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by Meghan McSwain As the new year begins, I hope all of you are able to keep the true meaning of the Christmas story at easy recall. Many of you may have made New Years Resolutions for the new year. How many have you kept even to this point? I would encourage you versus making new years resolutions to spend some time determining what you believe. In his book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum states that each spring he writes his own personal statement of belief, a Credo. Although his is not a Christian statement, I think his advice is solid. If we write out what we believe, in the tough times, our beliefs can better guide our decisions. In religious circles, one would say one needs to write out his or her theology. It is not important what you call it, but it is important to spend some time thinking about it. My Credo or theology is strikingly similar to the chorus of Sandi Pattis song, The Gift Goes On: The Father gave the Son and the Son gave the Spirit and the Spirit gives us life so that we can give the gift of love. After struggling with what my role is to be as a Christian, I discovered that it is quite simple: I am called to share the love of Christ with others. If I will share Christ, the Holy Spirit will convict them of their sins. I dont have to. In fact, it is not my job. It may seem extremely simple, but it has given me tremendous freedom to serve Christ. In addition, at those times that I face a crisis of belief I have been able to hold true to what I believe much more effectively. As a minister and as a teacher I must teach biblical truths, but through my daily life if I will concentrate on sharing the love of Christ, I have found that the Holy Spirit will convict people of their sins. Developing a Credo or theology will take some time. There is no special formula, but I can make a few suggestions that may help you. First, spend time studying the Scripture. Concentrate on major themes versus specific verses. There are summary scriptures that may be helpful with understanding the primary message behind all of the Bible. For example, I find two scriptures very helpful for me: Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.( Mt. 22:37-40) And, For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ro. 8:37-39) Second, determine your own giftedness. What are your spiritual gifts? How can you best minister to Gods people? Discovering the answer to these questions will help you to know how to put action behind your Credo. It is worth nothing if it does not cause action. Third, write down your beliefs. Construct it a way that is easy for you to understand and remember because only then is it useful in your daily life. A Credo is meant to drive the actions and responses in your life. It can only do so if you remember it. Great things only happen when we step out of the way and allow God to work. How does he want to work in your life? |