Faith Venture

Some people think that all you need is faith. They are suspicious of what they call “works.” The idea is that you cannot work your way into heaven.

Other people follow along with the Apostle James who taught that faith without works is dead.

Many of us are at work seeking God. We are not so arrogant as to think we know all about God.

As we seek, we ask the reverse question–what is the spirit seeking to do through me?

I am not an innocent bystander. God’s spirit moves through the universe seeking people who will infuse themselves with the spirit and follow where it leads doing what is required.

There is the flower, then again there is the fruit.

Do you dwell on the surface beauty of the person, or on their inner depth?

Do you dwell on the surface words of your scripture, or on the spiritual depth they reveal?

We read in the gospel of John, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

We moved from Ohio to northern Illinois last year. The terrain is similar–mostly flat. But Indiana seemed to suck much of the energy from the winds and storms before they reached Ohio. Up here, there is nothing until the Rocky Mountains that interferes. Yesterday and today we have winds of about 20 mph (32 kmph) with gusts up to 40 mph (64 kph).

The other day the winds were almost this strong, and it was my day to run sprints. For about a mile, I ran short sprints all out followed by a recovery walk for a bit. Running into the wind was difficult. Today, I’m looking out the window of my study and wondering if I should venture out before the snow comes in a few hours. I am unfortunately too heavy to be blown away (I’m working on that), but it’ll be a struggle.

In New Testament Greek, the same word is used for wind and spirit. You look at context for which meaning to pull out. Of course, the writers sometimes work a pun on the two meanings of the word. Thus Jesus, the master craftsman with words, ties together two thoughts–one that people obviously experience and one they may not be entirely sure about.

The spirit is like the wind in many ways.

Sometimes a gentle breeze the soothes the skin and soul.

Sometimes a force that propels you forward.

Sometimes, like in my running against the wind (sorry Bob Seger), it makes us stronger.

Sometimes it is a force that gets our attention causing awe or fear.

Mostly, like the wind, the spirit although not directly visible is real.