A Simple Step of Faith

It was about a month ago when we started hearing about supply chain problems and how many things were going to be hard to find this Christmas.  As I listened to people talk about this on TV, they said that if we wanted to have a good Christmas we had to go out and get all our gifts now, or else we would have a lot of unhappy people on Christmas morning.  What they were telling us is that Christmas is all about getting the right gifts.  It never seemed to dawn on them that we could have a good Christmas without lots of gifts.  In fact, maybe the supply chain problems will give us the opportunity to celebrate a radically different and better holiday.    

If 2020 was the pandemic Christmas when we couldn’t travel or be together, 2021 is turning into the supply chain Christmas where we might not be able to get all that we want.  As difficult as this may be, maybe the supply chain Christmas will remind us that Christmas really isn’t about the stuff we give but the love we share.  Maybe being forced to buy fewer gifts can help us experience a Simple Christmas filled with the presence of God and not just the presents we put under the tree.  

This Advent and Christmas season we are going to look at the first Christmas and focus on its simplicity.  While it is an absolutely amazing story that talks about God coming to earth as a baby to love us, forgive us, and redeem us from sin and death, it is also powerful in its simplicity.  A simple star in the sky guided the Wisemen to Jesus.  A simple invitation from the angels filled the shepherds with joy.  A simple choice to love brought Joseph and Mary together, and a simple step of faith started the whole thing.  We hear about that step of faith in Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,  to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.  Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Mary took a simple step of faith and said yes to God, but before that step, there were a few other steps she had to take first.  The entire story begins with these simple words, Greetings favored one.  The Lord is with you.  When God tells Mary that she is favored, it was God telling her that she was both loved and chosen.  Mary was troubled by these words because she didn't see herself this way.  She didn’t see herself as anything special, she was just a girl.  Mary was just an ordinary girl who has recently gotten engaged and is planning on a quiet life with her husband.  With this greeting, however, Mary had to start seeing herself differently.  She had to see herself as loved and chosen and blessed by God.  Her first step of faith was to see herself as favored.  

The first step of faith we need to take is to see ourselves as favored by God.  You are loved by God.  Completely and unconditionally, you are loved by God.  You are forgiven by God and you have been chosen by God to be one of God’s children.  You are not alone.  You are not forgotten.  You are not broken and cast aside.  You are favored and loved by God.  In many ways, faith begins with this first step, to see ourselves as loved and chosen and favored by God.  

It can be hard for us to feel favored in this season.  For many people, family gatherings can be painful.  Our families are broken.  We might not be where we want to be in life.  Old grudges and past hurts are often brought up and the days can be dark and difficult.  Or maybe you are feeling alone.   Whether it is the breakup of a relationship, or the loss of a loved one, or family too far away to visit, being alone makes it hard to feel any kind of love or blessing.  Even in the midst of lots of family and friends it can be easy to feel alone.  If this is where you are today, it’s hard to grab hold of this, but hear God say to you, Greetings favored one.  The Lord is with you.  

God is with you.  God does love you.  God is present with us in this season and every season and maybe the simple step of faith you need to take is to just see yourself as favored and loved by God.  This entire season is about seeing ourselves as so loved by God that He was willing to come and literally be with us, and walk with us in life.  See yourself as loved.  Hear God say to you that you are favored, and know God is with you.  Take this first simple step of faith.  

The second step for Mary was that she was going to have to step into a new calling and change the direction of her life.    

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Up until this moment, Mary’s plan had been to be a good wife and mother.  Now she is being called to be the mother of the Messiah.  The new direction for Mary’s life is to raise the Son of God.  This was going to be different. This was going to be difficult.  

Not only do we need to see ourselves as loved and favored, but we also have to be willing to step into the new calling God has for our lives.  We aren’t just a child of God, God calls us in unique ways to accomplish specific tasks.  God shapes each and every one of us in special ways so that we can carry His love to the world.  Paul uses the image of the body to talk about how each one of us is unique in our calling and how God wants to use us for His purpose.  We need to embrace that calling even if it means changing direction, even if it is going to be difficult.  

It took me a long time to embrace the call of being a pastor.  I tried several other things and put God off many times before I finally stepped into the call God had for me.  Stepping into being a pastor meant I had to change directions.  I had to head back to school.  I had to learn how to trust God in new ways, and it hasn’t always been easy, but when we follow God’s call we can find the simple peace of God’s presence with us.  

What is the unique call God has placed on your life?  Who has God called you to be beyond a son or daughter?  What gifts has God given you that only you can use for His kingdom?  Lean into that calling and find a way to take one simple step in that direction.  

For Mary, this meant stepping out into the unknown.  She even says to God, how can this be?  She is questioning how she can be pregnant as a virgin, but she is also saying, how can I do all this?  How can I raise the Messiah, the son of God?  How can I raise someone who will rule over all of Israel?  I don’t know how to do any of this.  How can this be?

Stepping into God’s calling for our lives often means stepping into the unknown, but the beautiful thing about this story is that God shows us what happens when we step out in faith.  Mary questions how God will do all of this and God’s reply was simply, look at your cousin Elizabeth.  Everyone said she was barren and would never have children, but she is pregnant.  What God is saying to Mary is this, look, if I can do that…. I can do anything.  God assures Mary that He can and will accomplish everything that needs to take place in her life.  He gives her the assurance she needs to trust Him even in the midst of uncertainty and the fear of the unknown.  

It is not easy to walk by faith and not by sight, but if we are willing to take a single step forward in faith, God will not only be there but God will show us the next step.  And then the next.  And then the next.  Notice God doesn’t answer all of Mary's questions and explain how it will all happen, God just points to a situation where His power and love can be seen and says, take one more step with me.  

In this season, take one more step with God and allow Him to show you His power and His love.  Maybe it is a step into a deeper relationship with God.  Maybe it is a step into a new calling, or simply seeing yourself in a new way and as a new creation.  We might not know what it all means, but take one step of faith and allow God to give you the assurance of His love and power with you.  

The last simple step of Mary is an important one in this supply chain Christmas of 2021.  She gives her self and not her stuff.  Mary gives God her life.  She gives God her body, her time, her energy, and her love, and it was that simple step that changed everything.  It not only strengthened Mary’s relationship with God, but it brought God’s love into our world.  This year, the simple step of faith we can all take is to give more of our self and not more stuff.

We all know the supply chain is broken.  Some of the gifts you want to get this year will not be available.  It’s not the end of Christmas, it just might be the beginning of a better Christmas.  This year give a better gift!  Give the gift of your self.  

Parents, give your children a coupon for weekly game nights, or special Saturday breakfasts.  Give each child a special gift certificate for one day out to do whatever they want to do.  Take them on an adventure they will never forget.

Give your spouse a date night, or be willing to do the work they usually do around the house for one week, or for one month.  Honor them in some way that will remind them of just how much you love them.  

Maybe you have heard this recently.  It is the answer that an older parent gave to their grown child when they were asked, “what do you want for Christmas?”

What do I want for Christmas? I want you. I want you to keep coming around, I want you to bring your family around.  I want you to ask me questions, ask my advice, tell me your problems, ask for my opinion, ask for my help.  I want you to come over and rant about your problems, rant about life, whatever.  Tell me about your job, your worries, your families.  I want you to continue sharing your life with me.  Come over and laugh with me, or laugh at me, I don’t care.  Hearing you laugh is music to me.

I spent the better part of my life raising you the best way I knew how, and I’m not bragging, but I did a pretty good job.  Now, give me time to sit back and admire my work, I’m proud of it. I’m proud of you.  I want you to spend your money making a better life for you and your family because I have the things I need. I want to see you happy and healthy.  When you ask me what I want for Christmas, I say “nothing” because you’ve been giving me my gift all year.  I want you.

Truly the greatest gift we can give to anyone is our time, our attention, our focus, and our love.  In a virtual world, one of the greatest gifts we can give is to actually sit with people in person to talk, and laugh, and share.  It is truly the gift or our presence that makes a difference. 

Christmas is the gift of God’s presence in the world in the person of Jesus.  Mary’s gift to God was the gift of her presence.  She gave herself fully to God for His purpose and plan.  The most powerful gift we can give, and maybe the simple step of faith we need to take today, is to give the gift of our presence, our self, to God and to others.

I want to invite you to celebrate this Advent and Christmas season in a different way.  Don’t think about presents to give, think about how to give your presence to God.  Worship fully.  That doesn’t mean just showing up, it means showing up with an open heart and mind and allowing God to shape us.  Allow God’s word to be present in your life.  Read the gospels this season and see what the person of Jesus did as He was present with us.  

Be present with God, and be present with others, both family and friends.  Make this a simple Christmas that can truly be like no other and take some simple steps of faith.  

Next Steps

A Simple Christmas - A Simple Step of Faith

Read Luke 1:26-38

Four simple steps of faith:

1. See yourself as favored

◆ What does it mean to be favored?

◆ What did this mean for Mary?

◆ What does this mean for you?

◆ How can you begin to see yourself as loved and chosen by God?    

2. Step into a new calling and change the direction of your life

◆ What did this mean for Mary?

◆ Beyond being a child of God, who has God created you to be?  

◆ How can you keep stepping into that new identity?

3. Step into the unknown (walk by faith not by sight)

◆ What were the unknowns for Mary?

◆ What uncertainty do you face today?  

◆ How has God given you assurance in the past?

◆ What assurance do you need from God today?    

4. Give your self and not your stuff

◆ How did Mary give herself fully to God?

◆ How can you give yourself fully to God?

◆ What would it look like for you to worship fully?

◆ Find ways to give more of yourself this Christmas?  

This year, give coupons and gift certificates for family meals, game nights, and date nights.  Give the gift of your service to those in need.  Find ways to give less presents and more of your presence.  

Greater Reward - Don't Give Up!

One Sunday afternoon I was playing ultimate Frisbee with some of the students in my youth group in Altoona and when I went to make a quick turn in one direction, my knee decided to go in the other.  I went down and was in pain for several days but like all good men, I just shrugged it off.  Not long after that, my knee would pop out of joint at odd times and I would hyperextend my leg to get things lined up again.  This went on for several years and I just laughed it off as a trick knee.  I was helping my sister paint a new condo they were moving into when my knee popped out of joint again, but this time it wouldn’t go back in.  

Long story short, I had a torn ACL.  After the reconstruction surgery, the protocol for therapy was 3 days a week for 10 weeks.  The problem was that my insurance wasn’t going to pay for that many visits so I asked my physical therapist if I could come 2 days a week for 10 weeks if I promised to do all the exercises at home.  After the first week of watching me in therapy, he agreed.  I’ll be honest, my motivation for being diligent in doing the therapy wasn’t to get better, it was to keep from having to pay out of pocket for the extra therapy visits.  

During those 10 weeks, I did every exercise they asked me to do and then some.  At the beginning, if they asked me to do 10 reps, I did 11.  I didn’t want to overdo it and create a problem, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to need any extra visits.  Eventually when they asked me to do 10, I would do 12.  When they pushed it to 20, I would do 25.  If they wanted me to walk for 10 minutes, I would walk for 12.  The only thing I wouldn’t do any longer than I had to was the stair climber because I hated that!!  After 10 weeks, the physical therapist said I had done a great job and no more sessions were needed.  A few months later I hiked to the top of Mt. Washington.  It was a win - win.  I saved money and I had a really strong knee.  

For me, the greater reward of both healing and saving money came from small decisions - made consistently - over time.  For 10 weeks, I made the decision to add one more rep to each routine and one more minute to each exercise.  In time I added two reps and 2 minutes.  As things continued to go well I did the exercise routines twice a day instead of once.  It was the small things - done over time - that lead to the greater reward of healing.  Just hoping that my physical therapy would go well wasn’t going to help me, I had to do something, and I had to do it day, after day, after day.  

None of us just stumble into achieving our goals.  We don’t wake up one day and find that we are debt free.  We have to make small changes to our spending and find the places where we can save a dollar, and then we have to put that dollar towards our debt.  At first it might not seem like we are getting anywhere, but over time we find ourselves debt free.  We don’t find ourselves in a great marriage without investing in forgiveness, patience, and love, and you can’t do those things once and have it make a difference, you have to do it day after day, year after year.  And we don’t suddenly find ourselves faithfully giving all we have and all we are to God without all the small steps of faith.  Each choice we make to be more like Jesus is what leads us to an abundant and full life.  

Successful and faithful people do consistently what others do occasionally.  It is persistence, and patience, and faithfulness that lead to the greater rewards we want in life.  Hoping for a better life and having good intentions won’t determine our destination, it is actions and habits that take us where we want to go.  It is the small things done over time that lead to the big results we want.  

Maybe you’ve seen those videos of what people look like after they stopped drinking soda for a year.  That one, small, consistent change can lead to huge results.  First of all, a can of Pepsi has 150 calories, so if you cut out 2 cans a day, that’s 300 calories a day, or 109,500 calories a year.  If cutting out 3,500 calories can help you lose 1 pound, then cutting out soda for a year could lead you to losing 31 pounds.  But it gets better because cutting out soda can also improve the enamel of your teeth and decrease your risk of diabetes by 25%.  One small change, over time, can lead to a great reward.

Where we often hear about this kind reward is with saving money.  If you were to invest $1 a day for every day of your child’s life, when they turn 18 they will have $13,000.  If you don’t add any more money to that fund but keep it invested at a modest rate of return, that fund will increase to over $400,000 when they retire. Here is what we need to remember:

Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = Radical Difference

It isn’t just financial planners who say this, or dietitians, or trainers, or doctors, its God.  

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:7-9 (NIV)

We reap what we sow.  We bring in at the harvest those things that we plant, and here are 3 laws of sowing and reaping.  These are laws which mean they are always and absolutely true:

1. We reap what we sow

2. We reap more than what we sow

3. We reap after we sow

We reap WHAT we sow.  If you plant corn, what will you get?  If you plant tomatoes, what will you get?  I know there are always these amazing stories of people who find something weird in their gardens, but no matter what they find, someone or something planted it.  We reap what we sow, and what Paul says in Galatians is that if we sow evil seeds, we will get destruction.  If we are bitter and unforgiving, if we are harsh in our criticism of others, and if we are always looking to judge others and put them down, what kind of relationships are we going to have?  They are going to be dysfunctional and destructive.  People aren’t going to want to be around us.  What we often get in return for these bad attitudes is a bad attitude.  We reap what we sow.  

But what happens when we sow love, generosity, kindness, patience, gratitude and joy?  If we sow these good things we have a great chance of having healthy, joy-filled, life-giving relationships.  As Paul says, we have eternal life, but more than that we get a good life here and now.  Hosea 10:12 (NLT) Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love.

We reap what we sow, so if we don’t like the harvest we are getting in life right now, then maybe it’s time we started to sow some new seeds.  Instead of sitting back and placing the blame on others, feeling sorry for ourselves, or just hoping things will get better (which usually means hoping that others will change), let’s change what we are sowing.  

Is there an area of your life where you would like to reap a different harvest?  Is there a place where you would like to experience a greater reward and more of God’s fullness and life?  If there is, what is one new seed you can start planting today?  If you want to get out of debt and experience that freedom, make one small change in what you buy and take what you save to pay off your debt.  It might not seem like much, but over time it will make a difference.

If you want to experience God’s blessing then find one way you can be a blessing to someone this week.  That simple act of love or kindness will change your heart and life.  Being a blessing to others opens our heart to experience more of the blessing God has for us.  If you want to have a better attitude in general, if you want to be more positive in life, then sow the single seed of gratitude and watch your life change.  I have shared many times about the power of gratitude and I don’t mind saying it again because it is that important.  The simple act of giving thanks can improve your physical health, your emotional well-being, and it can give you a better perspective on life.

This would be a great week to practice the simple act of gratitude.  Not just on Thursday, but every day this week, find one thing in your life for which you are grateful and then write it down.  And then keep this habit going.  It is the small things, done consistently, over time that make the big differences.  Identify one area in your life where you would like to experience a greater reward and change the seeds you are sowing.  

The second law of sowing and reaping is that we reap MORE than we sow.  For the past two years, Jeff Martin has overseen our church garden and he has planted butternut squash.  With each plant, Jeff hoped to not get one squash but 5 or 6.  You don’t look for just one tomato on a vine but many.  You plant one apple seed and eventually get a tree that can produce bushels of apples.  Even corn might only produce one or two ears per stalk, but that one ear can give you 800 kernels, which could give you 800 ears of corn the next year, which could then give you 640,000 ears of corn the next year.  From 1 kernel could come 640,000 ears of corn in just two years.  We always get more than what we sow.  

Jesus told a parable about a sower who went out to sow some seed and when the seed fell in good soil it says it produced a harvest, 30, 60, and even 100 times what was sown.  When we sow good seeds in good soil, we will always get more in return.  When we treat people with love and kindness, those attitudes keep growing.  People who have been loved will often reach out to others with that same love, and in time a school, a business, a church, and a community can be completely transformed.  

But the same is also true with anger and hatred. When we sow bitterness, rage, and division, communities decline.  Look where we are as a nation?  We are divided.  We don’t trust people who think differently or live differently than we do.  When we push our own views and agenda, and demand others see things our way, what we reap is a divided world where we don’t trust, respect or care about each other.  While it might seem that small acts of love and kindness might not work in the face of all the anger and division we see today, it can, but we have to be consistent and give it time.  We cannot give up.  

I’m going to tell you right now that whatever new seed you decide to plant in order to get a better harvest, the time will come when you won’t see any results, and you will be ready to give up.  Don’t do it.  Don't give up.  It might literally be the next day when you will see or experience a breakthrough.  Don’t give up.  Don’t give in.  In the face of all the obstacles, keep sowing faithfulness, patience, and perseverance and in time you will reap a harvest of blessing.  

The third law of sowing is that we reap AFTER we sow.  I know, this is common sense.  We can’t look out at a plot of dirt and just hope that flowers will grow.  We can’t just wish for lots of vegetables to harvest during the summer.  And yet, isn’t this how we often look at our lives and our faith.  We want to be healthier, but we don’t change how we eat or how we live.  We want a better marriage and family but we don’t invest in forgiveness or love. We want a stronger faith and trust in God, but we don’t want to have to pray, or read the Bible, or engage in worship.  

The harvest won’t change, and God can’t multiply the harvest, until we first sow new seeds.  One of my favorite expressions is that God can’t steer a parked car.  At some point in time, the only way God is able to guide us is if we start moving.  As we move, God can open doors and close doors.  As we move, God can lead us into paths of righteousness and blessing, but until we move, God can’t do much.  And the only way God can help us experience the greater rewards of life and faith is if we start sowing new and better seeds today.  

What greater reward are you longing for today?  A healthier lifestyle?  A stronger marriage?  A better work environment?  Financial security?  A wider circle of friends?  A deeper faith and trust in God?  Whatever harvest you are looking for, start today to sow good seeds.  Make small smart choices, make them daily and over time, and then trust God to bring the harvest of life and life eternal.  

 

Next Steps

The Greater Reward - Don’t Give Up

When have you made changes to improve your life but then given up when you didn’t see any results?  

What one area of life would you like to see some improvements or a greater reward?  

Read Galatians 6:7-9 and Matthew 13:1-9

The 3 laws of reaping and sowing.

1. We reap WHAT we sow.  

• What one new seed could you plant this week to help you experience the greater reward you named above?  

2. We reap MORE than what we sow.  

• When have you seen love or kindness spread through a group of people?  

• When you have seen anger or bitterness spread through a group of people. 

3. We reap AFTER we sow.  

• What change do you need to make today so that a healthier life, stronger relationships, or a deeper faith can be experienced tomorrow?  

One seed that can always improve our life is gratitude.  Each day this week, identify one thing you are thankful for and write it down.  Continue this small practice through the month of December and allow God to transform your life and faith by Christmas Day.  

Greater Reward - Run to Win

Last week we talked about how the Greater Reward in life is found when we choose what we want most over what we want now.  We become more of who God created us to be, and who we want to be, when we make that choice, but making that choice is not easy.  Even if we can make it for a while, what often happens is that our discipline and willpower fade and we fall back into old habits and give in to selfish and unhealthy desires.  I can only walk by that Halloween candy dish so many times before I start to dig in.  

Change is not easy.  Whether we want to change and improve our spending habits, our diet, our relationships, or our faith, change and growth is not easy, but changing our identity can be a good first step.  If I can see myself as a child of God, someone who has been forgiven by Jesus and filled with the power of God’s Holy Spirit, then I can begin to step out of a cycle of failure and into a cycle of freedom and faith.  Seeing myself as a child of God can help me choose the right thing and grow in my faith.  Identity is a good place to start, but a new identity alone will only take us so far.  Something more is needed and it is the Apostle Paul who shows us what we need.  Writing to the people of Corinth, Paul says,

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.  1 Corinthians 9:24-25.

Run to win.  In every area of life we need to run to win.  I remember the very first 5K race I entered.  I had been running for about 4 months and I told my friends that I had two goals.  I wanted to finish, and I wanted to run the whole thing and not have to stop to walk.  I got a few friends to run with me since I told them I wasn’t going to be competing, but something happened when the gun went off to start the race.  I ran to win.  Now let me be clear, I wasn’t running to win the race - that was never going to happen.  I was running to beat my friends.

When I met them at the finish line - yes I beat them - all I could say was that when the gun went off I felt this burst of competition rise up in me.  I wanted to win.  Since I had never competed in any kind of sport, this was new to me, and while I felt bad that I left them behind, I wasn’t that sorry.  It felt good to run to win.  

Some people think that being a Christian and being competitive don’t go hand in hand, but never forget that our Savior is the One who emerged victorious over sin and death.  On the cross He utterly defeated Satan, opened the gates of hell, and then told us that in Him we are more than conquerors.  Whether it is in life or faith, there is nothing wrong with running to win, and those who first heard these words understood exactly what Paul was talking about.

Paul was writing to the people of Corinth, which sat just to the south of the Isthmus of Corinth.  The Isthmus of Corinth is the narrow strip of land that connects the Peloponnese Peninsula to the mainland of Greece, and what is important about this area is that in Paul’s day it was known for the Isthmus Games.  The Isthmus games were held the year before and after the Olympic games and they included sporting events like boxing and running but also equestrian events, chariot racing, and even poetry.  Some historical records place Paul in Corinth while the games were being held, so when Paul talks about running to win, everyone would have known what he was talking about.  

We can also understand what Paul is talking about.  We live in a competitive society.  We start a business to be successful.  We invest in the stock market to make money.  And yes, we have a pretty competitive nature when it comes to sports and our favorite teams.  So there is nothing wrong with looking at our lives and our faith as if we are an athlete setting out to win the race.  

So let me ask you, are you winning?  Are you running to win?  Are you making progress, feeling a sense of purpose in all you do, and experiencing the greater reward of a life being lived to the fullest?  

If we are not feeling this way, why aren’t we winning?  Why aren’t we running to win? While there might be many reasons for this, the author and pastor Craig Groeschel provides this interesting insight.

“We aren’t winning because we have been trying for too long.”  

We try to be more faithful.  We try to be more loving.  We try to be more patient.  We try to spend less and save more.  We try to be better parents, better students, better employees.  We try to be more balanced with our time, more intentional in our serving, and more kind in our conversations.  We try to eat the right things and get in shape.  If we are trying over and over again and not seeing anything change, maybe it’s time to stop trying and start training.  Paul not only tells us to run to win but to be disciplined in our training, not our trying.  

There really is a difference between trying and training.  When we try something we give it a shot and invest minimal commitment.  We often try something with the assumption that we will fail or not like it.  As kids, how often were we told to try something at dinner.  It was always something we knew we wouldn’t like so we would put the spinach or brussel sprouts into our mouths convinced that we would gag.  People still ask me to try brussel sprouts, or try them with bacon, and while I might try them, my heart isn’t in it.  There just isn’t enough bacon to cover up the taste of the brussel sprout.  Trying something doesn’t lead to consistency because we just go by our feelings.  I didn’t enjoy it, I didn’t like it, and I’m not going to try it again.  

Training, however, is very different.  When we train for something we go all in.  We have made a commitment to a clear set of goals and so we plan strategically and work for results.  Training calls for courage and commitment because we are going to keep going even when it gets hard.  We don’t follow our feelings but act according to our commitments.  

The word that Paul uses for someone who goes into training is the word: agonizomai which is where we get the word agony.  Training is going to be difficult.  It’s hard work, but it is the hard work that brings big results.  Trying takes minimal effort, but training calls us to be committed and all in and it is training that is effective and leads to the outcome and life we want.  

But training is also something that takes place one small step at a time.  You don’t train to run a marathon by going out and running 26 miles the first day.  Once you decide to run a marathon you might go out and run a mile.  You might only be able to run a quarter of a mile and then walk the rest, but your training has started.  Here is a good definition for training: doing what we can do today so that we can do more tomorrow.  

This is how athletes train.  They do what they can today which allows for them to do a little bit more tomorrow.  There are times they might have to push themselves and test the limits of what they think they can do, but training is done one step at a time.

If you want to get out of debt, you do it one purchase at a time.  You pay off one credit card at a time.  You make one choice and take your coffee to work instead of stopping at Starbucks or Dunkin and spending 2 or 3 dollars a day.  We dig out of debt one purchase, one choice, one step at a time.  Training in relationships takes time.  You spend a little bit more time listening than talking.  You forgo what you want for what someone else wants.  You create the time and space you need for conversations and activities today that will bring health for your family tomorrow.  

Spiritual growth and training also takes place one step at a time.  If we want to be more like Jesus, we start by simply spending more time with Jesus.  We read one chapter of a gospel every day to see who Jesus is and what He does.  We give God 5 minutes of silence so He can talk to us and then, as we learn to hear His voice, we can easily give Him 10 or 15 minutes.  If we want to grow in our prayer life, we might start with a prayer at the dinner table, or in our small group, and it grows from there.  

If we want to live more sacrificially then we find one simple way to serve or give and then we let that single act grow.  Like anything else, there will be times when this kind of training will push us and make us uncomfortable, but step by step we grow and change and find the strength to be the people God created us to be.  

When we try, we are just hoping that we might become something more, but when we train, we are working to become who we already are.  Let me say that again, when we train, we are working to become who we already are.  This is why identity is so important and has to come first.  If we see ourselves as God sees us, then we are training to become who we already are, not who we hope to be.  So who are you?  

Last week we heard that all of us are children of God.  We are called, and chosen, and more than conquerors.  We are loved and forgiven and filled with the power of God’s Holy Spirit.  But beyond all of that, who are you?  Are you a Godly parent?  Are you a financially responsible person?  Are you a servant in the community?  A spiritual leader at home?  Are you a warrior?  A peacemaker?  Who are you?  Claim that identity and then train for it.  No one goes to the Olympic Games without seeing themselves as an athlete, and then as an athlete, they train and compete to win.  

When we think about training, it’s important to understand that no one trains alone.  All athletes have coaches and trainers and teammates.  They all have someone who will pick them up when they fall and encourage them when they are ready to quit.  The book of Ecclesiastes, which is a book of wisdom, talks about how important it is to not train alone.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

While we love to read this verse at weddings, what this is talking about is having a trainer, coach, or teammates supporting us in life.  It’s telling us that if we are going to run to win, if we are going to experience the greater reward of a life of faith and power, we need someone to walk with us. Who is your coach?  Who’s on your team?  

Earlier this year we started training a group of spiritual coaches who can walk with others in life and faith.  I’ve asked Pastor David to share with us what these coaches and this ministry has to offer.

Pastor David sharing about Spiritual Coaching.

If you are ready to stop trying and start training in your faith, reach out to David and see how a coach can help you.  

There is one final thought that is important to remember when we talk about the hard work of training.  We don’t train to earn God’s favor.  Salvation is a free gift from God given to us through Jesus Christ.  We are forgiven and redeemed by the grace of God alone.  We don’t train in life or faith so that God will love us more - God already loves us unconditionally.  

We train because we want more of the life God has given us in Jesus.  We train because we want to experience the fullness of God’s love and grace that comes when we walk with Jesus.  We train because we are told that walking by the spirit and trusting in Christ alone will bring us all the fullness of life.  It’s important for us to understand that we don’t train to earn God’s love, we train because we are loved by God and we want to experience the fullness of that love.  

If you have found yourself always trying and never changing, never growing stronger, never experiencing what you want in life, maybe it’s time to stop trying and start training.  Go all in on loving God and loving others, and do what you can today so that with God’s help you can do even more tomorrow.  

Next Steps

A Greater Reward - Run to Win!

Do you see yourself as a naturally competitive person?  

In what areas are you competitive?  Games, sports, school, hobbies?  

In what areas of your life would you like to experience growth and change?  Finances? Relationships? Faith? Health? Career?  How have you tried in the past and failed?  

List three ways that training is different than trying:

1.

2.

3.

Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.  

Paul was writing to people who understood the power of competition.  

● What does this teach us about training? 

● How can training in sports help us learn how to train in our faith?

Everyone needs support.  Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

● How have coaches, friends, and teammates helped you in the past?

● Could you benefit from a spiritual coach today?

● How can you help coach and train others?  

If you are interested in getting a spiritual coach to help you train, contact David Carter: david.carter@bellefontefaith.com

And Remember: We don’t train to earn God’s love - we are loved by God unconditionally.  We train to live into who we already are in Jesus.  We train to experience the Greater Reward.  

A Greater Reward - A New Identity

Halloween was last Sunday and here is the conversation that I have with myself when it comes to buying candy.  I don’t want to buy too much because I don’t want a lot left over because I will eat it all.  But I don’t want to run out and have to turn my lights out before 8:00 PM.  I think about getting candy that I don’t like so I won’t eat what is left over, but I want to give out “the good stuff” which to me is always something with chocolate.  In the end, I buy too much of the candy I like so when 8:00 PM comes and the lights go out I have a bowl full of chocolate fun sized candy bars left over.  

When I walk by the bowl of extra candy the first few times I am able to say, no, I’m not going to eat the kit kat bar.  About the third time I pass the bowl I tell myself, they are just little candy bars.  They are even called “fun” sized so eating one won’t hurt, it will be fun.  It’s not that much sugar, and it won’t be that bad, so I eat one.  Now one fun sized kit-kat bar is what, 1⁄3 of a real kit kat bar?  So I justify that it's ok to eat one more before it would be a real candy bar.  So it’s one more kit kat , and then the third, and then in a day or two, the entire bowl of extra candy is gone.  

I didn’t start out to have left over candy or to eat the leftover candy.  I wanted to be disciplined and healthy, but one small step at a time I gave in and ended up feeling like a failure.  The very thing I didn’t want to have happen - happened.  What I didn’t want to do - I did.  None of us start out to fail.  No one gets married hoping that the relationship will end in divorce.  No one starts out to ruin their health or become an alcoholic.  No one sets out to be a drug addict or plans to go bankrupt or drown in debt.  But desire alone doesn’t determine who we become.  Just hoping for a better life won’t lead us to a better life.  Here is the harsh truth, desire and discipline will only take us so far because we know that at some point in time our willpower and self-discipline will let us down.  At some point I dig into the Halloween candy and end up eating it all.  

Now our failure does not have to be final.  We can start eating healthy again.  We can stop drinking.  We can dig out of debt and get our finances under control.  We might even be able to save our marriage and family.  We can learn from our failure and try harder and we should, but if you are at all like me, the problem with just trying harder is that at some point in time, we fail again, and again, and then we start telling ourselves we can’t change, we will always be this way, we will never rise above our weakness and sin.  

What we need to experience freedom and fullness in life isn’t more willpower, what we need is a new identity.  Identity really can make all the difference.  When we identify ourselves as a failure, we find ourselves trapped in a cycle that looks something like this:

And the cycle goes on and on.  When this is all there is, we might want to just give in and give up.  But this is not all there is, as a follower of Jesus, there can be so much more.  

One of the most powerful and faithful followers of Jesus that the world has known was the Apostle Paul.  Paul wrote ⅓ of the New Testament, he started churches throughout the Roman Empire, and Paul himself experienced first hand the risen Jesus.  We might think that Paul’s faith was so strong that he never struggled with sin and never saw himself as a failure, but here is what Paul said... 

I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.  I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.  Romans 7:15, 18-19

The Apostle Paul, God’s chosen leader, this powerful man of God said it well, the desire to do the right thing doesn’t work and even the discipline to do the right thing will only get us so far.  Paul went on to say…

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  I love God’s law with all my heart.  But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  Oh, what a miserable person I am!  Romans 7:21-24a

Paul understood this cycle of sin and guilt and failure.  I want to do what is good, I try hard to do what is good, but I fail.  Desire and discipline alone don’t change me.  There is not the power within me to turn my life around.  I always end up failing.  I’m miserable.  Another translation says, What a wretched person I am.  

Once again, if this was the end of the story, we would all end up being miserable, because we would be caught up in a cycle of failure, but this is not the end of the story.  Paul goes on to say that what we need to experience the true power of life and faith is not behavior modification but spiritual transformation.  What’s needed isn’t to try harder but to tap into the power of someone who is greater than we are AND someone who doesn’t see us as a failure but as a child of God.  Paul says... 

Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.   Romans 7:24b-25a

Notice that the answer to our failure isn’t to try harder, it’s not to be more disciplined, it’s not even to get the help of all our family and friends, it’s to look to Jesus and draw upon the power of the risen Christ to change us from the inside out.  What sets us free to experience all the fullness of life isn’t behavior modification, it is spiritual transformation.  Paul understood that the key to real change isn’t more willpower but a new identity.  It’s not trying harder but knowing that when we belong to Jesus, we truly are a new creation and can step into new ways of thinking and new ways of living.  Paul said...

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  2Corinthians 5:17

We are not the sum total of past failures.  We are not just brokenness and shame.  We are not even who others think we are or say we are, we are who God says we are in Christ, and in Christ we are forgiven.  In Christ we are set free.  In Christ we are not just called by God but we are chosen by God and we are chosen to be part of God’s family.  We are children who have been made holy by the blood of Jesus.  In Christ we are not condemned but more than conquerors.  In Christ we are victorious because in Christ we can do all things and we can overcome all things because the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us.  

The key to a better life isn’t to work for a better version of you, it’s to see the new you that you are in Christ Jesus.  The old is gone and all things are being made new.  We are who God says we are and God says that we belong to Him.  We Belong To God.

When we understand and take to heart our new identity, we step into a new cycle of living.  Instead of seeing ourselves as a failure, we begin to see ourselves as forgiven and set free.  When we know we belong to Christ we start living by the Spirit of God and we step into a new cycle that looks like this:

And then this cycle goes on and on.

Our identity can change everything.  Knowing that we are forgiven and loved, and knowing that we are children of God can set us free to live a new way, and choose new paths, and find the strength of the risen Jesus to do what we never thought we could do.  A new identity helps us live a new life and Paul tells us one way to do this.

Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  Galatians 5:16 (NIV)

The verb walk here is in the present tense, which means it is a continuous walking.  It is a daily walk.  It’s forming habits where we allow God into our hearts and lives on a regular basis so that God can shape us and form us on the inside and it is this new identity that leads us into the right paths of living.  These can be simple habits like reading a few verses of the Bible every day, keeping a gratitude journal of what we are thanking God for every day, or simple prayers every day.  Any and every spiritual practice that we incorporate into our daily lives helps us walk in the Spirit of God and see ourselves as children who belong to God.  

A new identity can help us live a new life and experience a greater reward.  The more we walk by the Spirit of God, the more we will be able to choose what we want most over what we want now.  And when we make that choice, when we choose what we want most over what we want now, we find a better life and a greater reward.  

As we enter into a season of thanksgiving, as we prepare for the hectic, and at times difficult season of Christmas, don’t trust in your own desire and determination to see you through.  Don’t lean on your own willpower and discipline to live the way you want to live, see yourself as a new creation. Tell yourself every day that you are a child of God.  Tell yourself every day that you belong to God and therefore the power of the risen Christ is in you to make you who you want to be.    

Next Steps

Greater Reward - A New Identity

When have you gotten caught up in this cycle of failure?

What is it like to change your life through discipline and willpower alone? How does this shape your identity?    

In what ways does the Apostle Paul tell our story in  Romans 7:15-25.  

Choosing what we want most over what we want now calls for spiritual transformation not behavior modification.  

Knowing we belong to Jesus, helps us step into a new cycle of living:  

What are some ways you can find your identity in Jesus?  

Spiritual transformation and a new identity can be found by walking daily with Jesus.  Galatians 5:16

What is one way you can grow closer to Jesus or walk with God’s spirit this week?  

How can both praise and thanksgiving help shape a new identity?  How can giving thanks daily or a gratitude journal draw you closer to Jesus?