Walk by Faith

Building One Another - Vol. 12, No. 1
Dear Friend, This morning I enjoyed a conversation that was delightful. It warmed my spirit and left me feeling good. Directly afterwards I read an email that was completely annoying! Life is full of such moments in which we hardly know what we are feeling, although I have to admit the bummer email tended to overshadow the upbeat conversation. The concept of spirituality in our day is increasingly linked to the emotional, to the visceral, to what we are feeling.  In the upbeat moment we may “feel” God’s presence and we enjoy an experiential sense of God’s love. In the downbeat moment we may “sense” God’s presence standing with us in our suffering, although some of us may have the opposite reaction and “feel” God’s absence. We are feeling creatures, something our Lord understands very well. The Apostle Paul offered a wonderful word to us whose emotions can move up and down every other second. He puts it simply, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” II Corinthians 5:7*  True spirituality is based on our faith in the Lord who loves us and not on the moment by moment circumstances of our lives. I love that! Our relationship with God comes out of trust, of faith, of relying on Jesus! “Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes [trusts, entrusts, relies on] has eternal life. I am the bread of life.” John 6:47-48 So we rely upon our Lord and whether we feel his presence or not, we know God actually is with us, loving us and indwelling us. It’s a great word for a New Year! “That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever!” John 3:36 The Message
With joy- E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2013 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV