Faith of our fathers we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife
And preach Thee too as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life

Faith of Our Fathers 1849
By: Frederick William Faber (1814 – 1863)

Listen to this a cappella version of this hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Below is video content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Please enjoy this video and the transcript below.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

As we conclude our journey through this hymn ask yourself if you can make the commitment of the refrain. “Faith of our father, holy faith, we will be true to Thee ’til death.” That is quite a commitment! Let’s tune our hearts.

Love All

When we choose to love as a way of living we are making a choice that will require sacrifice and surrender. There are times that require us to stand firm, courageous and strong, but even these must be done in love. Loving takes a lot of different forms, many that may seem unimaginable.

Loving in the midst of brokenness. Loving when someone has been nothing but cruel. Loving when someone can not remember your name and has little if anything to offer you.

What about dying as an act of love? Maybe for someone that you love, right? What about for someone you are pretty positive does not love you?

Faith of our fathers we will love

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ESV

One of the best ways we can show that the faith of our fathers is real is to do all in love. To be able to stand firm, be strong and courageous, but repay evil with love is a true mark of faith. Is there a situation in your life right now where you can love like this? Ask God for help.

It is a statement that is simple to make, but difficult to live. “We will love.” Even still, Jesus’ teaching requires that we commit to loving, and the faith of those who have entrusted that teaching to us inspires us to do the same. Make that commitment to love like them today.

RESONATE!
Take a few moments and think about what it may cost you to love. Have you determined that whatever it requires you will love. Make this your simple prayer “Father, help me to love.” 

Even Your Enemies

It is one thing to love those who love you, even though sometimes they make not act in loving ways. What about loving those who hate you? Those who curse you and abuse you. Your enemies.

That is an entirely different matter altogether.

We are not talking about someone who is just different than you. From a different place or a different culture. We are talking about people who know you and hate you, or simply hate you for what you believe.

Loving those people is not easy. But if we are going to follow the faith of our fathers. the faith Jesus entrusted to them, which they have imparted to us, we must. It is a non-negotiable.

Both friend and foe in all our strife

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Luke 6:27-28 ESV

In these words Jesus is preparing His disciples, which includes us, for the times that taking a stand for our faith will bring ridicule, disdain, and even hatred. To love, do good, bless and pray for those who are creating our strife is no small task. Ask Jesus for help with this also.

What makes loving difficult is when people do not love us, or worse yet, hate us. When people create strife in your life, loving them becomes increasingly challenging. Is there anyone like that in your life right now? How will you love both friend and foe? Ask Jesus for His help.

RESONATE
Take a few moments and reflect on people who for you are difficult to love. Maybe they have done something to you, or profess something that is detestable to you. Can you still love them?  Pray a simple prayer like this one, “Jesus, help me love friend and foe.” 

God, thank You for reminding me that my life must be one filled with love. I can not love only those who love me, but those who do not. To love like this demonstrates the power of Your work in me, and the virility of the faith of our spiritual fathers. In Jesus’ name. 

Loving Tuning!

Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

Like what you’re finding here?  Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Video 36.4 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

Faith of our fathers we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife
And preach Thee too as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life

It is a statement that is simple to make, but difficult to live. “We will love.” Even still, Jesus’ teaching requires that we commit to loving, and the faith of those who have entrusted that teaching to us inspires us to do the same. Make that commitment to love like them today.

Father, help me to love.

What makes loving difficult is when people do not love us, or worse yet, hate us. When people create strife in your life, loving them becomes increasingly challenging. Is there anyone like that in your life right now? How will you love both friend and foe? Ask Jesus for His help.

Jesus, help me love friend and foe.

Love changes the way we preach. When we love friend and foe alike, we are compelled to share our faith with them using our words. But when we truly love, it changes the words we use and the way we use them. It is not only what we say but how we say it. Spirit help me.

Spirit, help me to preach with love.

Words and life that match. One version said “saving words” which I like even better because few people are saved by unkind words. Saving words imply kindness and care, but our lives must reinforce what we say or our words will be meaningless at best, and harmful at worst.

Lord, make my lips and my life congruent.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, Be Resonant.

The post Loving, Even If It Kills Me appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Faith of our fathers we will love – https://pixabay.com/photos/hands-old-old-age-elderly-2906458/
Both friend and foe in all our strife – https://pixabay.com/photos/migration-integration-migrants-3129340/

Faith of our fathers we will strive
To win all nations unto Thee
And through the truth that comes from God
Mankind shall then be truly free

Faith of Our Fathers 1849
By: Frederick William Faber (1814 – 1863)

Listen to this a cappella version of this hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Below is video content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Please enjoy this video and the transcript below.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

As we continue our journey through this hymn ask yourself if you can make the commitment of the refrain. “Faith of our father, holy faith, we will be true to Thee ’til death.” That is quite a commitment! Let’s tune our hearts.

Striving

What are you putting your energy into? What are you trying to improve, accomplish or build? The lifter above is exerting an incredible amount of effort to build his body. He has already been tremendously successful but he is striving for even greater gains.

Forming a body like he is doing requires a remarkable amount of very focused energy. Have you ever been a part of something that was that demanding? The task that Jesus gave to His disciples, which has been entrusted to us, is similar in the the focus and intention that should go into it. After all, the King of Kings gave us this Great Commission and the eternal destiny of souls of the world hang in the balance.

In light of either one of those truths, this is a call worth striving to fulfill.

Faith of our fathers we will strive

And [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Mark 16:15 ESV

Jesus is speaking to those first disciples, who would entrust their faith to all who would come after them. He instructed them as to what they were to strive to do, and the same labor falls to us. So what are you striving to do? Are you pouring your energies into this or something else? Lessor things clamor for our attention and energies, but we should never sacrifice this one in pursuit of them.

After celebrating their faith and all they sacrificed, for some even their very lives,  now we focus on our response to their faith. What will we do? The chorus says “be true to [it] ‘til death”. But what does that mean? We must allow their faith to set an example which we will emulate. Will will live to be faithful as they were, even if it requires dying. That will require intentional effort. Are you ready?

RESONATE!
Take a few moments and think about what is consuming your energies. They strove to their own death to save others from eternal death. Make this your simple prayer “God, help me intentionally emulate their faith.” 

Yet Free

Our weight lifter above is lifting weight and putting it down again. You may be inclined to think you are responsible for the entire world, a weight that seems equally impossible to lift, but you are not. You are responsible simply for your little part of it.

But still, at times it can feel like you are carrying the weight of the world. When it does, recall the simple fact that you are a part of a much larger force. You have brothers and sisters in the faith, faith entrusted to them by their spiritual fathers and mothers, to the same end that has been entrusted to you. You get to be a part of the team that is winning the nations to God. And it is a winning team!

To win all nations unto Thee

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

Winning is making disciples, not converts. We are not trying to convince anyone to believe something intellectually, but to embrace something entirely. That something is a completely different way of living, for our neighbors and the nations. What a task we have been given!

Responding to the commission of Jesus we bring our energies to bear on this singular task, to win the nations to Him. Though you can not go to all the nations personally, you can commit to being a part of taking the gospel to nations, starting in your neighborhood. Will you do it?

RESONATE
Take a few moments and reflect on the invitation to become a part of winning the nations to God. You are not responsible for it all, but you are responsible for your part. Pray a simple prayer like this one, “Jesus, help me do my part.” 

God, thank You for sending someone to win my life to You. Help me to find my part on your team that is winning the nations to You. Help me prepare and train and make certain I am ready when that moment comes for me to do my part. In Jesus’ name. 

Intentional Tuning!

Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

Like what you’re finding here?  Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Video 36.3 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

Faith of our fathers we will strive
To win all nations unto Thee
And through the truth that comes from God
Mankind shall then be truly free

After celebrating their faith now we focus on our response to it. What will we do? The chorus says “be true to [it] ‘til death”. But what does that mean? We must allow their faith to set an example which we will emulate. That will require intentional effort. Are you ready?

God, help me intentionally emulate their faith.

Responding to the commission of Jesus we bring our energies to bear on this singular task, to win the nations to Him. Though you can not go to all the nations personally, you can commit to being a part of taking the gospel to nations, starting in your neighborhood. Will you do it?

Jesus, help me do my part.

It is the truth that comes from God that reveals the condition of our souls and informs us how to address that malady. We must live out that truth with grace everyday. How will you allow that truth to be seen in your life today? This week? Ask the Spirit for His help displaying it.

Spirit, help me display the truth of God.

Freedom comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God. We live out the truth of God before others as some did before us, and that truth sets them free. You are not responsible to live out your faith for the whole world to see God’s truth, just your little part of it. No pressure.

Lord, may people find freedom through the truth they see in me.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, Be Resonant.

The post Don’t Carry the Weight of the Whole World, Just Your World appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Faith of our fathers we will strive – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/man-person-power-strength-strong-1871631/
To win all nations unto Thee – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/concept-conceptual-man-person-1302873/