Today’s scripture: Hebrews 11:1, 8-16; Galatians 5:6 (NRSV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Steve Adams):
It’s hard for something you need in life to seem attainable when you don’t have it and therefore can’t see it. Sometimes the solution seems so far away, and we get tired. Our minds might even say something like, “Why even try? It’s not gonna happen anyway!”
But then we learn about faith, and how important it is. We see Jesus emphasize it so many times as a vital component of discipleship. We learn that if we want to be solution-oriented, we must be faith-oriented!
I had a glimpse of faith after I lost my job in June, 2006. I had enjoyed helping elderly and disabled people for the last twelve years by cleaning their homes. But, at age 52, I was tired of cleaning toilets, and sensed God wanted me to reach for something different.
The only problem was my resume had nothing in it that would help me very much. And, even though I’m fortunate to have a college degree in journalism, I’ve never had a job in the field. To be honest, I never had the faith to pursue a career that matches my education level. When it came time to look for a job I felt like the disciples when they responded to Jesus’ challenging commands in Luke 17:5 by saying “Increase our faith!”
When telling a friend at church about this, I said, “Well, this (losing my job) may be a good thing, because it might help me get into something better.” To be honest, I didn’t even FEEL like what I was saying was real! Part of my mind was saying, “Something better? How??”
But I BELIEVED it in my heart, the part of the mind that really counts! Even though my faith was small and inconsistent, God caused the tiny mustard seed to grow into something wonderful. A friend who attends my Oasis group told me about his job of scoring ISTEP tests, and how to apply for the position. Thank God I was hired, and have never enjoyed a job more! I am now a “test evaluator” for tenth grade writing, something I never thought (in the non-faith part of my mind, at least) that I could do!
“. . . the only thing that counts is faith working through love.” What an incredible statement! Paul was writing about the trappings of religion, and I think it applies to all of life! God’s love is the spark that ignites our faith in God, ourselves, and others. If I want to have more faith in my life, then I need to incorporate more of God’s love in my life. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. Thank you, God, for your love!
Thought for the Day: Lord, help me to receive and then give out more of your love, so that I can have more faith to build your kingdom in this world!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.