One thing I often get asked about are ways that a Christian can live out their faith in a way that extends beyond the self. How do I live my faith without being offensive, but with a desire to see opportunities to share that faith in witness to Christ Jesus to others? It's a good question, and one that I love to hear from people. It means that their eyes are open to more than just their own standing with God. It demonstrates a heart that yearns for others to know the great gift of forgiveness and new life that we have received in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.
Since this is something that continues to come up in ministry, I'm going to start a new weekly "series" of sorts. I'm planning on calling it "Living the New Life." I call it this because these kind of questions and answers aren't ways that we make ourselves right with God, or even that we do to please God. Instead, I see these as ways that the new self, created by God in the water of baptism, wants to live before God and before neighbor. So don't take these as ways to improve yourself, or to be in better standing in God, but as ideas for what opportunities the new life has to live out our faith in Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer.
Today I want to start off with something that may seem really simple, and may not even seem to be all that impactful. Yet, I see it as one way to watch doors open by the Holy Spirit, and a way in which our eyes and hearts can become even more open to the opportunities that God presents in life. The suggestion: a prayer walk. And no, I don't mean something that you get a lot of people lined up for, and then going around praying out loud as though you're part of a parade. I mean a personal or even small family sized prayer walk.
A lot of people have gotten into the "getting fit" trend. Walking is a great way to do it, and I know of a lot of people who go for a walk on a daily or weekly basis. So this suggestion merely adds one element to it. As you walk, why not offer up prayers on behalf of the people, businesses, our households in the area that you are walking through? If you walk through your neighborhood, why not ask God to pour His grace into those households? Why not ask Him to open up doors where you can demonstrate your neighborliness in Christ to that household? If you are walking through a park, why not ask for God to show His grace to the people or families that you pass? Likewise, if you walk through a mall, you can do the same thing, and even extend it to the businesses in the venue.
Again, this seems like a small thing. Yet, the new life in you in baptism wants to demonstrate love for neighbor, and prayer is one of the ways to demonstrate that love. And you never know what will happen as God listens to your prayers. He may even put one or two of the people in your path with an opportunity that the Spirit is creating. He may simply be opening your eyes and heart up to those that you may not have thought of as neighbors before. He could simply be preserving those for whom you pray, planning to work through the impact of another, and yet preserving them in line with your prayer.
It may seem small, but our God often does great things through small means and packages. Praying is natural for the new life that God has created in you through your baptism. And, if you were looking for an added benefit, walking is also good for you, demonstrating some good stewardship of the body that God has gifted to you by His grace.
Since this is something that continues to come up in ministry, I'm going to start a new weekly "series" of sorts. I'm planning on calling it "Living the New Life." I call it this because these kind of questions and answers aren't ways that we make ourselves right with God, or even that we do to please God. Instead, I see these as ways that the new self, created by God in the water of baptism, wants to live before God and before neighbor. So don't take these as ways to improve yourself, or to be in better standing in God, but as ideas for what opportunities the new life has to live out our faith in Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer.
Today I want to start off with something that may seem really simple, and may not even seem to be all that impactful. Yet, I see it as one way to watch doors open by the Holy Spirit, and a way in which our eyes and hearts can become even more open to the opportunities that God presents in life. The suggestion: a prayer walk. And no, I don't mean something that you get a lot of people lined up for, and then going around praying out loud as though you're part of a parade. I mean a personal or even small family sized prayer walk.
A lot of people have gotten into the "getting fit" trend. Walking is a great way to do it, and I know of a lot of people who go for a walk on a daily or weekly basis. So this suggestion merely adds one element to it. As you walk, why not offer up prayers on behalf of the people, businesses, our households in the area that you are walking through? If you walk through your neighborhood, why not ask God to pour His grace into those households? Why not ask Him to open up doors where you can demonstrate your neighborliness in Christ to that household? If you are walking through a park, why not ask for God to show His grace to the people or families that you pass? Likewise, if you walk through a mall, you can do the same thing, and even extend it to the businesses in the venue.
Again, this seems like a small thing. Yet, the new life in you in baptism wants to demonstrate love for neighbor, and prayer is one of the ways to demonstrate that love. And you never know what will happen as God listens to your prayers. He may even put one or two of the people in your path with an opportunity that the Spirit is creating. He may simply be opening your eyes and heart up to those that you may not have thought of as neighbors before. He could simply be preserving those for whom you pray, planning to work through the impact of another, and yet preserving them in line with your prayer.
It may seem small, but our God often does great things through small means and packages. Praying is natural for the new life that God has created in you through your baptism. And, if you were looking for an added benefit, walking is also good for you, demonstrating some good stewardship of the body that God has gifted to you by His grace.
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