Morals

A few days ago Sarah and I were discussing people.  Sarah said that she could not believe how inconsiderate some people were, and even worse, she said that some people were inconsiderate on purpose.  She sighed, “I could never do that.”

I said, “You know what your problem is?”  She said, “No.”  I told her, “You have morals.  If your parents did not teach you morals . . .”  “I could be a jerk like everyone else!” she completed my train of thought.  We both laughed.

I understand where Sarah’s coming from.  “Jerk” is a very kind word to describe these kinds of people.   I can think of better and more accurate words to call them.  However, like Sarah, I have a Heavenly Father and Brother who has set a standard for me to live by and they’ve told me that I should not resemble the disgusting people I encounter.  Instead, They tell me that I should be a reflection of Them.

I guess that’s okay and have submitted to Them only because of the way that They’ve treated me—as Dave Ramsey would say, “Better than I deserve.”

Adapted Prayers

One of the things that I struggle with spiritually is my prayer life.  I’ve also heard that many, if not most people struggle in this area of their spiritual lives as well.  Over the years, I’ve developed a list of things to help me with my conversation with God.  One of my prayer starters is something I call adapted prayers.  I take prayers from the Bible and use them for my own.  Sometimes I change the pronouns and adapt the words to my circumstances.  This is what it looks like:

O LORD my God,

I am only a little child

and do not know how to carry out

my duties or live out my life.

Your child and servant is here

among the people You have chosen—

a great people.

Give Your child and servant

a discerning heart

to counsel, encourage, and inspire

Your people

and to distinguish

between right and wrong.

For who, except Jesus, Your true child,

is able to lead, guide, and arouse

this great people of Yours?

—Adapted from I Kings 3:8-9

Growing Faith

We cannot create faith, just as we cannot create joy, peace, and love.  Faith is a gift, like every other spiritual quality.   These qualities are the fruit of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  If God’s seed has been planted in us, the only thing we can do is harbor the right conditions for growth.  This is why the Scripture says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).   If God’s seed has not been planted in us, what is produced is by artificial insemination. It’s not real, not permanent, and not God’s.