The Measure of Your Life
The Lord said, "according to your faith be it unto you." I was considering this fact. Your whole life will be always the result of your faith. Why some grow in the Lord and others don't can not be some arbitary reason. It's that those who have great experience and blessing are those who believed in the rewards of God. Some may disagree, but I ask you, what do you expect? The expectation of your life is the amount of faith you have in God.
Not that your way will be easy or trouble free, but that you will be victorious through it all because God is with you. There is no other standard. We know that God is good and impartial in bestowing his blessings. Of course we all will have different gifts and callings. But we can have God's fulness in our walk even if we are the least of the least.
My walk can have the same blessing of His presence as the Apostles. The same as Paul, or any of the great men of God, past or present. The difference is; what do I expect? According to my faith be it unto me. We know that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Do we believe that we can know and walk in them? Of course, God's word is truth. So then the problem is with-in ourselves, or rather that we are depending on ourselves, when we ought to be looking to God. For it is God at work in us both to will, and to do His will.
By faith we can say that what-ever Jesus is, can be true of me. What-ever is His becomes ours. With His infinite resources at our disposal, more than that, His very presence in us to do His will. This is the gospel. "Not I but Christ who liveth in me." Can we doubt it, No. "My word shall never pass away." "My word shall accomplish that for which I sent it".
"My just shall life by faith". This takes on the whole of our life. It's by faith from start to finish. "From faith, to faith, and from glory to glory." Jesus asked a man; "believe that I am able to do this." Today He by the word and Spirit is asking us the same thing. His answer is the same; "according to your faith be it unto you." So let us rise up in this new life and say, Yes Lord, I know that you are able, and even more I know that you have answered. And I rest in you knowing by faith that the work is complete and you will manifest it in my life. Because this is your plan, and you have given me faith to know for a certainty you will finish it. "Your word is truth."
Not that your way will be easy or trouble free, but that you will be victorious through it all because God is with you. There is no other standard. We know that God is good and impartial in bestowing his blessings. Of course we all will have different gifts and callings. But we can have God's fulness in our walk even if we are the least of the least.
My walk can have the same blessing of His presence as the Apostles. The same as Paul, or any of the great men of God, past or present. The difference is; what do I expect? According to my faith be it unto me. We know that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Do we believe that we can know and walk in them? Of course, God's word is truth. So then the problem is with-in ourselves, or rather that we are depending on ourselves, when we ought to be looking to God. For it is God at work in us both to will, and to do His will.
By faith we can say that what-ever Jesus is, can be true of me. What-ever is His becomes ours. With His infinite resources at our disposal, more than that, His very presence in us to do His will. This is the gospel. "Not I but Christ who liveth in me." Can we doubt it, No. "My word shall never pass away." "My word shall accomplish that for which I sent it".
"My just shall life by faith". This takes on the whole of our life. It's by faith from start to finish. "From faith, to faith, and from glory to glory." Jesus asked a man; "believe that I am able to do this." Today He by the word and Spirit is asking us the same thing. His answer is the same; "according to your faith be it unto you." So let us rise up in this new life and say, Yes Lord, I know that you are able, and even more I know that you have answered. And I rest in you knowing by faith that the work is complete and you will manifest it in my life. Because this is your plan, and you have given me faith to know for a certainty you will finish it. "Your word is truth."
posted by pete porter | 7:57 PM
15 Comments:
Hi Pete,
First, thanks for the comment on my latest post on Writer's Heart. It came at the absolute perfect time, and confirmed something God had just done in me within an hour or so before reading it. Do you mind if I quote it in a new post describing what happened? Let me know either way, k?
Second, what a great post! It brings up a subject I've thought a lot about lately. Jesus said "greater things than these shall ye do," so why aren't we doing those things? Scripturally speaking, shouldn't we be out there, allowing God to use us in healing the sick, comforting the hurting, and bringing hope to the hopeless? Why aren't we? Is it out of stubbornness in our unbelief that we refuse to be used of God? Or are we afraid of being humiliated? In response to that last question, I once heard an evangelist say that it's not our name that's on the line, it's God's. He will defend His holy name, but are we willing to take that step of faith and say to the lame, "Rise, walk," and to the blind, "In Jesus' name receive your sight?" What is the limit here? When should we move forward in faith to heal others, and when should we hang back? Or should our Lord's compassion prompt us to always reach out and offer healing from Him? I'm confused I guess, because many people think that 99.9% of our Christian faith is lived out in the "nuts and bolts" of life, but is that Scriptural? Don't we have the privilege of hearing directly from God's Spirit in even seemingly minor things? I know we do, so why is it people are discouraged from living out the faith shown in the Scriptures? Hmm... this has definitely been on my heart these past few months. Any answers and/ or experience you might have from the Scriptures and your own life would be great! Thanks, Pete, and sorry this is so long, I guess you just hit on a subject of special interest. Thanks again, and God bless you, brother.
In Christ,
Brooke
Pete -
Well said my friend. Interesting you would post on this. Check our my post here and see what I mean. Our lack of faith is inhibiting God's ability to work through us.
Would appreciate your thoughts ... problem is you'll have to go here to leaved comments, you'll see why if you go there.
HE ALONE HAS THE POWER
John
This struck me as quite ironic, John -
Your signature says, "He alone has the power," yet your comment states, "our lack of faith is inhibiting God's ability to work through us."
You couldn't get a more contradictory thought.
I believe that Scripture shows God is completely sovereign over His creation. Even our ability to have faith comes as a gift from Him. Unfortunately, you're giving man way too much power by saying that ANYTHING inhibits God's abilities - or His power, or His authority, or His sovereignty.
Hi Brooke,
Yes by all means you can use anything that you desire.
On your second comment, there is two reasons. First we the believer have to know the certainty that the Lord will always release His anointing through us, to heal or effect a cure and deliver from the devil. If we take the Lord at His word, then we know it to be so. "In my name they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover". Also "in my name they shall cast out devils." This is the foundation of faith-the word of God.
On this matter of our faith; it is not a feeling from the physical realm. If we could feel it physically then when we did, we would apply it. But this faith is a feeling (called knowing) in the spiritual realm, the unseen. It is a gift of God that is with us and in us even when we don't (know it)feel it. "we are the temple of God". Even if we don't see or feel or smell, or taste, or hear anything; faith is still their in us. Faith is believing God will do what He promised!
Second, even with faith we have to get creditablity with the person or people. "Jesus could not do any mighty miracles because of their unbelief." It will be the same with us. The gifts of the Spirit are given to us to help the person or people to believe by manifesting His power with us, and to verify the word of God that we have spoken.
From my own experience, the Lord has healed strangers to His grace, and those of the family of faith. I have also seen those who would not believe, even if they saw a healing-probably not even if one rose from the dead.
At different times the Lord has had me initiate the conversation toward Him. And at other times to hold my peace, and allow them to inquire or not. The only answer is to develope a sensitivity to the Spirit to know what to do. If I can give my own advice; error on the side of doing. It would be greater to attempt wonderous things and fail, than to attempt nothing and succeed.
Be Blessed,
Pete
J.A.,
Great to hear from you again. I tried to leave a comment but got a blank page.
The lame man and Peter is a great lesson for us. We need to know for a fact that we are the anointed of God. Jesus is the anointed one and He lives in us by the Spirit. So we are anointed wheather a new born or mature, this is a God fact! The same Jesus in us, not a different one, or a weaker one, or a modern one. The one to whom God approved by signs, wonders, and miracles. So then the work that He started in His flesh, is now going forth in His body the church (our flesh). It is not a work of the flesh, but through flesh. The same way He started in Adam. But now through "the second man", us one with Christ, the work goes on. And God still verifies that it is His Son with signs, wonders , and miracles.
Be Blessed,
Pete
Hi Gayla,
Good to hear from my special friend, thank you for blogging over.
John statement is not a contradiction. God has given us a free will, to do or not to do. To us the word of life has come, but God will not force us to speak, or do anything. Even though He has told us to "ask, seek, and knock". James said, "we have not because we ask not". In this God shows His willingness to bestow His blessing to us. But He will not by pass His plan to use the church (the body of Christ). So in essence He has limited Himself. As with Israel who were for the display of His Glory. They were a miserable failure, even to the point that they didn't even reconize and accept the Messiah. Paul gave the reason for there failure. They recieved the word of God but it was not mixed with faith. I this they limited the Holy One of Israel. That is amazing, God has chosen are we are to bear the good news to the world. He has no other plan. And He Himself has chosen the way of faith. "my just shall live by faith". There was a man who said to Jesus; "if you can (fill in the blank) help me, Jesus answered him; if you can believe all things are possible. So with-out the man's faith Jesus could do nothing. He is still God, and nothing has changed.
Be Blessed,
Pete
Bryan, I love ya, my friend, but I have to disagree. :) (that's ok, since we've discovered we do agree on quite a bit!)
Basically, I disagree that God has limited Himself. I don't find any Scripture to support that. But there is a slew of Scripture to support that God exercises His sovereignty over His creation.
And I don't think that *we* (as in human beings) are God's only plan for putting forth the gospel. Not to say that He doesn't use us, because clearly He does.
An example - the conversion of Saul/Paul. God wanted him; God called him - being struck blind for 3 days was a pretty dramatic calling. And obviously Saul's heart and actions were anything but in pursuit of God!
Also Romans 1:20, 21 - Sor since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse...
He doesn't *need* us, but He has chosen to use us in His eternal purposes.
Don't hear me saying, though, that I discount faith. I certainly don't! There are also a number of verses in the NT to show Jesus did heal, etc, according to someone's faith. But there are other examples where He simply *chose* to do so, due to His compassion or His willingness. (Matt 14:14, Matt 20:34, Mark 1:41)
Also, I don't think we have as much free will as we like to *think* we do. Not that we don't have any. I do believe God has granted a measure of free will, but HIS will always supercedes ours. He does divinely intervene, in the "free will" of man. He prevented a king from sinning against Him - Gen 20:1-6. And even the Saul/Paul convesion is an example of divine intervention on his "free will" to murder Christians. Just two examples.
Sorry to ramble...:)
Hi, I was just blog jumping and landed here. Great post, you sure can preach it! Thanks for the inspiratation.
Hi Gayla,
God has unlimited resources, but He uses them according to His word. Thus; "God cannot lie". This is a limit to me, not that it limits His power or Sovereignty. But He Himself has established His own set of rules for Himself; namely, His word.
The heavens also declare the word of God, the Magi saw His coming announced by the star. But all of these have to be of benifit to man. Jesus called himself; "the Son of Man".
If Jesus reveals himself to a man, that man still has to accept Him as Lord and God. As with Thomas, and Paul.
There is no-where in the scripture where there is another way to God but by faith. For anything. Our needs do not move God. Our lack does not move God. Our troubles do not move God. Only by faith can we receive from God. Compassion is the heart of God, faith has to draw from it. No faith, no draw. EVER.
As for free will; look at our roots. Adam had free will, or we would never have been in this place. If he had, we have, we are his offspring. Certainly God can influnce our decisions, but He will never force us. Jesus prayed; not my will, but your will. Jesus has his own will, you have your own will, and the Father His own will. If we had no free will; how could we be quilty of sin? How then could a sinner be damned?
Be Blessed,
Pete
M. C.,
Glad you came by, I try to make people hungery for more of God. This live is a grand adventure, more so than anything that we can imagine. And I see that you have quite an imagination.
Be Blessed,
Pete
Bryan, I gotta ask you.
The words 'free will' or the concept of such, isn't even found in the Bible.
Can you give me the specific Scripture that you're using to support free will? And I'm not being flippant, I think you know me. I'm honestly wanting to know. The disiples didn't ponder the command to "follow me." They just did. Saul/Paul didn't 'decide' either.
I do see an abundance of Scripture that supports God's complete sovereignty, and if you want any of my refrences on it, please let me know.
I agree that we come to God thru faith, however that faith is the GIFT of God, by HIS grace (lest any man should boast) Eph 2:8,9
I think Scripturally, it's 'no draw, no faith' not 'no faith, no draw as you indicated.' "No man comes to the Father, expect through Me." John 14:6
John 15:16 - You did not choose Me, but I chose you...
(and John 15:19)
John 6:44 - No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;
God does the initiating; He alone calls and regenerates hearts. All in accordance with His sovereign purposes, which were established before the foundation of the world, long before Adam.
Gayla,
Call it what ever you want. Adam was given the ability to chose.
Yes faith is a gift of God. This post is to christians, to stir them to right thinking.
I'm sorry, Bryan.
Gayla,
No need to be, I also am sorry for being so short.
Be Blessed,
Your friend Bryan
:)
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