growing in belief

Its not the circumstances that affect our attitude abut life, its our certainty of what is to come. Our belief about the future affects our attitude about today's trials and joys. If I'm in a tough one and can't imagine what the outcome might be, I will groan and cry and curse and squirm. But If I know that I know that God has a definite goal to this season, that His will is being accomplished through my groaning, and I believe firmly in His goodness, then unbelief cannot touch me. I will be satisfied with His provision as painful as it might be as a 'momentary light affliction'.

Here is an illustration: Courage can come from hearing the bugle, the anthem over the hills of help coming. In the battle I may grow so weary that my hand drops my sword and I am literally stopped from any offensive or defensive action. Then I hear the sound of a bugle announcing the arrival of fresh troops that I had given up hope on. Then even before I see them coming, or have their actual physical aid to join me in the fight, I find that I have a surge of energy and hope and passion again. Now I can pick up that dropped sword and start using it. Just the knowledge that this help is coming is enough to change me, as if it were already here.

My children, keep yourself free from idols

Something I have been mulling over is something I have read and re-read in Isaiah 44. The portion where Isaiah goes off on the lunacy of taking one tree and using half as a source of fuel to cook food and the other half to be carved by man's hands into a form that then becomes one's god. The thoughts that I have are these: Jehovah God was the one who gave us the tree in the first place as a good thing that is useful. We can praise God for its provision. But to then make it into a source of life, one that you go to for nourishment, for protection against bad things, for pleasure or escape, for answers when feeling lost, for power over foes...well then, it has now become a futile idol.

One litmus test for me is to ask myself, is this relationship, this position, this item, this exciting plan, one that God intended to bless me with, but I have now turned it into a source of life for me? Do I grow afraid at the thought of losing it? Do I value the thought of it more than God? Do I spend inordinate amounts of time thinking, defending, pursuing it? God gave me this thing (strength, money, a friendship, a love of beauty, a love of sports, a love of words) but never to become a source of life for me. He wants me to step away from the intensity of my emotions, and hold the 'idol' loosely, and ask Him to reveal anything unwholesome about it and let Him transform it from idolatry to a recognition of this being just one of His provisions.