The Proving Grounds of Love

What I've learned is that as much as we may want our free will taken away, Abba will never do such a thing.  More than anything, He wants our love for Him to be clearly indicated by the choices we make.  GOD is not glorified when we're FORCED to obey but when we CHOOSE to obey.  We're not robots and drones created by GOD to simply do what He says without our hearts being connected to His.  Jesus said that we're to keep His commandments, if we love Him.  So how can we then convince others that our love for GOD is authentic when our obedience is merely the response to domination?  Even if we willingly relinquish control of our right to choose obedience over rebellion, how does that advance the story we're attempting to tell the world about the redeeming love of our Heavenly Father?

What I have found from my own life experiences is that, as I persist in prayer, worship and the Word, it becomes easier for me to see and hear GOD amidst all that is vying for my attention as well as my devotion.  And because I'm growing in my understanding and appreciation of His amazing love for me, it's become so much easier for me to lean not to my own understanding when it's time to make decisions.  I acknowledge Him and the fact that it's my desire to please Him, and He honors that by directing my path.  And because my trust in Him grows more and more, my transforming soul more readily partners with the born again spirit within to willingly make the kind of sober-minded choices that reflect my love for GOD and bring glory to His name.

It's my prayer that more Christians would come to embrace this truth that our Heavenly Father does not desire to control us, to takeover our lives, or to make us do anything.  GOD did not create mankind to control mankind.  He created mankind that humanity would choose to receive His love and, in return, love Him by desiring to bring Him pleasure by US choosing to obey His commandments.  When we stop looking for the easy way out, then we can really begin to enjoy this Kingdom life.  We must face that we're never going to get to a place in which GOD's Spirit will literally make us do something.  Ironically, its demonic spirits who forcefully takeover people and make them do things against their will.  If GOD's modus operandi were to get what He wants from us by forcing our compliance, then we really don't have free will.  But since we do, we must ALWAYS remember that we have a choice between good and evil, right and wrong.  Ultimately, what we choose proves who and/or what we really love.

Great Faith Is Strong Faith

When an individual's faith is described as being great, I believe we do ourselves a great disservice to merely assume that the greatness of one's faith is a direct reference to its size or quantity.  When we consider the purpose of faith as being "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," as stated in Hebrews 11:1, it then becomes clear to us that faith isn't even measured according to the amount of space it occupies.  What we come to understand then is that the greatness of one's faith is simply determined by what all it accomplishes (or produces) in a person's life.  Great faith isn't any bigger in size or quantity than "the measure of faith" GOD has dealt every man, according to Romans 12:3.

I have often heard it taught that faith is like building muscle mass.  However, I find it necessary that we endeavor to expand our understanding of this illustration.  For example, in my own quest over the years to improve my physical fitness, I have learned that there is a big difference between the building of mass and the building of strength.  Both are indicative of muscular growth and development, but they serve different purposes.  When we take "the measure of faith" GOD has given us and undergo a program of spiritual resistance training to develop our faith to produce results, it's more so to build the strength of our faith muscle than to increase its mass.

It's the strength of our persuasion, our moral conviction, and our reliance upon Christ to bring salvation that defines the level of strength our faith possesses to accomplish great feats.  Faith is designed to work and toil; therefore, what we cannot afford to forget is that when our measure of faith is doing no work it is as lifeless (and unproductive) as a corpse. [For more on faith and works, read the Book of James, Chapter 2.]  I'm here reminded of a popular song recorded some years ago by gospel singer Vanessa Bell Armstrong entitled "Faith That Conquers."  Our ability to see the invisible, expect the incredible, and receive the impossible is totally dependent upon "the measure of faith" we've been given working and toiling to help us gain the strength required to take the necessary, consistent action that ultimately manifests results.

No Longer Pursuing Perfection

Following a recent conversation with friends about virtue, Holy Spirit shared with me that it's unnecessary to worry ourselves with trying to attain perfection if we focus our efforts on being excellent.  This blessed me tremendously because the human experience often leaves us feeling like we're not only imperfect but that it is impossible for us to be perfect.  However, this powerful message from the heart of GOD simply says that our perfection is something we should not even be overly concerned about.  AMAZING, isn't it?!

Most people's understanding of the word "perfect" is that of it describing something (or someone) as being flawless or free of damage.  However, GOD defines "perfection" as a state of maturity.  And only He can bring us into a place of maturity that removes all those damaging qualities we inherited as a result of the curse of sin.  What I've learned, though, that facilitates the maturation process is a spirit of excellence.  When we desire to do everything we possibly can to the best of our ability and activate our faith to produce the highest quality results with the resources available to us, GOD honors that by stepping in and further developing (i.e. maturing) us so we can reflect His nature even more.

Psalm 18:32 says, "It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect."  The word "way" here figuratively means "course of life" or "mode of action".  So no longer do we need to stress ourselves out over making ourselves perfect, mature or without blemish.  GOD will take care of all that, as long as we submit ourselves to a life of virtue through excellence.  As we endeavor to live righteously and excel in our own day-to-day roles and responsibilities, we will begin to see the effects of GOD's hand upon our lives.  It's just that simple, and I pray you're encouraged now more than ever to excel in the years to come.