Walk by Faith part 1
I think this Rant series is really just a continuation of the last one. We know that the Holy Spirit is our guide. He leads and guides us into all truth. And we know that those we are led by the Spirit are the Son(s) of God. But for the next couple of days I'm going to try to make the journey easier for us. And, as I often do, I'm going to give away the punchline right at the beginning and then build off of it. Ok? Ok. Here it is: God has a plan for us. Corporately and individually. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end" (Jeremiah 29:11). There IS a plan. There IS an expected end. And, really, that end came 2,000 years ago on the cross. "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life" (Proverbs 13:12). God doesn't want us always hoping something will happen. Because then when it doesn't happen, or when it takes longer than we think it should, it's so easy to get discourged. But when the desire comes--and it came on the cross--it is a tree of life. THE tree of life. Jesus. "...Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). He is our hope, but on the cross He became our reality! The Amplified Bible says it like this, "...Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory." It isn't glory we hope for. That's what already happened. It's REALIZING the glory. It's fighting the good fight of faith and LAYING HOLD of the eternal life that we've already been given. Recieving and releasing that glorious gift of God. Remember when we look in the mirror with an open (unveiled) face? We SEE the glory of the Lord and are changed into that same image from glory to glory. It's a journey. A journey into the heart of the matter--which is the heart. God's heart beats in our chest. And the more we let Him love us, the more we dwell in His love and seek (and find) His love... the more we experience and explore His love (by loving others), the more mature we get. The discouraging part is not that we don't know what the plan is. We know what the expected end is: "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). AND we know that this end has already come. You can't get any more perfect than having the perfect One live inside of you. "And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power" (Colossians 2:10). The discouraging part is when the plan doesn't look like we think it should look. The discouraging part is when the plan seems to take twists and turns. Things don't go the way WE think they should and we start to judge by appearance instead of judging righteous judgment. We panic instead of trusting the plan. We start to walk by sight, and freak out when things don't "look good." But guys, whatever it is... it came to pass, not to stay. Life is all about changing and learning and growing. How can you learn from your mistakes if you never make any mistakes? You can't. Which is why, "...we walk by faith, and not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). We know that there IS a plan. And we know WHAT the plan is. Maybe not every specific step in the road. But that's ok. It's enough to know that Daddy loves us, and has our backs. That's what faith is.