How do I live my faith?

Living our faith in a sinful world can be a difficult thing to do. Read Mark 12:29-31 in your Bible.

Jesus tells us the two greatest commandments. The second is often called the golden rule. How is following the golden rule living out your faith?

Can you think of other ways to live out your faith?

Read Ephesians 5:1-2.
How can you be an imitator of God?

Previous Reflection: http://kairosverse.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-is-faith.html

http://kairosverse.blogspot.com

Set the World on Fire

As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

Mark 2:14 (NIV)

Today's verse is one I came across in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer talks about how in the above verse, Jesus calls Levi and Levi responds. He doesn't come to God asking to serve. He doesn't think about it, or do it on his own terms. He just answers the call.

To continue with the musical theme for this week, I have a song by Britt Nicole called Set the World on Fire. The song is about wanting to serve. The song reminds me of the hymn, Here I Am Lord, but it's a song about answering the call Jesus has given to us.

Jesus calls us. We answer. It's as simple as that.

I wanna set the world on fire
Until it's burning bright for You
It's everything that I desire
Can I be the one You use?

[CHORUS]
I, I am small but
You, You are big enough
I, I am weak but
You, You are strong enough to
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I can not do
Nothing I cannot do

I wanna feed the hungry children
And reach across the farthest land
And tell the broken there is healing
And mercy in the Father's hands

[CHORUS]

Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I cannot do
Nothing I cannot do

My hands my feet
My everything
My life, my love
Lord, use me

I wanna set the world on fire
I wanna set the world on fire, yeah

Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I cannot do
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
There's nothing I can't do
Nothing I can't do

I'm gonna set the world on fire
Set the world on fire

http://kairosverse.blogspot.com

Faithful Friends

There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.

Mark 7:32 (NIV)

Today's verse is from yesterday's gospel lesson. It stuck out to me because of a few things. First, because my pastor pointed out in his sermon today that the man didn't asked to be healed. It was the faith of the man's friends that brought him to Jesus. They brought him to be healed. Second, because of the discussions I've been having with many people over the past two weeks.

I have been having a crisis of faith. Not about whether I believe in God, but in what I feel God is calling me to do. Partly it was brought on by the recent division that has sprung up in the church. But I think that issue was masking the other issue - which was my own self-imposed deadlines on doing paperwork to get ready for seminary. What I realized is that I have been trying to make things happen in my time, instead of God's. The same issue I was having with our church is one that I realized was tearing me up on a personal level.

What I learned tonight in a discussion with Juliet Hutchins, is what I need to be asking God for in my prayers. It isn't, "What do you want me to do?" That's pretty clear to me in both my internal and external call. (By which I mean that I feel like God wants me to be a pastor and it's what I want to do, and that people think I would be a good pastor and tell me so.) What I need to be asking, is, "How do you want me to do it?"

I believe that got me through the last two weeks was not my own faith or my own prayers, because I had nothing to say and no will to pray. Instead it was the prayers of others for me. They knew what to pray, even though I did not. Those prayers saw me through. The faith of others helped me, and I just had to share that. After two weeks of not having a Bible verse to share, I suddenly had one I just had to share.

http://kairosverse.blogspot.com