Adding to my faith

In college, the activists taught me that to think correctly is not enough. And, honestly, to think correctly but not live actively working to correct what is unwell in the world, I wonder if that is really thinking correctly at all. Faith in Jesus has informed me on how things truly are: that people are loved and valued and known by Him, perfectly; that what is unwell with the world and with us is explained by our sin; that He lived life perfectly then gave it away in exchange for us; and that believing in Him unlocks us from the power of sin and brings us closer to Him and to being with Him in Heaven forever.

So, this is my life. And I have to live like I'm free.

I'm in the ancient words of the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1:5-9 today after a friend, Eleiah, brought them up last night in our community:

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness and to goodness, knowledge and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."

Adding to my faith, adding to my faith.

There must be integrity between who we say we are and how we live.

Chronicling

I've just finished a brief survey of the Old Testament book 2 Chronicles today.  I started reading it while I was in Israel last May, when I was moved by how intricately the Jews went about preparing the temple for God.  They knew Him, and they could not take Him lightly.   When I read the first 7 chapters describing the preparation, construction and dedication of the temple, I was reminded of the New Testament truth that our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit, that temple is a very specific word in the Bible.  

This coincides with where we in my and Kelsey's small group have been reading in Ecclesiastes 5:7..... "...Therefore stand in awe of God."  

My body is His as the temple was His.  How much I must never forget to take God at His word, seriously, deeply.  He is the Creator of all things, the writer of my story, the keeper of names, the lover of all humanity, the one who knows when the goat gives birth and when a world leader rises up.  He knows me perfectly.  He knows every slave perfectly.  This is God, and I cannot deny Him.  In every king's story, 2 Chronicles records a specific time that shows the way each king oriented himself.  It often says "he did evil in the eyes of the Lord" or "he did what was right in eyes of the Lord" and details his action or inaction regarding the idol worship that Israel had embraced.  

What is important is how I orient myself, toward Him or away from Him.  I have lesson after lesson in this book of how to do it wrong and a few on how to do it right.  

In wrapping up, I think one of my favorites is the story of Manasseh in 2 Chronicles, who begins with his orienting phrase in 33:2-3 “ but he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.  For he REBUILT the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down he raised up altars for the Baals and made wooden images and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.”

But the sweet part is that later on he humbles himself and the Lord gives him room to turn his life around to serve Him.  Even when his entire reign was characterized by antagonizing God, He still had a place in the heart of God to turn and go forward, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

Ooh, and one last thought.  "The eyes of the Lord" is such an interesting phrase.  I think there, being in the gaze of the Lord, is the only place I have truly been able to see and accept reality.