Steps Of Your Faith

Steps Of Your Faith “He swung at me first! What was I supposed to do just stand there and let him beat me?” “She hurts me. I hurt her. It’s always been that way.” “Sorry I can’t loan you any money. I’m going on vacation next week.” Can you go the extra mile when a lot has already been asked of you? Is it possible for you to loan another dollar to the one who has not repaid you? Is it conceivable that you could walk away from a hurtful situation and still wish someone well? What a foreign concept. Who lives like this? Imagine if Jesus had not helped those who could not help themselves. Could you picture Him ignoring those who were afflicted by deadly diseases? What if He never sat in the heat of the desert with thousands of followers and had no hope of reaching more of the faithless? Can you envision Him not silently taking the ridicule of the immoral; not bearing the beating and scourging of the wicked, and not carrying His cross for us unto His death? Had he not done these things He would be like the us. Jesus asks us to go the extra mile, loan the dollar to the one who begs, and to not retaliate against another who has wronged us. Of course it would be an inconvenience to help out for 8 hours rather than 4. It may be a hardship to loan $50 when you had it already accounted for in your budget. You may suffer ridicule and be viewed as weak when you walk away when someone has sucker punched you. Eternity is your gift. Are you still willing to walk past Jesus’ sandals that are sitting at the threshold of your spirit? Take a leap of faith and walk in Jesus’ shoes. Your steps may seem impossibly hard at times, your pace not to your liking, and your stride different than you imagined. You reward will not necessarily be in the hour of any painstaking endurance or wondrous moment of aiding another individual. But believe by your tolerance and faith you will receive the greatest gift you could ever imagine. Keep your weaker eye focused on your good deeds and the sharper one on the promise of the future not of this world. With forethought and foresight imagine where the steps of your faith can take you? Matthew 5:38-42 Jesus said to the crowds, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you."