"...whom having not seen you love."

I was trying to find a picture that would somehow capture Jesus present in our everyday lives. Some that I found were too cheesy or too extravagant, nothing seemed to really depict Jesus walking with us side by side, the ever omniscient, omnipresent God that He is. And then I thought...what DOES that look like? Do we even know? Which led me to the simple, yet profound word: FAITH.

I had a good reminder of it this morning, thanks to our pastor leading us through various passages in the Bible on that very subject. Starting with Thomas who doubted that Jesus had risen (John 20)all the way to a list of those whose faith triumphed...such as Abel,Enoch,Noah,Abraham,and Sarah (Hebrews 11). It reminded me that I would do well to live by faith and not by acting as though God were a wish-granter. To remember that His love is perfect and there are things that I cannot see that are a part of His plan.

Faith...I remember seeing this somewhere: "I cannot see the wind, but I can feel it's strength...I cannot see my God, but I can feel His love" and then it quoted Hebrews 1:1

Thomas got to see Jesus and because of what he saw, he believed. But how grateful we should be that Jesus said right after "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." That's us! :-)

Obstacles are set in our paths every hour of everyday and sometimes we may not know why and it's hard not to get angry, defiant, or pity ourselves. I am guilty of that, for sure. But it's two-part: Yes, God loved us first and yes, He is always with us and will never leave us. That's the first part. The second part, the part that we're responsible for (and the part that I want don't want to forget!!!) is our FAITH!

In I Peter 1:3-8, Peter says this:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant MERCY has begotten us again to a LIVING HOPE, through the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an INHERITANCE incorruptible and undefiled and that DOES NOT FADE AWAY, reserved in heaven for YOU, who are kept by the POWER of God through FAITH for salvaltion ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you greatly REJOICE, though now for a little while, if you need be, you have been grieved by various TRIALS, that the genuineness of your FAITH, being much more precious than GOLD that perishes, though it is tested by FIRE, may be found to PRAISE, HONOR, and GLORY at the revelation of Jesus CHRIST, whom HAVING NOT SEEN you LOVE. Though now you DO NOT SEE HIM, yet BELIEVING, you rejoice with JOY INEXPRESSIBLE and full of GLORY, receiving the end of your FAITH---the SALVATION of your SOULS."

Steppin' out....