A Faith that Pleases God

"Without faith is it impossible to please God." That right there is an exact quote from the Bible. What does it mean though? Frankly, it means exactly what it says it means. Without faith, we cannot please God. Here is something we may not have spent a lot of time on this Sunday: Our faith defines who we are in the eyes of God. God pays no attention to our lip service, he cares about the way we live out our beliefs.

So, ultimately please God is simple. Live for Him.

This pretty much encompasses every part our lives. Pleasing God requires that I have faith and I show that I have faith by my actions. I please God through the way I carry myself.

There were these T-shirts everyone wore while I was growing up, they were called "Trash Talking T's." One of the T's said, "You talk the talk, I walk the talk." As Christians, how good are we at walking our talk. One of the many excuses I hear about people who do not attend church, is that Christians are hypocritcal. I have difficulty with this excuse because I believe that a majority of Christians, try as they may, fall short. I am by no means perfect and have fallen short in terms of my word too. Yet I'm not certain those are the kind of people that they are talking about. I have seen a lot of people claim the name Christian and their lives are polar opposite of the name they claim. Those are the hypocrite I do not want to become.

The best way that I have found to see how you are doing at this, is what I call the characterization test. When you are described by those whom know you best, do they characterize you as a Christian, or not.

Aaron

Thoughts on Faith

Yesterday, we had the chance to begin the thought process of faith. We dove into the premise of what faith is and the awesome gift that faith brings. I have a couple reminders and challenges for you this morning and this week to consider. If you would like to participate in this discussion, click on the thoughts link at the end of the article, or send me an email by clicking here. Enjoy.

This faith we are talking about has a very distinct start. Faith is not just something that you stumble upon, like a great coffee house. Faith is often purposeful and we may not recognize its beginning, but it has one. “so, faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17) Faith comes from the Word of God. Without the Good News (the Gospel), there is no faith. It just can’t happen. You have to have something to put your faith in.

The day that you heard, read or were told about Jesus was the day that faith began to grow within you. Sometimes it may take years for that seed of faith to sprout, for some it may never sprout at all. I remember very distinctly the day that my faith officially sprouted. Call it a scare tactic, persuasion, whatever you will, but it worked. I was sitting around a Bible Study at a youth retreat on the Oregon Coast, when the speaker paused and said this: “About ½ of you will not be Christians by the time you go to college.” I sat there in amazement at that statistic. I realized I better take this seriously, or get out. I allowed that seed to sprout on that day and I allowed God to be the conqueror of my life.

Do you remember the day you put your faith in Jesus? As a former youth minister, I have seen the faith dance played out in many lives. Some, I expected faith to grow, flourish and take hold. Others, I doubted their faith would last. Often times I have been surprised and completely disappointed. Yet, I have to say I have learned a lot by watching people go through this journey.

"Jess" had come from a broken home, she had an alcoholic mother and a father who lived in another state all together. She came to know Jesus at a Christian sponsored concert through the church. I was shocked to see her walk on stage to accept Jesus as Lord. As we sat and talked about this important decision I could see a real desire for change, yet with her background and friends I wasn't sure this was going to really stick. She was baptized into Jesus and has since done some very incredible things for the Lord. She took hold of her faith and lived by it.

"Tod" was quite different. He had grown up in church and had been surrounded by Christian people his whole life. He came to youth events, shared his faith, and invited just about everyone from school to attend. He began to drift a little from the church as he experimented with drugs, skipping classes and distancing himself from the church. Now, his parents still remain conected to the church they attend, but he is far from it.

It is often difficult to understand how this faith takes root but I believe it can be seen. For Tod, his faith never took root, not because he didn't have the knowledge but because he never really allowed it to penatrate his heart. Maybe he was living out the faith of his parents, maybe he never really had a faith of his own but it didn't take root.

Jill on the other hand, allowed the faith in her life to change her life. She changed friends, activities and places she hung out. She allowed Jesus to run her new life, and allowed God to change her.

What are some ways we can encourage a stronger faith with in our children and grandchildren?

What was the difference between the experience Jill and Tod had?

Is your faith grounded, rooted and ready to withstand anything?



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Just as a fun side story, my kids did something incredible this morning. They caught a mouse. I have been setting traps, finding them unsnapped, missing the bait for the last 3-4 days. I play basketball at the high school on Monday mornings. When I arrived at home, there was my furry friend, captured by 5 strong willed children. Have a mouse problem, I've got something better than a cat.

Enjoy

Aaron

We are stepping out in faith here in a few weeks. We are going to be trying something we haven't tried since at least I have been here. We are shooting for an outdoor service, combining both of our services together. It should be awesome. Come check it out.