Faith vs. Feelings

In case you didn't know, I was up in Lynchburg last week for my dad's graduation from Liberty with his masters in religious education. (I'm proud of you, daddy!! (:) Anyway, I was able to hear some awesome preaching and spend some good time with my family.

On Saturday, Glenn Beck spoke at graduation. He was talking about how when we're saved, we've been equipped with everything we need to be happy (or to have joy). However, we get so focused on the situation that we forget that God has already given us everything to be joyful, so why should we be sad when we have to go through something that seems potentially joy-destroying?

On Friday, Paige Patterson preached at the Baccalaureate and I really loved his sermon. (In fact, that's the main reason I'm blogging.) The whole week, I'd been doing my quiet time and listening to worship music and reading Christian books, and I wasn't feeling any closer to God. So, he was talking about how we need to examine our motives for doing things. He said that it's important that we realize that the journey of getting to Christ is just as important as getting to Him. I read in one of my books that we never have to seek Jesus when we're saved. He's always with us anyway, so why are we still trying to find Him? He lives in us! It really spoke to me thinking, "What the heck am I doing wrong?" when Jesus shows me little things like..."Remember when you commented on her status? Look how it encouraged her." I had to come to the realization that I was doing all of the right STUFF to get to God, but He's already right here! Why was I doing it? Because I was still practicing legalistic obedience thinking God would make me feel close to Him if I just did more quiet time or sang more songs to Him.

I'm not saying these things are bad, because they're not. It was my motive for doing them that was wrong. Instead of thinking that I wanted to love God more, I was thinking that I needed to PLEASE God more...as in, I wanted to be superChristian and look good in front of other people too. But that's not right. (Isaiah 64:6) My feeble attempts to please God are like filthy rags to Him. No matter how good they look to everyone else.

So here I am. Still on the journey. Learning with each new step something new about God. And that's how it's supposed to be. We're not always going to FEEL close to Him. (Think about it, is there someone in your life that you ALWAYS feel close to?) Sometimes He wants to show us something. Sometimes He wants us to learn that we are to live by FAITH not feelings. (It's easier to understand if you're a girl...if we, as girls, always lived by how we feel rather than trusting God, then we'd been in deep doo-doo. There are always going to be days where you feel like crap and like you need to give up...but those are the days that are pivotal to your walk with Christ. We're to run with endurance and that requires going through some rainy days too.)

With that, let me just leave you with a verse:
1 John 3:20
(mouse over. read. memorize.)
God is greater than our feelings.