Faithfulness (James 4:5)

"...God longs for our faithfulness in the life He has given us." James 4:5

What a powerful statement.  In the middle of James' rebuke of faulty Christianity, he reminds us of the point of the entire history of humanity; it's the entire Bible in a sentence! God desires with deep and holy longing for us to be faithful inside the life he gave us.

This is so powerful we need to stop and think.  Often we believe we need to make some changes BEFORE we can be faithful. We wish we had different people around us.  We imagine a different job.  We envision different habits, fitness, health...

But God's longing, God's deepest hope for us, is not about different.  It is about now.

Right now, right where you are, how can you be a faith-filled?

According to Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)
Faith is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hoped for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
 
Faithfulness lives as FACTS that which the senses do not have revealed.  God's part is to be God.  Our part is to believe it as FACT even when we can't feel it or see it.

  So go back to think about your ordinary life.  What God facts can you live right where you are now?

• Can you live peace, patience, and trust in Jesus' name - while DRIVING?  Can you get to your destination without road raging or getting caught up in the negativity Chicago-land - believing as fact that you will arrive unharmed and in the proper time?  (Practicing trust, patience, long-suffering, surrender...)
  
• Can you pray a blessing - even if through clenched teeth - for the coworker or family member who is on your very last nerve - believing as fact that they are placed in your life through God's reasons and holy purposes?  (Doing love, servanthood, blessing, patience, hope, and redemption.)
• Can you operate as fact that God will provide for your financial needs?  Can you live generously and give away some of what God has given to you knowing God has given it and is providing already for all you need? (Living trust, contentment, gratitude, and generosity.)
• Can you be a peace-maker in this season of political enmity? (Being blessed as a child of God.)
  

God's deep, holy desire is for us to live, perceiving as real fact, His goodness, His blessing and providence, His authority over all the things of the earth - in the middle of our ordinary, daily lives - even when our eyes don't see it.

See you Sunday at 10!  We believe this one hour a week will change every other hour of our lives.  Invite a friend - you may never know the difference it will make in their life.

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