Faithful in the least

Faithful in the least

How often we think that God will break out and do some great thing through us. We believe that God is equipping us for great extraordinary work in the future. Our present experiences are never wasted moments. Yet in our focus on some great, future work, we miss the present moment in which God wants to glorify himself through us. Our thoughts of our future rob us of the serendipities of God’s grace in this moment. We overlook the opportunity to hold open a door, pick up a piece of dropped napkin, or to offer a smile because we think that God’s great future work is our destiny. Saints through the ages echo the Jesus’ refrain, “Whoever can be trusted with the little can be trusted with much” (Luke 16:10). – Ron Friesen

No self-made people here

No self-made people here

Our society celebrates those who are “self-made.” Of course, there is no such thing as a self-made person; everyone is the result of at least the meeting of an egg and sperm which is then developed in the life of a mother and then in a family. The belief that we can make something of ourselves is so strong that we often fail to see the role others might have played. As followers of Jesus, we confess that we are unable to remake ourselves. We tried – we even confessed our sins. In humility, we bow our knees, resigning from our prideful “self-made” status. We have come to understand and know that it through the work of what Christ did on the cross and what he is doing in our hearts that brings a new life. – Ron Friesen

Consistent Faithfulness

Consistent Faithfulness

There is a great temptation for followers of Jesus to seek consistency in their convictions and beliefs. This obsession often distracts them from really being devoted to God. The most important consistency of the follower of Jesus is not to a principle or an idea but the divine life in us. The life of the Spirit in us wants us to know the mind of the God. We cannot know the mind of God when we are fixed on one idea about how God works in the world. It takes great humility and faith to wake up each morning, asking, “God, where and how are you going to work in the world through me today.” It is easier to be fixed on idea of God than it is to be consistently faithful to God because God will humble our religious pride when we are faithful. – Ron Friesen

What is your eye on?

What is your eye on? What are you looking at? There are many beautiful things in our world. We are grateful for the gift of sight to enjoy this beauty. The follower of Jesus realizes that the gift of sight is not solely to see the creativity of nature or humanity, but to look beyond to the Creator. When we focus on this world’s creation we are limited in our perspective because this world will rust, decay and collapse. When we open our eyes to that which is beyond this world, we have our eyes on the One who is eternal. What is your eye on today? – Ron Friesen

The nearness of God

The nearness of God…

Have you ever experienced God to be near you? Lean hard on the God you know when he is near you because he is the God who will be with you when you “let go” of your independence and declare your dependence on him. As you learn to “let go” of your preconceived notions of who God is and how you think he should work in the world, you will come to the place where you find nothing between yourself and God. In this moment, you will learn what our Lord meant when he said that just as his Father and he were one so also he and we, his disciples, are one. Spiritual union with Jesus comes as we learn to “Let go and Let God.” – Ron Friesen

Never be surprised....

Never be surprised…

Are you ever surprised at what God is doing? Do you find yourself asking yourself, “I wonder what God will do next?” If you are willing to take the risk to follow God, you will find that God will lead you to the place where you are no longer surprised by what you see God do. The challenge is that many of us are like the disciples of whom Jesus said, “O, men of little faith.” Our constant worry about our daily lives proves that we really do not believe God. If we really believed God who works miracles, we would never be surprised. – Ron Friesen