Steps for my Life ...

Tuesday, August 4, 2009. We are talking about “Steps into the Unknown” this week. What type of steps does God want to go for my life? What is the unknown the Christian faith is talking about?

The bible is talking about a new existence for those who believe in Jesus. There is a profound and deep meaning to the new life which Jesus wants us to live in. It is something “unknown” to a worldly existence. Let us explore this life, let us try to grasp a little bit of it! It is truely worth it to go some steps into the unknown.

I am also a little worried. We had Christian churches in Europe for so many centuries - and still most of us live as if they had never access to the new life Jesus has come to bring. We call ourselves Christian, but we do not live as people of a new creation. I am worried that you go home, think you are as much Christian as anyone else - and still you are not completely amazed by God's kingdom, by his grace, his love, his friendship, his dedication to you …

I am a little worried because of another reason. I know too many people who want to be Christan, and they are. They are living with Jesus - but still as fellows of him you can be very occupied by worldly things. It is hard to live as Christian in the middle of a world which is focused on winners, success, money and state. You can't do this alone, and to live jointly has other difficulties. When you go steps for your life you need to make shure that you do it with the Lord, not based on other people. You can live with them, but get your supply of hope and courage from Jesus himself.

Going steps for my life means to start to be what Jesus wants me to be: someone who believes in him and lives together with him. Someone who lives in his Holy Spirit. Someone who starts to act and be in another realm, in his kingdom. This starts with forgiveness. I can start to forgive the people around me right now. It is not a matter of a second! It will be a process, it will take me time and effort to really forgive. But I need to start right away, it starts with a decision that I want to forgive. Forgiveness is always a step into the unknown, since it opens new possibilities for our relation. It opens a new world! It is a direct path into the kingdom of God, who started it all with the forgiveness which Jesus brought to all of us at the cross.

There are many steps which constitute my own forgiveness for the others around me. After an initial decision there will be many decision steps. Steps of forgiveness are given by my prayer times for the others. Lord, please bless my strongest enemy. Lord, please forgive him and her all they have done to me, all the pain, all the injustice, all the ignorance. Please bless them. Please do them good. Forgiveness will be constituted by my words about my enemies (or my friends). I will talk good about them. I will focus on their strength. Steps of forgiveness will be constituted by my actions, by the things I do to help them - secretly or publicly. There are many steps to come, let us start to go and follow Jesus right now! ... more texts