowing that I am letting Him be Lord of every part of my life.

God's love rules in my life when my conscience is clear.

Sincere Faith

I laid on my back lifting my hips off the floor and tried to perform the reverse crunches the way the instructor demonstrated.  I thought I had this exercise perfected until the teacher encouraged me to put my hands in the air and hold the top point of the movement for a count of two.  This took leverage and momentum out of the picture and I realized I didn't have the lower abdominal strength to perform the move.

While my effort was sincere, the muscle strength just wasn't there.  It's the same in my walk with the Lord.  Sometimes I make the effort, doing the things I think I should, but when all factors are stripped away leaving only my faith, I often find it comes up lacking.

True faith doesn't doubt when troubles, big or small, come my way because I believe that God is bigger and more powerful.  Genuine faith is not shattered by feelings of despair or depression because I keep in mind that God is always with me.  An earnest belief in God won't fall away when things don't go the way I think they should because I know that He has a plan that can't be ruined.

When I love God with all my being, I find my faith is true as I place my trust in a God whom I know will not let me down.  

God's love rules my life when my faith is sincere.

The work God calls me to in this life is to simply walk with Him, going where He leads me.  This requires a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.  This work of God that takes place in my life results in love.  And that love becomes the hallmark of my life as His child.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can let God's love rule in my heart.

When do I do things for the wrong reasons?

How am I insincere in my faith, thinking I've got it all figured out when really I'm placing my trust in my own abilities?