Is Your Box Too Small?

“And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful?  How is it that ye have no faith?” 

Mark 4:40

“Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.” 

Matthew 9:29

“…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”  Matthew 17:20

 “…God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”  Romans 12: 3 

            No matter how we phrase it or put it into words, the idea of releasing our faith beyond our natural understanding has become our greatest challenge for this hour.  If we are going to grow beyond our limited knowledge of Christ, then we must tune our mind to the channel of faith, that we might receive all that He wants to do in our life.

            The idea of living in a small box suggests that I have limited room to grow or expand.  Many times in our walk with God, our faith becomes too small for what God wants to do in our life.  It is at this point that we might realize the need for a bigger box.  The bigger box represents an increase in faith. 

            It is our faith that gives us the power and authority to trust in the word of God for all of our needs.  It is our faith that helps define our character and creates zeal within us to obey God.  It is our faith that opens the door to the favor of God.  It is our faith that causes the blessings of Christ released, and therefore if our faith is not in full operation, then our blessings become stagnant and we become unable to receive.

            When we examine the word of God, we are able to see how a lack of faith and understanding can negatively affect the “out-pour” of blessings that God desire to bestow upon us.

            As we look into the word of God, we find that Ananias and his wife were short on faith, so instead of trusting God they lied to the Holy Ghost concerning their offering.  King Agrippa told Paul that he was “almost persuaded” to become a Christian.  The fact that he was “almost persuaded” indicated the need for more faith.  The Rich Young Ruler was unable to comprehend why Jesus asked him to sell his possessions so he walked away.  And even Martha after Lazarus died said, “Lord had you been here my brother would not have died.”

            Each of these biblical patriarchs had their faith locked away in a box that did not allow them room to receive.  If they only had a bigger box the outcome for their circumstance might have been different.  For many of us today our relationship to God is quite similar.  What we need to understand is that if we really desire the blessings and favor of God, we must submit to two important principles of life: [1] the exercising of faith and [2] a relentless work ethic. Of course if your box don’t allow room for these then you might consider getting a bigger box.

When You're In The Storm

King David said I will praise the Lord at all times and His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  David was a man who was well acquainted with adversity and change.  Through his experiences he was able to conclude that in every circumstance the Lord is faithful and just.  When David had well settled in years, looking back he declared that he had never seen the righteous forsaken nor His seed begging for bread.

            We must learn to see ourselves as God sees us, as a finished product.  We are His work of art, His masterpiece, and His priceless treasure that He has established for Himself to bring glory and honor to His name alone. 

For the scripture says as a man think so is he.  We must not only know and understand scripture, but our faith must insist that it is manifested in our lives.  For those who are obedient to God, His word has declared that we are the head and not the tail, we are above and not beneath, and we are the lender and not the borrower.  Let us continue to speak things as though they were, for the scripture says without faith it is impossible to please Him.  If you desire to please Him, then turn loose your faith and abide in His word.

Understanding Love

Recently I've been thinking about the "word" we call love.  It's not the "word" itself that gives me problems, but it is how we define and express it that's disturbing.  In all honesty, it seems that this thing we call love is very conditional which goes against what love is suppose to be about.  I've often thought to myself, how does God continue to love us in spite of who we are? If we struggle to love those who continue to disappoint us, frustrate us, make us mad, etc... is it possible to get to a place in life where we can love our fellow sisters and brothers unconditionally or in a way that pleases heaven?  Share your thoughts with me, I would love to hear from you.

Something New

For months I had been debating when, how, and whether to do this.  I love to write and express my thoughts in a written format.  I would like to think that I may be able to say something that would encourage or inspire those who dare to read the things I post.  Today is the beginning of many new different and wonderful things.  So let's get this party started and share with others the many ideas and life lessons that we all will experience at some point or another.