Faith for the Faithless

Scripture: “Lord, I have faith.  Help my weak faith to be stronger!” .” Mark 9:24

What would our lives be like if we believed the way God deserves to be believed in?  What would our lives be like if we trusted in Jesus the way He called His followers to trust?  What would our lives be like if we had faith that the Holy Spirit lives within us to comfort, to teach, to guide, and more…?

Nothing can separate us from God’s love

No matter what, God loves us!  As followers of Christ, we can be closer to God, working to follow His will and share His love with others.

Paul the Apostle wrote in his letter to the Roman Christians, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8:38-39)

God’s plan for the future of Earth and humanity might be beyond our understanding; and yet, He reveals Himself and His will to us at times.

In the Old Testament, we read the story of Creation, of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah, of how God tried to show the children of Israel the Way to righteousness.  He declared to His people, “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will look for Me and find Me, when you look for Me with all your heart.’”  (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

We read in the New Testament of the Way God provided.  Today, we accept God’s promise of finding Him when we look for Him in faith and trust Him with all our hearts.

However, sometimes bad things happen don’t they?

In the story from Mark 9 (which also appears in other Gospels), an anxious father brought his extremely ill son to Jesus for healing.  The Gospels say that an evil spirit, or a demon, possessed the boy, causing him to lose his voice and convulse, throwing him into the fire or well.

In front of the crowd following Him, Jesus decried the faith of the people of His time, saying, “You people of this day have no faith.  How long must I be with you?  How long must I put up with you?”  (Mark 9:19)

The father begged for help, but Jesus said, “The one who has faith can do all things.”  (Mark 9:23)

At this point, the father cried out to the Lord that he did believe, and asked Jesus to make his faith stronger.  As more people gathered around, Jesus healed the boy, rebuking the evil spirit so it could not return.

“Bad things” have happened since history was recorded, and we continue to be afflicted today:  what is upsetting you and your friends and family?  What illnesses trouble your lives?

Faith like a child

We “know” that our Lord has dominion over our problems.  But it is sometimes so hard to have faith – to really believe – that they can be resolved in a godly way!

Jesus was teaching a radical new way of thinking and of living.  It’s still an amazing concept today:  to treat people with love and respect, believing that God can work in our lives to help us deal with everything from personality conflicts to illness!

In Matthew’s account, when His Disciples questioned Jesus about why they were unable to heal the boy, “He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith.  Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.’”  (Matthew 17:20)

A mountain of trouble

When our problems seem like mountains, it can be easy to lose our faith.  Jesus often had to scold His closest friends for their lack of faith – and they were watching His miracles, face-to-face, at an incredible rate!  But because we, too, can be counted as friends of Jesus, we can see His miracles, too.

When faced with a problem, we first must pray.  We turn to God, and although He knows everything about us, we are called to lay our troubles at His feet.  Describe them; tell God how you feel about each part of the issue.  Then ask Him to help.

Secondly, we must believe.  God’s Word calls us to faith, to believe, so many times.  No matter what, trust in God’s love and guidance, through each step of the resolution – whatever it might be.

Next, often, we must act.  Sometimes, God will act miraculously.  But frequently, He asks us to put our hands to the labor of the solution.  If we are sick, we might have to eat more healthfully, exercise, or take medicine.  If we have relational issues, we might have to humble ourselves before another person, compromise in a way we don’t like, or even end a relationship.  If we lack funds, we might have to work harder or longer to earn more money, budget more carefully, or even do without certain things that aren’t necessary.

Finally, no matter the outcome, we must still work to grow our faith!  Sometimes, God’s will isn’t our will.  But we have to trust our inheritance:  that God has plans for our “future and hope.”

Faith despite sorrow

When we don’t “get our way,” it’s easy to decide that God isn’t deserving of our attention.  When we experience pain and sorrow, it’s easy to forget our trust in Jesus.  When we don’t understand, it’s easy to think that the Holy Spirit isn’t “there for” us.

And when we sin like that, we need to return to the One Who loves us most.  The writer of Psalm 119 understood the need to confess before God, so faith can be restored:

“My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your Word.
Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me Your law.
I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on Your laws.”  (Psalm 119:28-30)

God loves us and wants the best for His children!  In Him, we place our hope, trust and faith:

“I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord.  Be strong.  Let your heart be strong.  Yes, wait for the Lord.”  (Psalm 27:13-14)

A Generous Heart

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. ” (Luke 6:43-45)

Have you ever thought about how the condition of your heart could be connected to how generous you are and what you are generous with?

A couple of weeks ago, I started to notice a few things about myself: I was getting angry a lot easier than I usually do. I was feeling irritated or even sad for no reason. Instead of “light-hearted” I was feeling “heavy-hearted”. I was impatient. I was dwelling on things that made me upset.

I started noticing these things about myself because I had just finished reading a journal entry I wrote a long time ago. It was about how I was grateful and blessed that it was not hard for me to be joyful and happy, even in very difficult circumstances. I even wrote that I was so optimistic about things, sometimes to the point that it would drive some people crazy! But, I truly felt that there was always something good to find in the things that were not so good. After I read that, I asked myself “Why don’t I feel that way anymore?” I couldn’t figure it out. I asked God about it, but I didn’t get an answer right away.

That weekend at church our pastor preached about generosity. He said that the way we are generous determines the condition of our heart. And he wasn’t talking about just being generous with money or resources. In fact, he didn’t talk about money at all. He talked about things like our time, our words and our prayer.

Prayer is the one that stood out to me the most. I thought about the things I pray for and noticed two things: I don’t pray as much as I thought I did during the day, and when I do pray it’s usually for myself. I began to feel that I wasn’t praying for others enough on a regular basis. Prayer is kind of like having a conversation with God, and the more we pray, the more we keep God involved throughout our daily lives, relationships, decisions, and the list goes on. Since I have been intentionally praying for others more lately, I can definitely say that my heart feels lighter and my negative emotions have been triggered less frequently. I’m positive it’s because I’m spending more time talking to God and thinking about the ways He might be using me to do good things. But, I know that God does still want me to pray for myself and ask Him to be continually transforming me so I can be more and more like Jesus. So, I’m praying that God will also show me where else in my life I can be generous because I want Him to use me any way He can to bring others closer to him (even strangers that I meet!).

Are you being generous with your prayer? Maybe there are other ways you can be more generous in your life. It could be through the type of words you chose to use or the way you spend your time. Think about it and ask God to show you how He wants you to be generous so that your heart can be more like His.

Cast Your Cares upon Him

Scripture: “Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”  1 Peter 5:6-7.

When you have the choice between using your energy to be joyful or using your energy to fret, which do you choose?  In your work, are you able to focus on the task at hand, or do concerns pull your attention away?  At home, can you delight in sharing your love with your family and friends, or do you snap and yell at them in your anxiety?

Go for God’s Gold

What in the world can there be that is better for us, than what God wants for us?  His will in our lives is perfect, and that’s what we want to strive for. God’s love is better than riches, better than entertainment, better than luxurious surroundings or succulent food.  When we seek God’s will for our lives, it pleases Him, and we can rejoice!

Jesus told His followers,”Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.”  (Luke 12:31)

In other words, live for God, and He will provide what you need.  We can trust Him in that and have peace.

We Live for God, Our Lives Show It

When is it easiest to choose to use your energy to be joyful, rather than to fret? When are you most at peace?  When is your life delightful?  What makes you feel like you’ve accomplished the most?

For Christians, we are gladdened when our lives show that we are living for God: we follow His will, sharing His love through the Gospel with many people.

Many Christians feel triumphant peace in the Lord when our lives produce fruit for His glory.  We seek His Kingdom first and trust Him for all else. It’s like relaxing in the arms of a loving parent after a job well done.

We can trust God and lean upon Him.  We don’t need to depend on ourselves, letting our own worries get the best of us.  When we trust God, we give over our cares to Him and can produce the fruit of good soil.

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!” the Prophet Isaiah wrote to God.  He advised His people, “Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.”  (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Let us fix our thoughts upon the Lord, for He is our eternal Rock!

Because We Are Free

Living for God, with our thoughts fixed upon Him, will lead to our caring more deeply about our fellow people.  We yearn to share the freedom from sin God gives us with others; because we are free from the burden, we want them to be, too.  We have given our cares to God, and want others to experience that freedom from worry, as well.

 “You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the Truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters.  Love each other deeply with all your heart.  For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living Word of God.” (1 Peter 1:22-23) 

  Our God will let us know when we have lived according to His will; one day, we hope to hear Him tell us face-to-face.  For now, we are His and each others’ servants. We give over any worry we might have to the Master, trusting in Him, and He will allow our lives to be peaceful, fruitful, and joyful.

Left Broken

What’s the use of heart

When your heart gets broken?

What’s the use of breath

If you make me breathless?

What’s the use of speech

If you never speak to me?

What’s the point of feeling

If someone dislike you from them?

What’s the point of you and me

If you know it will never workout?

But I thought It would

So here I lay Crying on the floor

“I loved you and I still do”………..

But I go and forget my feelings for you…..

ENTRY#5-GKNHS

My Unforgettable Campblog Experience

My most unforgettable Campblog experience is when I was flashed with water inside the bus while we were going to the Baybay, Market.

ENTRY#4-GKNHS

What I learned from the multimedia modules and the fieldwork

          From the multimedia modules and the fieldwork I learned that photography involves the entire process of finding the the object to photograph, processing the the image and presenting the image. I also learned that “Arrangements” of all elements intended to be included in a frame to capture an artistic and content-rich image. And the key to  a “decisive moments” capture is SWIFTNESS & PATIENCE. And the purpose of photography is to inform, to report, to carry the scene to the readers, whether they are thousands of miles away or just down the street. And its primary goal is to have a faithful and comprehensive depiction of the subject at hand.

ENTRY#3-GKNHS

Insights in converting our work into electronic form

Electronic form is a better way to let every people read your article because it have more colors and and graphics that may attract them to just take a snap to your work. Lots of student now are more pro to an hi tech way of everything than wasting their time reading on an old way of conducting news in paper. And after transferring our works in an online newspaper I think that many of my co-students will be interested to spend more time to read the latest news that happening to our school.

ENTRY#2-GKNHS

What I learned from the self study modules?
In the self study module I’ve learned so many things.This are the things I’ve learned:

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Research is addressing an issue or asking and answering a question.
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Secondary research is publishing the data or information based gathered data , information and fact from survey or interiew in the Primary research.
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The difference between Traditional publication and Internet Resources.
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Search Engine are large database of information that store and retrieve relevant results based on keywords.

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Meta search engine are good for doing large ,sweeping searches of what information is out there.
* Currency, Authority,Purpose, Objectivity and Writing Style are the things to evaluate in Interactive Resources.
* Plagiarism is stealing someone else work.

ENTRY#1-GKNHS

What I learned from the lecture on online newspapers?

I learned that the difference of prints and website is that . in printing it will end up with a finished product that someone can hold in their hand, and in the website you will generally have an ever-evolving piece viewed on a computer display. I also learned from myself that , I am writing because I want to let the people know what are the latest news .Because, news is something most of us consume every day .And I am writing also , to know myself more.To know what are the things that I can do and, what are the other skills I have. I also learned that millions of sites compete for each other for the users’ attention.and I have also learned that the reader (users’) demand is that it is relevance to their lives or interest.and because of this site must be well organize and clear .And I also learned that writers must have sort of their ideas, limits their ambition and clarify their purpose.