"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven -- A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace. What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor -- it is the gift of God." --
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
I have included this long passage to ask:
What is its point?
The point is this:
As King Solomon clearly states, there is a time for everythinng under the sun. This means -- categorically -- that there is a time for you... In the same sense that Jesus Christ himself came at his appointed time in human history, so did you. The timing of your lifetime was no mistake. (Galatians 4:4:)
Too many of us feel that we are nothing more than a fading "blip" on the radar screen of eternity. We have concluded that life is nothing more than one big "zero." We go through life taking one placebo after another trying to find ways to "go with the flow," becoming disoriented and unhappy when we discover that the line of least resistance makes men as well as rivers crooked.
With a world view or delusional thinking like this, the thought of Creative Faith, or anything else creative is about at interesting as kissing your sister.
Here are a few concepts necessary for Creative Faith: a faith which is relevant, productive, emotional and which
produces a spiritually satisfying Christian experience.
1. We come to understand our place in the purpose and love of God. In order to accomplish this we become thoroughly influenced by the truth of Romans 8:28, where Paul plainly declares that "All things work together for the good of those who love God."
Well, what exactly does "ALL" mean? It's not that hard. All means ALL. That's all ALL means. God uses any event in our lives, regardless of how we perceive it, to build us up, strengthen us and bring our character closer to his -- all the time preparing us for eternity with Him.
2. Develop a positive awareness of self.
Jesus made and interesting remark. He said, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." Well, that would be great if
we actually loved ourselves. But the reality is that most of us are pretty much bankrupt when it comes to assessing our personal worth.
Why not see yourself as God sees you? Want to know your worth to God? Take a good look at the cross. There you will see just how much you are worth to God. You are his creation. How about conducting your life as though you were a creature that God has made in his own image? How would that look? This is what Jesus meant. Love others like God loves you!
3. Don't minimize your own ideas. They are as unique as a solitary jewel, and as different as your fingerprint -- but far more important. Let your fingerprint serve as a constant reminder of how different you really are from the rest of us. Go ahead, hold your thumb out in front of your face and look at it. See the shapes and the swirls. No other fingerprint in the history of the human race is exactly like that pattern you see on your fingers. You are utterly different from the rest of us -- because God made you that way!
How dare we conclude that any one of us are incapable of a seminal idea engendered from the mind of God himself. "Get under the influence of a great idea and spend the rest of your life making it a reality. "
4. Get Ready for a Miracle. I speak not of magical thinking here. I speak of the tangible reality of the intervention of God in the natural order of what happens to be your life. If God has numbered the hairs of your head (Mt. 10:30), do you not think that He will interject himself into your way of living? Think about it.
Your "great idea," or your purpose, your dream, may not happen instantly, or in the next couple of hours, or even in the coming years, but you are doing what God wants you to do. He is working in you "both to will and do of his good pleasure." Such a life is filled with excitement and vitality.
And, it is also filled with disappointment.
FAILURE?! We can't allow ourselves to be afraid of failure. Failure is merely experimentation, a process of discovery by trial and error. Failure is, therefore, a process of
success. If you have never experienced the misery of failure, the chances are good that you've never tried hard enough to succeed. We must realize that God has given us the precise equipment, ability and resources to achieve our objective our reason for living.
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
-- Michael Jordan
5. Open your mind to all possibilities! Creativity occurs in the absence of negativism.
WHAT ARE YOU FREE to be as A CHILD OF GOD?
Anything!
Absolutely anything you want
"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
-- Psalm 37:4
This works only if . . .
We purge ourselves of the "I can't" disorder,
We overcome "uncertainty."
We dismiss the "What if" complex.
And if . . .
We follow two basic guidelines:
- If you know God is supporting you; and
- If He is, sic'em. Go for it with everything you've got.
6. Decide to no longer be a creature of circumstance, but that you will create and be responsible
for your own circumstance!
"Make no mistake about this: God is not to be fooled; man reaps what he sows. If he sows seed in the field of his lower nature, he will reap from it a harvest of corruption, but if he sows in the field of the Spirit, the Spirit will bring him a harvest of eternal life. So let us never tire of being good, for if we do not slacken our efforts, we shall in due time reap our harvest. Therefore, as opportunity offers, let us work for the good of all, especially mernbers of the household of faith." (Galatians 6:7-10 NEB)
We are responsible for our own circumstances and we are responsible to make the most of them.
7. Become a self-actuated! God is working in you. He is actuated in you. Be careful not to be controlled or manupulated by the ego needs of others. A self-actuated person is someone with a strong sense of worth to God and an individual calling from God. It is imperative to become insensitive to the criticisms, unvited opinions, and assorted put-downs of others.
"Let no man judge you . . ." concerning the dimensions of your relationship with God.
-- Colossians 2:16
Believe intensely that your life counts: That when you leave this planet it will be better because God used you to make it so!
"The man who follows the crowd, will usually get no further than the crowd. But the man who walks alone is like1y to find himself in places no one has been before. . .
Creativity in living is not without its attendant difficulties, for peculiarity breeds contempt. And the unfortunate thing about being ahead of your time is that when people finally realize you were right, they'll say it was obvious all along...
You have two choices in life: you can dissolve into the mainstream, or you can be distinct. To be distinct, you must be different. To be different, you must strive to be what no one else but you can be." -- Alan Ashley-Pitt
THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND
Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid good folk?" he cried, "Who'll start bidding for me?
A dolIar then two, only two? Two dollars and who'll make it three?"
But no, from the room far back a gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow, then wiping the dust from the o1d violin, and tightening the loosened strings, he played a melody pure and sweet as a cardinal anqel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low said,
"Now what am I bid for the o1d violin?" and he held it up with the bow. "A thousand dollars? And who'll make it two? Two thousand dollars and who'll make it three? Three thousand once, three thousand twice, and going, going, gone," cried he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried, "We do not understand. What changed its worth?!' Quick came the rep1y, "The touch of the Master's hand."
And many a man with a life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin, 1s auctioned off cheap to a thoughtless crowd, much like that old violin. A mess of "pottage," a glass of wine, a game, and he travels on. He is goinq once, and going twice, he's going, and almost gone!
But the Master comes and the foolish crowd can never quite understand the worth of a soul, and the change that's wrought
by the touch of the Master's hand. -- Myra Brooks Welch
