Word for the Day~ Faith

 And without faith it is impossible to please him, 

for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who seek him.  

Hebrews 11:6

...do not be anxious about anything, 

but in everything by prayer and supplication 

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

Philippians 4:6-7

One of the most satisfying parts of my day is the time I spend in reading -  reading the Bible that is.  I like other reading too, very much, but since the time that I put reading through the Scriptures, God's love letter to us, as a priority in my day, I try to do that early in the morning before the rush of every day living crowds it out. We stopped getting a morning paper for this reason... I check the headlines online in the morning - great to incorporate current events into our prayers.

Since that time I've been so blessed to read through the Word many times.  After completing this last round in mid June ~ I usually try to read through it once a year but have taken longer, much longer at times especially during the years when I was still out teaching; sometimes I've read it through more than once in one year, not that there's any special merit in that ~  I was excited about the prospect of buying a new Bible, a translation other than what I already had. 

Checking online I quickly found what I thought would be the right Bible for a new start and hurried over to "The House of James", our great Christian bookstore in our community and took some time checking it out.  What had grabbed my attention was that it was an ESV*, English Standard Version, and it had 365 devotional readings interspersed throughout this Book from the writings of one of the last century's most gifted and articulate Bible teachers, Oswald Chambers ~ one for every day of the year.  What a bonus!  The only drawback for me was the rather light script - yes, I know my eyes aren't getting any younger either.  I would have preferred a Script that was somewhat larger with darker ink than this one offered since that would put much less strain on the eyes.  But since I've begun reading this wonderful translation I sit in bright light and savor the Light and warmth of this Great Book.  I'm thrilled also with the insights that this brilliant and dedicated servant of the Lord, Oswald Chambers,  brings to my daily reading.

And so with all that Bible reading you would think I'd be further along in my spiritual pilgrimage, this faith process...no more anxieties, no more doubts, no more insecurities...but that just isn't the case.  Through Chambers devotional today I was given a clue as to why I'm not further along...I'm a worrier...an anxious person...I have trouble believing, trusting, resting.  Many times I've prayed along with the father of the little boy whose story is found in Mark 9:24, "Lord I believe;  help my unbelief."

Here are a few excerpts, clues for me,  from  what I came away with today:

"One of the greatest demands of God on the human spirit

is to believe that God is good 

when his providence seems to prohibit the fulfillment of what he has promised...   

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Waiting means that we go on in the perfect certainty of God's goodness...

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Your anxiety proves that you do not believe in the goodness of God an atom, 

and it postpones the time of his performance."

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 ~taken from Not Knowing Whither by Oswald Chambers 

This is sobering and thought-provoking reading.   This pursuit of a better faith walk is on-going.  As I stay in the "Word" and focus on Him, He is able to do His work in me one day at a time.  I am humbled and grateful.  So we are encouraged to ...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to His good purpose.
Philippians 2:12 

What have some of your experiences been like, reading the Bible in your pursuit to know God better?  What insights and signs of growth in your pilgrimage are you observing?  Let's encourage each other to "...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ".   What better way to grow in our knowledge of Him who is our very life and reason for existence than to read His Word that is "tailor made" for us, for me...for you.  We live in sobering and challenging times.  Let's do it!

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*At the very bottom of the front page of this Bible, the Publisher's page, is this great piece of information:
Good News Publishers is a not-for-profit publishing ministry that exists solely for the purpose of publishing the Good News of the Gospel and the Truth of God's Word, the Bible.  A portion of the purchase price of every ESV Bible is donated to help support Bible distribution ministry around the world through ESV Bible Ministry International.