2009 – Day 165.June 15 – Faith Personified

Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 17: 24 … 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.”

My Journal for Today: In our study and devotional scenario these past days in Elijah’s interaction with this desperate widow, we have witnessed FAITH PERSONIFIED. Chuck Swindoll put it this way …

”Elijah approached the impossible with calmness and contentment, with gentleness and self-control, with faith and humility. … [In fact] Elijah was heroic in exploits of faith; but he remained a model of humility.”

And I agree with the good Pastor Swindoll that if we want to be a “man [or woman] of God,” as Elijah was accurately labeled by the widow, we too must have the character traits exhibited by this Godly prophet. And I join with Swindoll to charge us all to be praying that God does business with our hearts to produce the character of faith which we’ve seen exhibited in Elijah as we’ve studied his life these past days.

So, to help with this self inventory, I ask myself these questions; and you can listen in and use them for your faith inventory if you feel so led …

>>> Am I calm and self-controlled in the face of dire circumstances?
>>> Am I content, knowing that God provides me with what I need to handle life?
>>> Do I have the faith to look to God first when I can’t handle what life throws at me?
>>> Do others see God working through me when I face impossible odds?
>>> When I am victorious, do I make sure God gets the glory?

Well, having asked myself these questions and seriously meditated on the answers, I know that I still have a lot of growing to do to answer them in a way God would smile at my answers. So, as Swindoll suggests, it’s time for me to get some serious “knee-work” done, pleading that God will do business in my life to help me become His servant as was the likes of Elijah. And then I’ve simply got to go to work in the disciplines of the faith to develop “habits” of Christlikeness which allow me to become a “man of God.”

My Prayer for Today: Lord, … okay, I plea with You to make me over to exhibit Elijah’s faithfulness and give me Your power through my humility to glorify you by my decisions and actions. Amen