Forged By Faith

James 1:26 NIV Unto the beholder Such is where all but all of life is all but all defined, in the eyes of the beholder. We’ve often heard this string of words spoken in regard to beauty and how what is to one beautiful thus needs not any agreement from any other as beauty is something that is to be quite a unique perspective as purchased by a single person through what are their eyes and likes alone. And while this is often something considered from an outward adornment point of view, I contend that the same can be said of that which is inward too. For contrary to our culture’s considerings, or rather lack thereof these days, beauty is not but a skin-deep discernment. No, beauty is a trait which plumbs fully to the core of a person. Right to the soul. Alas this is where we all so scarcely go in search of either what or where beauty could be. No, rather we again as people who exist upon the superficial must thus seek for such a gift as beauty and purity and morality even upon the surfac...

Job 15:31 NIV What is worth? What is worth worth? What gives worth its worth? Is worth what we think it’s worth? Is it worth the work we wage to win what we hope it’s worth? Does worth need to work, to win, to wage the war within what is a life in which we know of worth but so often only so little that has any? Does any of what we’ve come to believe has worth truly have worth? And if so, well, how do we know? Can worth be proven outside of public opinion? And if not, as I mostly assume no, well then what can we know what worth is nor then what worth might be worth? For have not all of us at times before, times still seen still worth inside of what’s, well, still? Does that which has worth never walk? Does worth have nothing to say, no room to talk? Is worth so able to from some be balked, disbelieved, doubted and denied? Indeed, is worth something of a person’s personal opinion as is placed in those places in which they want worth to be? Is it on you or me or me and you to make whateve...

Malachi 3:15 NIV Prosperity What is it to live life prospering? What are the prospects of those deemed prosperous? Can those prospecting for such prosperous prosperings really prove prosperous? Or is not such worldly priorities as worldly prosperity but a problem to be proven perfectly preposterous? Indeed, can what we know of prosperity prove so perfectly able to protect the pride that prospects for such personal prospects? Or might our person’s prioritizing of such impermanent importance prove only perfectly problematic when we’re loaded upon the scales and there found wanting in ways we couldn’t afford to see? Because we were here always too busy prospecting for our personal measure of what this world has long considered prosperity? Indeed, what is wealth even and should this world even have a say in what it weighs? Should we live so waited upon the weighing of our worth as both wanted from those around us and thus won via the same? Should our lives be so perfectly preoccupied with ...

Hebrews 11:38 NIV The world was not worthy of them. Not worthy. How many times have those two words defined our outlook? Not worthy. Not good enough. Not quite pretty enough or handsome enough, strong enough, brave enough, bold enough, rich enough or famous enough or powerful enough to ever possibly be enough to ever possibly be used for anything, to accomplish anything, to be anything. Indeed, how many times have we looked in the mirror and seen only this ghost we're convinced isn't good for anything anymore? This world has flipped so many things upside down that we all now know only to see inside out. It's a tragic unfolding of all that He stitched together in those hidden places where He planned out His perfect purposes for our lives. Not worthy. That the world demands we agree that we're nothing, nothing changes the fact that we have to be the ones who agree. We have to be the ones that go along. We have to make that decision to look in the mirror and hate the image...