Breathe In, Breathe Out

Webster's Dictionary defines the word "breathe" as follows: to draw air into and expel it from the lungs or to inhale and exhale freely.

Have you ever heard someone respond to a stressful situation by saying something like, "I just need to breathe" or "I can't even breathe!"? Breathing, of course, comes naturally to everyone who is alive - it's not something that you typically have to think about - it just happens.

How often do you think about your every breath being a gift from God? Genesis 2:7 - then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Man was not a living creature until God breathed out the breath of life in to him. If something does not breathe, it is not alive. The Christian faith is intended to be a living faith - after all, we worship a living Savior! Since Christianity is alive, it breathes, and therefore it needs to inhale and exhale freely.

I like to think of the Christian's "inhale" as time spent with other believers and in God's word. Spending time among believers includes going to church, Sunday school, small groups, bible studies, Christian retreats or camps, etc. Time spent in the Bible is certainly vital to the life of a Christian and 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." I like the idea of God breathing out Scripture and us breathing it in. For the Christian, the "inhale" is meant to build us up, strengthen us, and encourage us in Christ.

But breathing is a two step process of equally important parts. You have to inhale and exhale to stay alive.

The "exhale" of our faith in Christ should be in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in our workplaces, in our streets! The "exhale" needs to come in places where life happens and people need to be reached with the Good News. Often it is more comfortable for Christians to spend time only with other Christians. Oh, you can easily do that and think you are fine - just like you can breathe with one lung at a diminished capacity.

However, for our faith to be alive, we need to breathe out what we believe, not just breathe in.

Mark 16:15 - "And he (Jesus) said to them (the disciples), 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."