Reading of the Day: Isaiah 6:8
On Rally Sunday, each person who set foot inside Gloria Dei was handed a passport. On the first page, we were asked to write down our favorite Bible verse. It had been a long time since anyone asked me for my favorite Bible verse. In my passport, I wrote down Isaiah 6:8:
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’”
Isaiah spoke these words immediately after being cleansed. His guilt was taken away; his sin forgiven. And he was called to perform the will of God. To me, this is at the heart of faith. Faith is not merely believing something that cannot be proven, but faith is actually acting on that belief without a guarantee or control of the outcome. I’ve been to churches where the focus is about belief, and feeling good about what you believe. Gloria Dei isn’t one of those churches. I continue to be a member of Gloria Dei because faith isn’t about feeling good; it’s about doing good. The good isn’t always seen right away. The good may not bear fruit until well into the future. But that’s not the point. The point is that we act on faith because it’s all we know and all we have. I am thankful for Gloria Dei, and the many opportunities I have to live out my faith, and be with others who know no other path than to do the same.
PRAYER: Lord God, help me to live my faith every day. Help me to bear good fruit in my home, in my work, in my community and throughout the world. We live our faith, trusting you will guide us and strengthen us each step of the way. Amen.