what impresses God

We're spending A Year with C.S. Lewis. Today we read the January 27th selection.

Lewis makes two good points today. One, that God doesn't expect us to be perfect. He points out that just as a living man heals when cut, so a Christian is forgiven and redeemed when he sins.

He also points out that God doesn't love us because we're good, but instead makes us good because He loves us. This does, however, bring up a good point. And that is... what DOES impress God? What do people do that makes God say "Wow. That's amazing!"?

Well, there are numerous examples throughout the Bible when God remarks how much faith someone had. And if we look at the life of Jesus, the gospel writers say that "He was amazed at their faith" and that He said things like "I have not seen faith like this in all of Israel." Conversely, He says that He was frequently unable to perform miracles in various places because of their lack of faith.

So while "being good" is not something that God expects us to do to impress Him, it DOES greatly please Him when we demonstrate great faith. When we show that we really trust Him.

But the good thing is, if you find yourself lacking any of these things... faith, hope, love, goodness, kindness, peace.... you can ask for them. They're called "Fruits of the Holy Spirit", because when the Spirit of God is in your life, these fruits naturally start growing there. So if you find yourself missing some of these fruits, ask for His spirit to fill your heart and mind and life (and I don't know about you, but mine leaks... so I have to ask every day) and you'll find all of these fruits growing in you.

Thanks, God, for being a God in whom we can have great faith.