Living By Faith: My Hope is in You

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By Robert Bowman

In pondering the topic of “living by faith”, I am drawn to the words of David, father of Solomon, the author of the Proverbs.  Throughout his writing, David states over and over “In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.”  One of those places is in Psalm 25. “I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame.  No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame….”

I cannot live by faith without knowing on what my faith is based  “Show me your ways, Lord,  teach me your paths.  Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

I have a God who is of great mercy and love; he forgives  the sins of my youth; he remember me; he is good and upright; he is loving and faithful….   “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”

And faith has its rewards —  “Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?  He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him…..”

And even when I am stuck, when I do not know what to do, when the cacophony of the world is ringing in my ears,   “My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.”

Have you ever seen an animal stuck in a snare?  The more it struggles, the tighter it gets.

As I reflect on this I can just imagine me stuck in that snare, and my Lord is saying, “Look at me,  Relax, Let your muscles go loose,  Keep your eyes on me,  Follow my instructions, Don’t look down,  Look at me”  as he gradually pulls me forward and gently releases me from the grip of what is holding me.

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.”

Every one of us faces that crisis of “What do I do?”  “how do I get through this?”  “How do I get out of this?”

For me, there is only one place on which to place my faith.    Just as Peter said in John 6:68 — Lord, to whom (else) shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

“Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.”

Amen….

Robert Bowman has been married to his wife, Susan, since 1991. They have three children, and their family enjoys roller coasters, theme parks, missions trips, and travel. Robert trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior in 1974. He graduated from Cedarville College in 1988. He has served in many capacities in his church, Hope Chapel in Pine Hill, NJ, since 1991. He has been an elder, teacher, small group leader, District Executive Committee member of the CMA, and a volunteer church assessment team member of Metanoia Ministries of East Washington, New Hampshire.

 

Robert graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1991. From there, Robert served as a staff attorney from 1991-2000 and a managing attorney from 2000-2008 at South Jersey Legal Services. In 2008 Robert left public interest law to join Bryan Schroll to form the Law Offices of Schroll and Bowman.

WHERE Will I Spend Eternity?

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By David Lewis

A note from Kim: Faithful Men…one of these men, Dave Lewis, I have known now for quite a few years. Dave has written a second article for ProverbWise on the topic of FAITH. The title, “Where will I spend eternity?” Dave’s faithfulness as he has battled cancer this past year has been an inspiration to all of us who know him. Not too long ago, I saw him volunteering at America’s Keswick welcoming guests for the Colony of Mercy Reunion Weekend. In spite of his health issues and struggles he has remained faithful in serving his Lord and Savior. And he remains confident of his future because of his faith. Thanks, Dave, for sharing this message of HOPE we can have in Jesus. And just so you can experience a little of Dave’s creativity and humor, I’m including this picture…the final in a series shared on Facebook through his treatments…

Where will I spend eternity?

All my life I have marveled at the men and women who have crossed my path exhibiting a faith that is strong, overflowing with love for the Lord and mankind.  The Bible has countless examples of men and women whose faith is exemplary.  To decide to single one out, when many qualify, and analyze their relationship with the Lord, appeared to be, at the outset, a herculean task.  I just don’t know which one to choose.  Instead, I will address the premise from the previous question that each Christian has struggled with in their lives, and especially in the beginning of their walk with the Lord.

“justified through faith” ……………. With the Lord forever!

“gained access by faith”…………….. The door has been opened so that we may enter into His presence.

Romans 5:1,2

  • Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
  • through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace which we now stand.

On our pilgrimage in this land we have many obstacles as a human being. We have many questions about life and after-life.

  • Where will I spend eternity?
  • How do I get to know God?

I struggled with the previous questions until the Lord opened my eyes.  No man can come to the Lord unless the Holy Spirit leads him. In Romans 5:1 and 2, the question of ‘Where will I spend eternity?’ is answered. It says that when I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior, that I am, and will be, justified through faith.  The decision is made where I will spend eternity!

Because of my faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit has opened the door, and I have gained access to my Lords presence, by my faith. My faith has allowed the door to be opened, but I must enter it.

In witnessing to others who are lost, I have said, “All you have to do is believe.”  The interesting thing about that is, it is so simple. We can complicate things so easily. Many times, the people that I have talked to expect to feel something when they make this decision.

I remember as a child going forward to the altar and kneeling was somewhat disappointing.  As a young six-year-old boy, I expected to feel something.  The occasion was at an old-time revival meeting in our country church, in a farming community in Ohio. I went to the altar three nights in a row. Finally, my mother explained that I may not feel anything, but I would have the knowledge that I’m going to be with Jesus forever!

To quote D. L. Moody, he said,

“I prayed for Faith, and thought that someday Faith would come down and strike me like lightning.  But Faith did not seem to come.

One day, I read in the tenth chapter of Romans that said, ‘Now faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.’  I had closed my Bible, and prayed for faith.  I now opened my Bible, and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since.”

In the 11th chapter of Romans, it says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

The 11th chapter of Romans, has been referred to as the faith chapter because the men and women mentioned exhibited an obvious faith in what they did not fully understand or perceive.  They had faith!

Verses 32 through 40 concludes, emphasizing the numerous events that occurred in the Old and New Testaments.  The writer of Hebrews states that there are so many instances of individuals being led by faith, he says, “There are so many examples that he doesn’t have enough time to cover each one!”

Hebrews 11:32—40

“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quench the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back there dead, and raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned, they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

I am so looking forward to that day when I will step into heaven and find that it is paradise.  To step on shore and finding it is celestial.

I will end with a prayer that covers many subjects.  I wrote it many years ago.

A suggested prayer:

Heavenly Father,

Soften my heart Lord.  Lead me as I search for Your heart in my prayers and in the scriptures.  Bring to me the reality that I must battle daily this sinful nature of mine. Help me to know that by my own choice I am missing out on the joy and peace you have promised me.  My compassion for the lost, my compassion for other Christians is not what it should be. Stir my heart Lord.

Give me the courage to overcome my selfishness of putting myself first and

You second.  May the Holy Spirit in me strengthen me to be excited about being a Christian.  Change me Lord.  Help me to be a strong encourager.  Help me to be sensitive to others and their concerns.  Help me to be quick to pray for those that I come in contact with each day.  May my countenance be a positive example of what a child of God should look like.  Give me the opportunity to communicate with others; Your love, Your truth, and of course – Your plan for their lives.  Use me Lord to help build your Kingdom while I have time on this Earth.  Thank you for your gift.

Amen.

For more information on FAITH, go to my website and browse the two books that I have written, TAKE ME WITH YOU and ALONG THE WAY.  Each book has examples of Faith applications in our lives.  ALONG THE WAY is a book of spiritual poems, practical application examples, humorous poems, and love poems.

www.loridanjon07.wordpress.com

 David L. Lewis Books

David has shown us his love for family in his first book, Take Me With You.  His second book is a unique arrangement of fifty years worth of life poems entitled Along the Way, published June, 2015.  Born in Ohio, David’s diversified life experience and his Midwestern roots flavor and influence what he writes.  His writing experience has blossomed from a humble beginning in the corporate world of inter-departmental communication, creating training manuals and marketing material, to writing drama skits, a play, poetry, and short articles for the Ohio Historical Society.  He is presently working on his third book entitled “Broken Bondage.”  Set during the Civil War, it is a historical fiction novel about a runaway slave family. It should be available in the latter part of 2017.

David is a retired schoolteacher.  He and his wife Karlyn have been married for forty years, and have three children, and nine grandchildren.  He presently resides in New Jersey.   You may contact him at rightrdave@gmail.com.