Surround

People play a big role in how you and I grow in our faith. Plain and simple. I want to share two scriptures with you that I think illustrate this best.

“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”

-          Proverbs 13:20

When I hear this Proverb my mind immediately jumps to a poster I saw pretty regularly in the halls of my school when I was in grade school. This poster had several colored pencils neatly lined up one next to the other. All of these pencils were sharpened to the point, except for the pencil in the middle. The pencil in the middle was dull. And up above the picture it said, “Surround yourself with who you want to be.”

This proverb in a lot of ways says the exact same thing: Surround yourself with who you want to be. And when I look at this scripture honestly and truthfully, I’m forced to take a step back and ask myself, “what kind of person do I want to be?  Who do I want to be like? Who do I surround myself with...and do I want to be like that?"

Positive relationships can do amazing incredible things for our walk with God, but the flip side is true as well. 

“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” – 1 Corinthians 15:33

There are some "grey" areas that I believe are open for discussion for some things in faith, but when it comes to relationships, in my opinion, there's no middle ground. The relationships you and I are currently in at this moment are either growing our faith, or they are choking it. They either go one way or the other. There’s no middle ground…either their helping or hindering our walk with our creator.

So who are the people/persons who have had a positive impact on your life? What was it that made this person influential? What kind of influence have you had on others?

The+Destitution+of+Service

Jesus Christ actually "out-socialized the socialists" (Matthew 23:11). Oswald Chambers hit the nail right on the head when it comes to the role of the Christian church in relation to who Jesus is. This is a great read. Check it out!

The+Destitution+of+Service

Engine

The question of motivation has to pop up into our minds from time to time, no matter where our allegiance lies. Whether we claim Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism or if we don't subscribe to any religious belief system at all, the question of why we believe what we believe, why we value what we value has to be addressed.

As a Christian pastor, I claim to follow Christ in His life, death and resurrection, and I make every effort to live that out in word and deed...but what is the prime motivator for why I've chosen to follow Him? If I'm going to live life to the fullest I have to ask that question...otherwise I start to follow Christ with a personal agenda.

And I would pose the same question to anyone who cares to read this. Why do you believe what you believe? What pushes that? What is the driving force, the engine that fuels your faith?

When our beliefs are marked with an agenda, it changes things doesn't it? When we believe just because it's convenient for us, or just because our parents believe it, or because we're just ticked off and angry at something or someone is that a worthy engine to fuel our faith? Will that last?

For the record, let me clarify that this isn't a sermon. This is merely me typing out loud. Whoever cares to read this, I'd encourage you to entertain this question in your mind: what do I really have faith in? (Because we ALL have faith in something) and what fuels that faith? What motivates that belief?

Take a few minutes to ponder these questions. I'd love to get some feedback.

Grace & Peace,
Mike