THESIS GOING DOWN

       Despite what my facebook page says, "Don't ever, ever, ever, ever ask me about my thesis," I have been so grateful to all the friends and family who have taken their lives in their hands to ask me about this project. Without them, I know I wouldn't have gotten as far as God has brought me in this process.  So thanks again to all you who ignored my warnings, and persisted in asking. This blog is dedicated to you. 

         Today, I ran across a journal entry I wrote way back in October when I was really just beginning to make an effort with the thesis. At the end of it, I wrote a prayer. Today, I got to spend some time in joyful worship as I read that prayer, and reflected on how God has and is continuing to answer it. 

Impulse vs. Steadfast Faith

"But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith." Jude 20

        To design and construct a building takes patient reflection. Measurements must be calculated with exact precision. Types of materials must be weighed and considered. The wise and careful spending of resources must be managed with careful forethought and insight. A well constructed building can not be built by impulse, or the project will implode on itself. When the builder receives the design and measurements from the architect, he shows his trust in the designers skill by building according to the blueprints and other instructions. He is bringing the architect's design to life, and must have confidence in the designer's abilities. He willingly submits his actions and desires to the architect's will, and the builder carries that will out.

          This picture of "building" defies living life by one's impulse. Daily, I must submit myself to the designer's will, and trust in the resources He has chosen and given me. He has given us a blueprint, and while we have yet to see the finished product, we trust in the Creator's previous work which is firmly established and we trust in His vision and authority. We build on the faith God has given and sustains in us. Unlike our natural impulse, the faith of the Holy Spirit has perfect insight and build with a purpose that was in existence before the earth was made. Impulse lives in the moment and lives to please one's fickle desires. Faith lives in the context of eternity and the God of that eternity.

              I see so many areas in my inner and outer life that are governed by impulses which in turn come out of personal fears. This thesis has been impacted hugely by my fear driven impulses. Help me to write this thesis in and by faith in You; not by my fickle impulses. And may I learn a holy perseverance in writing this thesis that carries over into all other areas of my inner and outer life. Write this thesis to help people understand and believe what God says; not what your ever changing impulses say. May my impulses be transformed into Christ's perseverance in faith, and may the thesis be one of your tools to accomplish this in others lives.