“Today Matters” Part X – Book Review
Book Review 10 – Today Matters by John Maxwell
Faith: I will deepen and live out my faith daily, because my faith gives me peace
Why faith matters today? Although this is more on a personal level, I believe faith holds the key to life’s meaning. “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience”
Faith gives me a divine perspective today. Faith allows the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see
Faith gives me health today. A study from Purdue University found that people who practice their religion regularly develop only half as many medical problems as nonbelievers. Religion kept people’s stress down and their sense of well-being up because their faith added meaning and perspective, as well as valuable social networks.
Faith gives me strength for today. Faith draws the poison from every grief, takes the sting from every loss, and quenches the fire from every pain; and only faith can do it. “Where there is no faith for the future, there is no power in the present”
Faith gives me resilience today. When you believe in something, you have something to live for. And that keeps you going, even under extremely difficult circumstances. Mother Teresa said “Faith keeps the person who keeps the faith”
Making the decision to deepen and live out my faith daily.
As a Christian, I made my faith decision that “I will accept God’s gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, as my Savior”
We already have faith… the important choice is where we place it. “Faith is at the heart of life. You go to a doctor whose name you can’t pronounce. He gives you a prescription you can’t read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen. He gives you a medicine you don’t understand and yet you take it”
Understand that faith is often birthed out of difficulties. “This is the great conversation in our life: to recognize and believe that the many unexpected events are not just disturbing interruptions of our projects, but the way in which God molds our hearts and prepares us”
A faith that hasn’t been tested can’t be trusted. “A weak faith is weakened by predicaments and catastrophes whereas a strong faith is strengthened by them”
Managing the disciplines of faith. As for me, I decide every day to live and lead like Jesus.
Embrace the value of faith. Spiritual needs must be met spiritually. Nothing else will fill the void
Put God in the picture. Unbelief puts our circumstances between us and God. Faith puts God between us and our circumstances
Associate with people of faith
Explore and deepen your faith
“Faith is to believe what we do not see; and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe” – St Augustine of Hippo