Forged By Faith

Hebrews 12:11 NIV What is correction? Is it, as pride would abide, a simple matter of being correct? Is it, as humility might imagine, a willingness to being corrected? Is it something that we’re here only to offer others, a sort of guidance or direction given them from what is our own measure of understanding and perfection? Is it another offering unto us their assumptions and estimations as to the investigations they see we’re at present undertaking? Is it something someone can offer? Is it anything anyone can accept? Is it such a losing fight that it takes guards day and night at a facility meant to accomplish it? Is it a hope to curb our lawlessness? Is it a law given to curb our brokenness? I for one find it a love given to all of us from He who, let’s be honest, has at this point no reason whatever to keep offering it. It seems a kindness that He’s willing to help us with all this chosen blindness that’s in need of such correction if ever we’re even to see what life itself is mea...

Hebrews 12:11 NIV Later on. For such is where love looks as it seeks incessantly the very best which is always but a belief in something better than the already. Yes, all such things as love and the mercy which makes it so mighty and too the grace that changes not nightly are evidence of the evident in that there is a reason for all of this for we’d have neither such good works by which to strive nor then a better place toward which to fight were it not for the better that He’s placed within every human heart. But that it’s always there says to me that so is He. For why else would any try? Why would any drive any further down what’s often felt such a dead end street that we’ve often times found our feet feeling this fear that’s found us running home to the same shame known from all those times we gave up and got scared before? Considering such fear as found within our frowns refusing to turn upside down unless the clouds disperse and our dreams roll in, what then are we to make of the ...

1 Corinthians 9:27 NIV As this story we’re living approaches the closing chapters what we’re all going to find is that we’ve known more enslavement than freedom for that is simply how life goes down here. And while this is a truly gut-wrenching realization to be found and felt alongside this waning foolishness which has long assumed otherwise, what such a blatant honesty provides is an opportunity unlike any other we’ve either taken full advantage of thus far, or, and undeniably more likely, unlike the many more opportunities that we’ve all but completely denied in order to reach this place so mentally, spiritually debased that our lives are otherwise deprived of the bold ability to be so unashamed of our past mistakes that we confess them so as to progress them beyond the stagnancy that so much of society seeks inside the same. For again, that is simply how life goes down here. All around us there are those who’ve become so adverse to such things as change, chance, the choice we have ...

Hebrews 12:6 NIV One of the most detrimental 'advancements' that our society has managed to both imagine and actually undertake is the complete dismantling of the concept of what true love really is. We've all but lost the ability to understand the purpose, the power, the point of what love is meant to be. Much to our shame, the idea of love has been watered down into something that is altogether weak, insignificant and without merit. This is something that we've discussed at fairly good length in prior posts, but in light of all that we've been talking about lately, I think it makes good sense to toss it around yet again. Yesterday we talked about how Christ chose to embrace the suffering He endured in order to make perfect forever those who are being made holy. His gift of Himself upon that cross was the opening gambit of what should hopefully prove a radical turning point in our lives. It was done in order to begin the process of our being made holy. You'll n...

Hebrews 12:7 NIV Our faith teaches us to see things differently. In fact, it all but demands that we see things differently. As humans, we’ve learned from the world to see things like pain and struggle as evidence that something’s wrong. We’re taught to avoid anything that hurts, anything that challenges, anything that tries to change us. And over time, we develop this mindset that tells us anything that’s hard is wrong for us. We start believing that our lives should be only comfortable, easy, and peaceful. We go out of our way to avoid anything that is difficult because, well, we just shouldn’t have to go through that! These days there's even this false idea going around that is teaching people that a life of faith in Christ is one of prosperity, comfort, ease, and this immunity to suffering. I've literally even heard about groups who teach that if something is wrong in your life, such as illness or injury, then it's because your faith isn't strong enough. Because God...

Proverbs 15:10 NIV Yeah, that whole discipline thing causes a lot of issues! Our arrogance tells us that we don't make mistakes. We find ways to talk ourselves out of feeling bad for doing something wrong. We can convince ourselves of just about anything if it means being able to hold onto the comfort and excitement that we find in doing things our way. But there's just always going to be this underlying truth that is completely inescapable: our way isn't always right. We definitely like to think that it is, but the fact of the matter is that we all make mistakes. We do the wrong things because we think they're right. We do the right things for all the wrong reasons. We rush into decisions without thinking things through. We prioritize ourselves and our desires far too much to honestly believe that we never make a wrong choice. But that's just really hard to admit. I think we don't want to admit the errors we make because errors bring with them the humiliating r...

Proverbs 3:12 NIV Our faith will inevitably lead to this point where the rubber meets the road as they say. The fact is that God loves us too much to leave us as we are. We kind of touched on that a bit yesterday, but it definitely needs its own post. He sees what we can still become if we humbly submit to His refining, pruning, and wise counsel. So at some point we're going to have to either skip all that in favor of the easier road we prefer, or we're going to have to go all in and embrace the path that He's calling us to walk. Sadly, we almost instinctively choose the path of least resistance. We find comfort more of a priority than improvement. We don’t want to deal with things like seeing our weaknesses, enduring trials, or having to put in a little effort. It’s just easier to stay where we are and settle for what’s acceptable in our eyes. But God created us to be more than simply good enough. He designed us to be conquerors. He calls us to be warriors that can stand u...