Discovering the Transformative Power of Purpose
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
How would you describe your faith life...vibrant, active, or perhaps engaging? If we are being honest, a more accurate description might be routine, complacent, or even non-existent. In our busy lives and our crazy world, we are being pulled in a number of different directions. It can be easy to become distracted and can be difficult to focus on any one thing. Yet, Scripture tells us that God is our Rock, a sure foundation upon which we can build our lives. Faith is a gift of the Spirit, but how we choose to live into that faith is part of our free-will. When our faith becomes the purpose driving our thoughts, words, and actions, everything else will start to come into focus. When we live an Intentionally-Focused Faith, we offer our lives more fully to the love, mercy, and grace of God. So we need to ask ourselves…
What IFF we truly welcomed the Spirit into our hearts and minds?
What IFF we sought to reveal God in every word and action of every day?
What IFF others could know Christ through how we live our lives?
God’s only Son came into this world for a purpose. Christ lived with intention; teaching us how to live, demonstrating acts of unconditional love, lifting up the outcasts, and humbling the righteous. The disciples shifted their focus, laid down their nets, and became fishers of men. In faith, the apostles went out and built the early church, writing letters from prison and testifying to the one true God, no matter the cost.
We are called to more than weekly attendance at our church; sitting quietly in the pews and doing little more than listening to the message and singing along to the hymns. We are called to live with purpose, to live out our faith with intention. We are call to stand firm in the Lord, clothe ourselves with the Spirit, put on the full armor of God, and go out and make disciples.
But what does it mean to have an Intentionally-Focused Faith? I invite you to join me every other Wednesday at 7pm, after the Midweek Worship service at Lake Park Lutheran, to explore, discover, and develop the qualities of a faith lived with intention.
Click on the dates below to be taken to the the current week's blog post about the Qualities of Intentionally-Focused Faith!
September 14th: Enthusiasm - Dedication - Generosity
- What IFF our faith was a joy-filled priority?
September 28th: Confidence - Humility
- What IFF we truly had faith in our role in God’s plan?
October 12th: Resilience - Adaptability - Dependability
- What IFF our faith could withstand the challenges of this world?
Click on the button below to view a great poster of the twelve Qualities of Intentionally-Focused Faith!
October 26th: Initiative - Creativity - Curiosity
- What IFF we questioned our understanding of faith?
November 9th: Empathy
- What IFF our faith led us to hold space for the faiths of others?