Second-Hand Faith

"You can't borrow someone else's relationship or knowledge of God"-  Rob Wegner 4/25/10

Let's face it, faith can be a tough thing for many people.  Where is God?  Why do bad things happen?  Did we simply evolve, ended up here, and somehow are a fluke of science?

I've got opinions about a lot of things, if you ask me about the health care debate, I'll have an opinion.  Based on what?  Some opinions of CNN/Fox News, a little talk radio, and a few sound bites from others or stories.  The truth is, I haven't read the 1000 pages of actual information that would give me the details.

In our lives, far too often we can approach God the same way.  We have a "filter" we view God through based on the opinions of others, how we grew up, or what we think He should be or should be doing.  Too often, what we think about anything is based on second- hand information or in this case, we have second-hand faith.

We are a culture of short cuts.  Net it out for me, tell me what I need to know, and I'll move on...  We want God to swoop in and fix our problems but don't really have a personal pursuit of God.  Are we pursuing God and our Faith or are we relying on the information or faith of others?

Matthew 7:7  "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

In the Bible, Jesus says, "seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you..."  How do we move from second-hand knowledge of God to first-hand knowledge?  Do you have such a strong notion of what God should be doing that we can't see what God is actually doing in our lives?  Could our eyes be restrained?

If I want to lose weight and look like a chiseled, strong machine, it won't happen by simply standing and hearing stories from a personal trainer... I actually have to get on the treadmill, change my eating plan, and push some weight.  This will give me a first-hand experience of what it takes to get into shape.

Faith is similar, what are the activities that can help us get a first-hand experience of God? 

• Read the Bible regularly, check out youversion.com and start with Proverbs and John... read a chapter or two a day as part of your routine...
• Start praying.  Keep it simple but a great start is to pray, "God, I'm pursuing you and give my life to you.  Please send people in my life and help guide me in understanding You and my purpose here in life..  Give me the eyes to see what You see and what my next step is..." 
• Connect with others.  Be a friend and have a friend.  Who we surround ourselves with has a big impact on who we will become.  Are the people around you helping you in your steps and pursuit of God or are they pointing you a different direction?  Learning from others will help us in steps we can take in our personal journey.
• Practice generosity.  Start taking steps of giving your time and money.  Start looking for ways you can volunteer in areas you have a passion or have experience...  Give to help others, if not here at Granger, find a place that is helping you takes steps in your faith and give there.  Make a difference in the lives of others and in your community.
• Connect to a church.  We all need reminders and continue to learn- find a local church or hang with a church online to help understand Who God is and how He works.  Going to church to check a box isn't the issue, it's about building your knowledge of Jesus and what His purpose is for your life.

The second-hand, normal response might be, "uh, that sounds like a lot of work... I think I'll pass..." 

Where are you taking steps?  Toward Christ and pursuing your Faith or is life keeping you busy enough not to really think or focus on it?   What helps you experience God first-hand?

Check out a great message related to this post at gccwired.com by Rob Wegner, "4 Words" on 4/24 and 4/25.