Walking in the Light

Trust

         Trust is something that God begins to teach us from the beginning. He shows us how to be trustworthy by never betraying us. He is there when we need Him and when we think we don't.
     Learning trust is a difficult thing though. Perhaps not when your a child, because then you tend to trust everyone but when you find out how cruel the world can be you begin to question almost everything and everyone you meet.
But Christ says, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." And He means it.
       A good example is waiting on "prince charming". It's hard for young people especially I think who are trying their best to wait for God's best in a future husband or wife. We think, Is it God's will for me to get married? or What if I don't like the one He chose for me? And the older we get the harder it is to wait. That preasure a long with relatives and friends growing closer and closer to the mindset that we will probably never marry at this rate, is sometimes almost too much to bare. All the while God is constantly showing us just how trustworthy He is and longing for us to put our faith in Him. We need only to be faithful to Him, and He will provide us with all that we need.

 

 Patience

   Many times in our lives, God does little things to try and bring us to Him or bring us back to Him if we are christians who have fallen. He is calling. Beckoning us to come to Him. His heart breaking for every child who turns away. He speaks to us in whispers, wists of the wind, little things that we may not see and big things that He knows we will see. And then He steps back and patiently waits as we decide which path to take. Our eyes dart back and forth, the inevitable decision of what to do with the rest of ours lives ever pending. Which path will we take? The wide, often treaded path filled with broken hearts and lost souls. Or the more narrow one, the one that leads straight into His open arms.

     It's hard for us to learn this type of patience, especially when we ourselves are trying to lead someone to Christ. We must remember that God changes the heart, we just bring the message.
    Patience is hard. You learn it as a child, you wait for your mother to feed you, you wait for your father to get home from work, you wait for someone to stop talking so you can put in your two cents worth. But when you get older it turns into waiting for God's timing, which is never easy. But this comes back down to trust, He knows our hearts better than we do, and He will provide us with what we need if we trust Him.
So we must ask Him for the kind of patience that He has, patience to wait and not take things into our own hands.

 

                              Perseverance

    Christ whispers, He knocks on our doors, begging us to come outside and join Him. And then steps back and patiently waits, rejoicing when we choose Him, and weeping when we choose the world. But He doesn't give up, He is forever persuing us, just as a young lover would his bride. He gives us numerous opportunities, so many we pass over, and so many we ignore. But He never stops, always forgiving, always persevering. Not willing that we should live and die without His love.

He teaches us perseverance through this, which is soemthing we need more than most anything else.

James 1 :2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
     This verse couldn't be more true, when trials come and we turn to God, He finally has our attention. We look up, with tear stained faces and ask "Why God?" Waiting, listening for some kind of answer or hope that He can give. And then we learn, we learn that trials make us stronger and teach us to rely on God more than anything else could.

                 Comfort

       Part of  "I will never leave you, nor forsake you" is God being our ever sufficient source of everything we'll ever need. He understands more than anyone every little thing that we are going through, including the guilt and weight of sin, not because He has sinned. But because for a few moments, when He hung on that cross, He bore the weight of every sin the world has ever known. He longs for us to run to Him when in need of comfort. He longs to fill every empty space in our hearts with the love He offers. He watches as we suffer, but is always there when we need Him most.
  We must strive to mimic this trate of Christ. To be sensative to others and willing to be there for them. Sometimes all someone needs is a listening ear or a concerned heart. In this way we can show them the very nature of Christ.

 

                            Joy

   
      Joy is a big part of who Christ is. If you look at His creation, fallen as it may be, you will realise this. Think of the last time you saw a warm, crimson sunset, a huge expanse of blue ocean pulling and pushing away from the shore, or the last time you saw the smile on your childs face. God created us to be joyful because He is joyful. Why do you think God gave us the ability to laugh? He knew we would need joy in our lives.
      But even better still, we are His joy. Just as a child is the joy of his parents. Every time a child of His steps closer to Him and for the few of us who have fully given our lives to Christ, we bring Him inexplicable joy. What could be better than the people He created ultamately choosing Him over sin and death?
      He smiles down on us as a tear falls down His cheek. Filled to the brim with love and joy at this daughter or son of His who loves Him with every ounce of their being.
And He is our joy. All good things come from God. He gave them to us so that we would be joyful. And when we realize how much He loves us, we cannot help but rejoice. But the best thing He gave us was Himself, He longs to be our most intimate companion.
When we are sastified in the love of Christ, we can openly express the joy we have to others. And when people see that kind of joy they will instantly recognize it as something they want, something they need, something that they were created for. They may not know it, but they'll feel it. And it gives Christ a chance to speak to thir hearts once more. We must ask Christ to give us joyful hearts.



                                                                                 Peace

       Another thing Christ offers is peace, which is so needed in our world. People take medications, go to therapy, look for others to fill ther void and some even end their own lives because of the torment going on inside them.
All the while Christ says " I have a peace that surpasses all understanding."
And in Him, though the troubling world lay just outside, we find refuge, a stronghold, peace and rest. A sancturay if you will, in the cleft of the rock.
      This is something we need desperately, because the enemy doesn't just attack us with outward temptations and distractions. He tempts us with wrong mindsets, fear and hurt. Which in turn leads to things like hatred. The world is a troubling place at times, especially for those trying to follow Christ. And He knows that we need peace not only in our minds and hearts but in our world.  He also knows that we need to help Him bring peace to the world. That's why He gives it to us and teaches us how to be peacemakers.  He says, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall inherit the kingdom of God." The world will never be entirely at peace until Christ returns and the battle is won. But He stills offers peace to all who will accept Him. And He expects that we strive to be peacemakers, which derives from love, love for God and love for humanity.

          Love

And now we are down to the last but certainly not the least. Love. Love is the foundation for everything else we have learned so far. Christ offers us unconditional love no matter what the cost and asks for nothing in return.
And He teaches it to us as we grow more like Him every day of our lives. Longing for us to be satisfied in Him so that we can share this love with others.
And as we grow to be more like Him, He will change our hearts until we are one with Him.
Love is simple and complicated, but this is how Christ puts it...

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
     This is the love that Christ gives, the love that we recieve and the love that He offers to everyone. We need to share it with our brothers and sisters on this earth, so that they know who Christ is, and they know what their missing. It is our duty, our responsibility to courageously run headlong into the battle feild, past all the snares and traps that the enemy brings, and rescue our brothers and sisters. I cannot say it more simply than this.