God,
Am I dying to know you?
Am I dying to know them? 

"faith" versus faith

Faith, what is it? is it merely another work that we hide behind? 
Sometimes when we as Christians talk about faith it becomes another work. How can faith be a work? Simple, faith becomes our portion our task, what we must do before God gives us what we want.

I watched a small portion of Joel Olsteen on television. What little of his sermon I viewed expressed the perception that we as men have to believe in God in order for him to work.  Our faith becomes the catalyst that allows God to work in this world.

Personally I have been reflecting on my personal as well as the entire Christian organisms view on faith. I keep returning to the passages that refer to salvation as a "free gift not of works." It doesn't makes sense if salvation is not a work but a free gift that our faith would make it happen. The Bible does say "by your faith you will be healed." Jesus even tells a paralytic that because of the faith of his friends he was healed. Obviously faith has a very important role in our salvation as well as all good gifts that we recieve from God. It is the backbone of our own personal walk with God.

The question that begs an answer then; what does faith really mean? Is it an action? How does it affect God and what action he takes in our lives? If God says we are saved by grace through faith. Then it doesn't make sense that he requires an action over and above 
acceptance of Jesus as the singular way for us to be complete.

It is a trap that turns our attentions back from the one who has done the impossible. We forget who it is we serve and instead our struggle transforms into appeasing God almighty with our faith. God becomes our pupet instead of Lord. Our relationship with God is mutated from a penitent to expectent. We become the masters of our situation once again.

God did not die so that we could have the ultimate Santa Claus. Look we fulfilled our end of the bargain. We had faith now give us what we want. Make our lives prosperous. God doesn't work like that.

What is it to believe then? Faith is not an action taken causing something to happen. Rather faith allows humans to understand that even though we don't understand it still is going to happen. By our faith we acknowledge that God is capable to do what we ask whether he does or not. By faith we accept that God will not always answer every request. By faith we surrender our own desires to God's perfect plan and even rejoice when situations and circumstance cause harm. Faith is our own personal evidence of things unseen. It is not the portal through which God works in our lives. It is the portal through which we understand that the perfect will of God is for our best interest. Faith is what allows us to trust God, not the thing that gets us what we want or desire.

do you remember?

Do you remember? 
All those times we shared,
All those tears we dared.
Do you remember?

The hours we spent talking
the days we shared
Those times we were walking
side by side. Partners ensnared.

Do you remeber?
All those storms we fared,
All those times you cared.
Do you remeber?

you were there
When she died.
you didn't have time to spare,
But that you defied.

Do you remeber?
All those dreams barred,
All those wounds scared.
Do you remember?

Late nights talking
contrasting God, love, and life.
Foriegn places we sought, longing
you were there through strife.

Do you remember?
All those conversations hard,
All those nights jarred.
Do you remember?

one summer's rent
In the rain
sleep under the stars spent
never the same

Do you remember?