Day 22 - A Faith That Grows
Posted by Michael O'Neal
2 Corinthians 10:15 (NLT)
“We hope that your faith will grow.”
Throughout Paul’s letters in the Bible, it is clear that he cares deeply for other Christ-followers. In our verse for today, Paul expresses his desire to see his Christian friends grow in their faith so that the message of Christ could spread to other areas of the world.
God wants our faith to grow. So my prayer for all the Christ-followers of Peace Community Church this week is that our faith will grow. What does that mean? In order for our faith to grow, we have to grow in 3 important areas. I’m praying that our faith would grow in these areas:
> INTIMACY WITH GOD – I pray that we will fall more in love with God, trusting Him in every area of our lives.
> COMMITMENT TO THE CHURCH – I pray that we will be more committed to God’s family (the church), fellowshipping and serving with other believers.
> INFLUENCE WITH OUTSIDERS – The Bible says that those who do not follow Christ are “outsiders” (Colossians 4:5). I pray that we will open our eyes and see the people around us who desperately need a relationship with Jesus Christ: our neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family members.
Will you join me in prayer this week? Also, I’d like your comments on the 3 questions listed below. You can comment today or some other day this week. You can comment on one of the questions, or you can comment on all three. Let’s learn from each other and help each other grow in our faith.
1. What can you do this week to fall more in love with God?
2. What can you do this week to be more committed to the church?
3. What can you do this week to reach out to those who do not know Christ?
PRAYER: “God, I want to grow in my faith. Help me to love you more. Show me how I can be more committed to Your church. Give me opportunities to have influence with outsiders. I look forward to how You will grow my faith this week. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
POINT TO PONDER: God wants our faith to grow.
August 27th, 2007 at 7:50 am
As painful as it is, watching The Passion of the Christ always renews my love for him because of what he was willing to endure so I could be set free.
August 27th, 2007 at 9:06 am
To fall more in love with Christ…Read Luke 23:32-38. When I read this I realize over and over just how gracious God is for forgiving us and removing the stain of sin from us and giving us a second chance through His Son.
To reach out to others…I try to look for opportunities to step out of my comfort zone and find ways to incorporate God in my conversations with others. Many times this will spark a conversation that will spark more to come.
August 27th, 2007 at 9:07 am
I think we can fall more in love with him just by spending more time with him and in his word. Our lives get so busy that we don’t take the time that we should. It’s just like our relationships with others here on earth–if we didn’t spend any time with or talk to our loved ones what would our relationships be like?
August 27th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Hey Mark and Amy, you’re right. When I focus on what Christ has done for us to set me free from sin, I can’t help but fall deeper in love with Him.
Sister Heather, you’re right again. Real Christianity is not religion. It’s a relationship. And the quality of our relationship with God depends on the quality of TIME we spend with Him.
On reaching out to others, I just bought a book today called “Share Jesus Without Fear.” I’ve been a little less intentional recently in sharing my faith. So I bought a book to help me reach out to others more effectively and grow in this area of my faith.
Thank you for your comments. Keep ‘em coming!
August 27th, 2007 at 11:24 am
1. Pray and read the bible. Sounds easy enough, why is it so hard to fit in sometimes? (Did I just answer a question with a question)
2. Get involved
3. This is the tough one. Because there are people all around you all the time that need him, that do not know him. I think most importantly you have to lead by example!
August 27th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Hey Matt,
Thanks for your reply. I’m with you on prayer and reading the Bible. These are habits that constantly need developing. I believe accountability is a huge issue when it comes to developing this habit. I’m always trying to think through how we as a church can help each other in all 3 areas. This Fall, those in Community Groups will get this help. We will encourage each other to love God more, love each other more, and reach out to others more. I’m pumped about the launch of Community Groups next month! Stay tuned…
August 27th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
For all three of these my answer would be, listen to what God is trying to say to you. So many time we close the lines of communication off to him. We want him to hear our cries don’t we. Why do we not want to reciprocate.
August 27th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Amen Chris! For me, I know I’m busy thinking about my own agenda rather than focusing on God’s agenda. Even if I’m praying or reading the Bible, sometimes I’m thinking too much about my needs rather than God’s purposes. It’s impossible for me to get involved with what God is doing if I’m only focused on what I need out of God. The “I Dream of Jeannie” religion is dangerous.
August 27th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
I have to be more focused on a daily quiet time. I have drifted fom it and by having that time with Him is the only way to fall in deeper love with Him and hear His directions. Through that I will also have greater committment to the Church and be a better example for others.
August 27th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
It is so easy to get distracted with all that is going on, and I need to be more focused in the area of reading God’s word and in my prayer life. I need to specifically pray that I will fall more in love with Christ.
I have a group of 20 or so people in town for a class this week, and I’m going to pray that God will give me an opportunity to share what He is doing in our lives right now with our family and with PCC. I will pray that these conversations will be a springboard that will allow me to share my faith!
August 29th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
1. Constant Communication with Him is the best thing I can do for my relationship with Him.
2. If we love the church and truly want others to know about Him, we will want to be consistantly involved and committed to further advance the Kingdom!
3. Simply loving others is the best way to reach out to them.