2009 - Day 33 - Walk By Faith

February 2, 2009 … Swindoll’s Topic for Today: Walk By Faith

Passage of the Day: Genesis 45: 9 – 13 … 9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.”’ 12 “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.”

My Journal for Today: If you are reading here for the first time, you probably should go back at least one day and meditate on my journal entry for yesterday where I covered Swindoll’s point that one’s attitude leads to action. And for today that theme is carried over with an emphasis on the reality that one’s attitude will determine one’s faith … and visa versa. It is an equation. Attitude equals faith; and faith equals attitude. To quote a closing line from Swindoll today, “A faith-filled life means all the difference in how we view everything around us. It affects our attitudes toward people, toward location, toward situation, toward circumstances, [and] toward ourselves. Only then do our feet become swift to do what is right.”

And this returns me to a theme which was developed earlier in the study of Joseph, our hero, who was whom he became because of his vertical attitude, which was, in turn, determined because Joseph faithfully saw God in every where he was, … at any moment in time, … no matter where that might be. It was his faith that determined his attitude; and then it was his attitude which influenced his actions. In today’s scenario we see that Joseph rose above petty human vengeance and bitterness, being a shining example of Christ-like humility and forgiveness.

Joseph saw that God had brought him to this place with his brothers; and furthermore, he saw that it was God who had changed even the likes of Judah, who had been his most hateful brother. And so Joseph’s faith shaped his attitude; and his attitude shaped his mercy and generosity as he charged his brothers – IN FAITH – to go back, fully laden with provisions, and to bring their father, Israel, back to Joseph.

Swindoll makes the point that Joseph’s life illustrates several key points about faith and attitude.
· First, he writes, “When I’m able, by faith, to see God’s plan in my location, my attitude will be right.”
· Then, his says, “When I’m able, by faith, to sense God’s hand in my situation, my attitude will be right”
· And finally, Swindoll writes, “When I’m able, by faith, to accept both my location and situation as good, even when there’s been evil in the process, my attitude will be right.”

Okay, have you just done an attitude and faith inventory, as I have? I don’t know about you, but I’ve got some faith building and attitude adjusting to do in my life. Or a better way to see it would be to surrender and let God use His sanctifying grace to shape my attitude and faith for my life to come.

However, and this is important for us all to see; I can proactively and intentionally work to see life vertically in any or all of life, before relenting to my very human reactions of fearfulness or selfishness. I can internalize the truth of Romans 8: 28, which speaks volumes, and with power, about how we view where God has led us or placed us. I hope you KNOW that verse; and I don’t mean that you just have it memorized. I pray that God can help me internalize its truth; and to let this word from God, along with Prov. 3: 5 – 6, be the credo of my life’s attitude and faithfulness.

Before I was a Christian, I used to love the old Frank Sinatra song, My Way, because it seemed to espouse an attitude of SELF confidence and SELF control. However, I’ve come to see that my life needs to write a song entitled His Way, which is characterized by the attitudes of humility and surrender; … so that my life, as it unfolds, can be patterned after a man like Joseph, or even more aptly like that of Christ … and certainly not the likes of Frank Sinatra.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to see life, in faith, through Your will, from Your word; and then I pray to do life Your way rather than mine. Amen