Good afternoon. How do you define or determine the measure of your faith? Is it based on what you do? How you live? How you act? The company you keep? Sorry, but faith isn’t defined nor measured by any of the above. Faith is biblically defined as the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things unseen. (Hebrews 11:1) Faith is also defined as, “a strong belief in a supernatural power that control human destiny.” Neither definition mentions our jobs, our houses, our cars, or social statuses. But instead, both definitions deal with our inner being – our spiritual makeup.
Inner being – a side that no one truly sees for what it really is but God. A side that man can merely glimpse at in the form of an action that may or may not have been spiritually led. So, how is it that people so easily pass judgment on who you are and what your spiritual life is all about based solely on what they can see? That’s not human emotion or divine intervention. That’s what you call clockwork. You see something, therefore it is….NOT.
Many times, we as a people can get so caught up in appearing to be righteous that we forget to be righteous. By this I mean, we play gospel music so we can be perceived as religious. We disrespect and downplay the “small” (genuine) people in our lives so that we can be perceived as important or dominant? When its all said and done and behind closed doors, reality is the direct opposite. Faith deals with those things that cannot be seen by man. It deals with those things of God. So how can a person’s faith be analyzed and judged because they are inspired more by Mary J. Blidge over Chris Tomlin on any given day? How can a persons faith be measured because he/she decides to wear jeans to church as opposed to a power suit? How can a persons lifestyle be concluded because he/she has lunch with a homosexual friend? It CAN’T. Its all stereotypical clockwork.
Our spiritual alignment is the only thing on this God given earth that matters. When we are solid in our faith, faith in God that is…we don’t have to try to look holy or sound holy or portray a holy image.
When you are sure of your faith, you can be inspired by the works of Michael Jackson or Mihalia Jackson. Remember that God speaks through whatever channel He needs to in order to get the Word to us. Whether it’s John Mayer performing ‘Gravity’ or CeCe Winans performing ‘Alasbaster Box,’ the message intended and the inspiration given both still has the same purpose….to inspire, to quicken, and to contribute to the wellness of our spiritual being.
I’m going to close with this. In John 17:15, Jesus prayed a very specific prayer for his decisciples. It wasn’t for their healing or their prosperity. He prayed that God not take them out of the world but instead protect them in a world in which they HAD to dwell in. In other words, it’s okay to simply live. It’s not okay to live in such a way that what we consume shifts our belief, shifts are faith….. Living and engaging among a people that’s just like you, limits you. It increases the chances of your Kingdom business going undone. It limits those that you can reach. In 1 Corinthians 9:19, Jesus said, “though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to win as many souls as possible.” What are you doing to win?
Peace – Kimberly
Unique Blogger, Blackberry Expert, Sociable IT Professional, Born Again Christian, All Around Geek