Ten days ago the church I serve held a celebration of the fortieth anniversary of my ordination as a Deacon in the United Methodist Church, which also marked the beginning of my Annual Conference membership and my active ministry. In the first two years, I had the opportunity to work in a special ministry on the Delaware coast, serve as a Youth Minister in a suburban congregation, and serve as a student pastor to two churches on a charge in West Virginia while completing my seminary studies. The ensuing thirty-eight years have all been served as a pastor in Troy Annual Conference - ten congregations in seven charges.
If longevity is a sign of success, then I've done pretty well. But I have always said that God calls us to be faithful, not necessarily successful. Survival in ministry for forty years may not in truth represent faithfulness in God's service, but I hope and pray that the overall effect is one of a servant of God struggling to minister in faith and in love. God's grace suggests to me that the desire to serve and the effort to be a faithul minister of the Gospel, however faltering, does indeed please God.
Some would focus on God's judgment; I have put my trust in God's grace. When my trust is strong, I have discovered how good and joyful life can be. Those times, too frequent and too regular, when I give in to doubt and discouragement have proved to be episodes of my weak trust in the grace I so confidently proclaim. When I compare myself to those whom the Church has declared to be saints, I too willingly judge myself a failure. A better model for my life is the man who, when asked if he believed Jesus could heal his son, replied, "I believe; help my unbelief." And so I trust God's grace, even as I pray for the Spirit to increase my faith, no matter how long I go on.
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Questioning one’s faith always comes during times of personal illness, unfortunate incidences, or misfortune. Worry and stress creep into one’s thoughts. The big question is why did this happen? It’s difficult to keep faith when it appears the walls are crumbling in on one. As a child growing up, the church was an important part of my life. The church was the center of our family life. I never questioned there was a God and I knew he was always there with me. Since I have gotten older and gone through some difficult times, I find that I question my faith more frequently. I know in my heart He is always with me, but doubt does creep in. There have been times I know he answered prayer. There have also been times that I know he answered prayer, but not always the way I thought it should have been answered.
ReplyDeleteMy question is, “Why do we let doubt come in?” Then worry appears, and all the questions concerning the reality of one’s faith become overwhelming. I think you are right that it is a comfort to talk with others of faith and hear their reassurances and testimonies of their journey.
Your question is, I think, at the heart of the matters of faith. But it is impossible to answer. I suspect we are conditioned to seek, to question, to wonder, and possibly even to doubt. In a sense, the questioning and wondering are a part of our growing process. They help us to learn and discover new things about our selves and our world. Doubt comes in when we cannot answer our questions with certainty. If I cannot "know" for sure, then I must doubt all that I claim to know, even what I think I know about myself. That's why I believe it is so imp[ortant to share the journey and encourage each other, to affirm the faith journey, and to remind ourselves that when we get to the end of all we know, we still need to have trust.
ReplyDeleteThere are many different kinds of “doubt.” Probably self-doubt is the most destructive. I think self-doubt happens when we let outside influences affect our thoughts. Above all, if what you say about doubt is true, then we need to let it go and trust that God will hear our prayers. We leave it in his hands to guide us through the difficult times. As you said, “Be still and listen.”
ReplyDeleteWe have to keep the faith, and know the He is with us every step of the way. We need to keep doing God’s work. Consequently, if we let self-doubt take over, then we let self-doubt interfere with our faith in God’s grace.
There are many different kinds of “doubt.” Probably self-doubt is the most destructive. I think self-doubt happens when we let outside influences affect our thoughts. Above all, if what you say about doubt is true, then we need to let it go and trust that God will hear our prayers. We leave it in his hands to guide us through the difficult times. As you said, “Be still and listen.”
We have to keep the faith, and know the He is with us every step of the way. We need to keep doing God’s work. Consequently, if we let self-doubt take over, then we let self-doubt interfere with our faith in God’s grace.
There are many different kinds of “doubt.” Probably self-doubt is the most destructive. I think self-doubt happens when we let outside influences affect our thoughts. Above all, if what you say about doubt is true, then we need to let it go and trust that God will hear our prayers. We leave it in his hands to guide us through the difficult times. As you said, “Be still and listen.”
We have to keep the faith, and know the He is with us every step of the way. We need to keep doing God’s work. Consequently, if we let self-doubt take over, then we let self-doubt interfere with our faith in God’s grace.
There are many different kinds of “doubt.” Probably self-doubt is the most destructive. I think self-doubt happens when we let outside influences affect our thoughts. Above all, if what you say about doubt is true, then we need to let it go and trust that God will hear our prayers. We leave it in his hands to guide us through the difficult times. As you said, “Be still and listen.”
We have to keep the faith, and know the He is with us every step of the way. We need to keep doing God’s work. Consequently, if we let self-doubt take over, then we let self-doubt interfere with our faith in God’s grace.
There are many different kinds of “doubt.” Probably self-doubt is the most destructive. I think self-doubt happens when we let outside influences affect our thoughts. Above all, if what you say about doubt is true, then we need to let it go and trust that God will hear our prayers. We leave it in his hands to guide us through the difficult times. As you said, “Be still and listen.”
We have to keep the faith, and know the He is with us every step of the way. We need to keep doing God’s work. Consequently, if we let self-doubt take over, then we let self-doubt interfere with our faith in God’s grace.
There are many different kinds of “doubt.” Probably self-doubt is the most destructive. I think self-doubt happens when we let outside influences affect our thoughts. Above all, if what you say about doubt is true, then we need to let it go and trust that God will hear our prayers. We leave it in his hands to guide us through the difficult times. As you said, “Be still and listen.”
We have to keep the faith, and know the He is with us every step of the way. We need to keep doing God’s work. Consequently, if we let self-doubt take over, then we let self-doubt interfere with our faith in God’s grace.
Having just been on a trip...with long periods of time in airports, on airplanes, and rental cars... I thought of many things. I thought a great deal about "doubt"... but I also thought about my faith in God's grace. I think sometimes I fail to see God's awesome power and love because I'm seeking too hard. And it's at those times I know I need to "be still and listen." Traveling alone often allows a person to enter into a meditative state, and thus into prayer. Being out of my normal environment for a few days helped me to understand that God speaks to us in so many different ways - even through childhood experiences and how we're seen through the eyes and hearts of friends from our past. God may not always answer our prayers the way we want, our lives may not have turned out as we had hoped, but I know that God has, and is, always there with us - if we'll just let him into our hearts.
ReplyDeleteQUESTIONS ABOUT TITHE: 1 - 8 (56 to go) .......................
ReplyDelete1. What is tithe?
2. Is tithe only expected under Mosaic Law?
3. What are the promised tithe blessings of Malachi 3:10?
Will I never get sick? Never get laid off a job? Is it some
vague "spiritual" blessing?
4. Is it true Americans have highest percentage of charitable
giving? Somewhere else I read Americans give on average about 2%
of their income to church and/or charities. Is that about right?
5. Is it okay just to "tithe" my time for God, but put away
any discretionary income into my retirement fund (and forget
tithe until later when I make more money)?
6. Does the Hebrew or Greek words for tithe or giving reveal
anything about this activity --e.g., voluntary, required, etc?
7. Those "tithe your way to propserity" preachers, as seen on
TV, seem to make God into a slot machine. If true, where might
I find those slot machines?
8. Seems Christ said little about tithing other than to commend
the widow whose giving out of her poverty far outweighed those
who were bringing tithes into the temple treasury (Mark 12:41-44).
What goes on here: is Christ setting a new, higher standard for
giving?
More to come, unless you tire of these questions ...
64BibleQuestions
(Long-time Christian, tithed decades, wants to know more about tithe)