Remember earlier this week I shared my thoughts on Acts 3? There is so much in that passage, but one piece I’d like to remind you of this morning is that Peter and John headed into the temple to pray…not on a Sunday or even in the morning. It was 3:00 pm.

Yes, today is Sunday and we usually head off to church in the morning, but let’s remember to follow Peter and John’s example and spend time in worship and prayer throughout our day. I can’t help but believe the day will go much better with this in mind.

Today’s repeat blog post is about my husbands’ woodworking hobby. Have a great day!

Glue and a Stabilizer

My husband has been working on a new hobby. Wood working. Specifically puzzle boxes. Now he hasn’t actually built one yet. He’s still gathering all of the tools and supplies needed to actually make a puzzle box. And I must say his little workshop is looking mighty fine.

He has made one thing however. A tiny reindeer. I was certainly impressed and while he admits it’s not perfect, it is a start. After this attempt he realized there were two things he needed to make this work. A stabilizer and a different type of glue.

Of course, these are two things we need in our spiritual lives as well. A stabilizer and glue.

Obviously, the stabilizer must be the Holy Spirit. As we allow God’s Spirit to live within our hearts, we find that there are many other things the Holy Spirit is able to do within our lives. Let’s take a look at some of them.

The Holy Spirit is a Counselor (John 14:16).

The Holy Spirit shows truth (John 14:17; John 16:13).

The Holy Spirit comforts (John 14:18).

The Holy Spirit teaches and reminds of what we’ve learned (John 14:26).

The Holy Spirit is peace (John 14:27).

The Holy Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8).

The Holy Spirit prays when we don’t know what to pray (Romans 8:26).

The Holy Spirit intercedes (Romans 8:27).

So if the Holy Spirit is our stabilizer, what is the glue? I believe it is my statement of faith. What I believe. As my faith grows deeper and stronger, I draw closer to God because I know that’s where I am at my best and where I should be.

Maybe you have a statement of faith. I know some who hold on to the Apostle’s Creed (all or part). Other may look to their church for a statement of faith. What I would suggest however, is to make a statement of faith for yourself. Make it your own. Oh, you can follow the guidelines from other statements, but put it in your own words.

For instance, this is the first line of my church’s statement of faith. “We believe there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”[i]

If I were to rephrase this line to make it a personal statement I might say, “I know with all that is in me that there is one true God. I believe in the trinity of God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and how each of them plays a unique role in my spiritual journey.”

While I know what I believe and can share my beliefs when asked, I’ve never written out a personal statement of faith. However, if it is the glue that holds my faith in tact, then maybe it’s time I write it out. I suspect you can look forward to reading it someday soon.

Sometimes our faith walk can get a little unbalanced. Sometimes we just need to get out the glue and allow the stabilizer to work in our lives. But what I really know is the importance of starting. There will be mistakes along the way, but when we can hold fast to what we believe and when we allow God’s Spirit to lead and guide us, we will be able to look at those mistakes and know we are a little closer to Jesus because of what we’ve learned.

Let’s get to work!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

[i] http://www.rmcc.org/about/beliefs/