Is it Possible?

Is it possible? We ended last week with this question. Am I crazy to believe that it is possible to actually avoid quarrelling, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, arrogance and greed - just to name a few corrupt behaviors. Seriously, in my world these are frequently touted as how you get things done, keep people in line and protect your interest.

Is a life lived with honest words, honorable plans, right decisions, pure motives, lovely thoughts, admirable actions, excellent and praise worthy work a doable thing?

Before we start breaking down the formula, let's make sure we’re on the same page. Participating in the divine and avoiding the corrupt is not about avoiding people and things we have judged to be corrupt - actually that judging thing needs to go. Nor is it about only hanging out at church or with our church buddies 24/7. Nope, not at all. E² living is a life fully engaged with everyone and every responsibility God has placed in our life. The participation and the avoidance is about our hearts and our actions. As for me, this raises the question, is this possible to another level!

When I was little kid, my mother was the youth leader at our home church which meant I attended youth rallies and parties long before I was a teenager. Shortly after my dad had become a Christian we attended a youth rally at a church in a neighboring town. The special music guests that night were a group led by a man my dad had worked with years before at a plant in Texas. My dad had been a foreman with a reputation for making life difficult for the bible school students that worked under him. So much so that they referred to him as a bible character, a “donkey” from a particular story.

That night when we walked in the church was the first time this man had seen my dad since those days. He literally feel to his knees in shock when my dad walked in the church. Based on his experience, he must have thought it impossible, at best highly unlikely that he would ever see my dad at a church youth rally. But then he didn’t know about my mother’s faith. Faith that knelt each night to pray for her husband’s salvation. And he didn’t know the faith and perseverance of Walter Helms, who prayed, visited and loved my father all the way to the altar.

Is it possible? The answer lies in the first component of our formula, faith! It is more than interesting that the first component is not self-control, knowledge or perseverance. The first component has nothing to do with effort and everything to do with confidence. “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

To complete any assignment, effectively and efficiently, we first must understand the purpose and second we must believe it is possible. This is a true principal in our homes, our churches and our offices. The moment we lose confidence in a person, a company, or a process we become ineffective. We may complete tasks, but we will not fully achieve the desired result.

So how do we find this assurance of things we can not yet see? I suggest that understanding our source is what gives us faith that a desired result is possible.

In credit analysis, second to understanding the purpose of a loan request is understanding the source of repayment. You can’t have confidence that a loan will be repaid if you can’t accurately identify the source repayment. Where will the borrower get the cash to repay the loan? Has it been sufficient in the past? Is it likely to continue?

So, what is our source for an E² life? Has it been sufficient in the past? Is it likely to continue?

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Yes, it has been sufficient in the past and it’s the only thing we can know will continue to be sufficient in the future!

“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27 NLT) I have often heard the term “blind faith”. I propose that faith is not blind, it is keeping our eyes wide open and focused on our source. We may not see what lies ahead, but we see the source that is sufficient for whatever, whenever, where ever!

A debt service coverage ratio states the number of times the available source covers the required debt payments. A DSCR of 2x simply means a borrower has $2 available for $1 in required payments.

So let’s set up a coverage ratio for E² living:

Available Source = Faith in the One who has given us great and precious promises

Requirements of E² living = goodness, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love

Source / Requirements = A zillion, billion, million:1

It is sufficient! As one of my friends says, eyes on Jesus, Ronda, eyes on Jesus!

Thanks for listening

See you next Sunday,

Ronda