In these times of pruning, it is so important to come back to the core of our faith and the essentials of what our heavenly Father has called us to in Jesus Christ. We are so easily distracted by the lesser things that, like the Pharisees, we end up "straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel" (Matthew 23:24). How often we forget the basics! This article is just a reminder of what you have heard a hundred times before, but I pray that the Father will reveal it fresh to your heart.
CHILDLIKE FAITH
The first thing that God wants from us is simple, childlike faith. Jesus puts it this way in John's Gospel:
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. (John 6:28-29)
Have you put your trust in God for the forgiveness of your sins today? Have you put your trust in God for your acceptance as a son or daughter in Jesus Christ today? Are you receiving through prayer the "peace that surpasses understanding" (Philippians 4:7) today? Not ten years ago, not last year, not last month, or even last week, but today? Or are you carrying around the guilt of your sin, the heaviness of the orphan, and the weakness of human ability and flesh?
Simply put, let Jesus be your Savior today and let God be your Father today. Don't live off the past, but simply put your trust in Jesus for all you need today.
LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER
Second, and equally important, is to simply and practically love your brothers and sisters in Christ today. The apostle Paul put it this way in Galatians (connecting point one to this point):
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6)
Oh, how easily we forget this! "I want...", "I need...", "I like...", "I prefer...", "I feel...", I, I, I, me, me, me...and what's worse is that we so often mask our self-centeredness with religious talk. Always fighting for our ways, our preferences. When are we going to get the point about how important love is to our Lord Jesus? When will we get the point that it is not about us and our schedules, our preferences, our wants?
To put it practically, how are you going to love your brothers and sister today? What will you come home to do today? What situations are you in where you are fighting for your preferences? Oh, that the Holy Spirit may bring to our minds these areas right now and unblind our eyes from egotism!
Brothers and sisters, we are called by our Lord to be great in His Kingdom and to serve one another in love. How will you really, actually, and practically do this today? The one who loves will never fall; they will stand the test in all situations because “love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
May the Spirit of our Father strengthen us all to trust Him with simple, childlike faith and to express it simply through our love of one another each day. In Jesus name, Amen.
Shalom.
Essene Press Team
