tough going

Alright,

Let me share what I'm learning about how God shapes us.

People approach the Christian life with different mindsets. Some literally think that God's sole purpose for their existence is that they can be happy, fulfilled, financially independent, popular, etc. True, the Christian life
comes complete with times of happiness and fulfillment. And yes, God will allow many Christians to live quite public and comfortable lives. He even sometimes uses that for His glory. But none of these are His sole purpose. He wants us to KNOW Him.

Our relationship with Him is a relationship that is not just initiated by faith but also grown and/or shaped by faith. And yes, I think the whole idea of faith has been prostituted in the church. Faith is dragged through the mud as some kind of force that you grab a hold of and harness and if you can manipulate it, you can have huge blessings. That idea is a gross mis-interpretation of biblical faith. Perhaps the best synonym I can think of for faith is the word trust. We don't manipulate God to do something for us, but we trust that even if we don't get all of our greeds, He will still provide our needs.

So how are we shaped by faith? God allows really frustrating things to
happen to us. Yep. If God wants you to be more loving, He doesn't create the most likely environment for love, but instead will allow the most frustrating person you've ever met to cross your path. To build patience, He'll allow you to switch from lane to lane on the motorway only to find that each lane you force yourself into becomes the slow lane! He's not
interested in our comfort, but our character!

"Hey church! When you fall into different trials, see the joy in it, and know that God is testing your faith and wants to build patience!" James 1:2-3 (Dale's loose paraphrase)

ByDefault is all about knowing God to the point of being compelled to love others. A mis-understanding of God's work in our lives can be a real barrier to knowing Him more. Right beliefs lead to Right feelings, which lead to Right actions.

In His Grace,

Dale