Have you ever heard an atheist claim that his donations were completely altruistic while those of believers were motivated by a heavenly reward? How would you answer such a charge? You could start by comparing amounts of giving, but there are generous atheists and the argument is one of principle, not amount. The accusation implies that Christians are calculating in their giving and atheists are not. A better answer would be that your goal is to be transformed into my likeness so that your giving is motivated by pure love rather than reward. I love a cheerful giver, and cheerfulness is not calculating. 

Do you make a distinction between faith and belief? Belief is a basis for faith, but faith is greater. Belief is an expression of mental assent to certain precepts. Faith is living a life as if these were true. Acknowledging the truth of the gospel message is a matter of belief and you commonly associate this with a salvation experience. That is the beginning rather than the end of a life of faith. I continue my work in you by transforming your life so that every aspect of it expresses the reality of what you believe. Abraham believed and I reckoned it unto him as righteousness. I do the same for you. Let your belief grow into faith. 

Can you be gracious and accepting of believers who belong to a church other than yours? What about those who used to belong to your church and have departed? Do you find this to be more difficult? Yet leaving your church does not mean they have left my Body. If you see a departure from your church as treason or betrayal then you have not learned to hold your denominational affiliation with a loose grip. If you have then you know that such attachments may not be permanent. Everyone has their own path to walk and seasons in their life. View this process graciously from the perspective of the whole Body of Christ. 

[leaving town for a few days]

Do you like to get your own way? Who doesn’t? yet if children get their own way all the time they are said to be spoiled. Adults are better at managing external appearances and the term is not so often applied to them, but the same principles apply. Spoiled children become selfish adults. When you don’t get your own way, you may feel frustrated, denied, and rejected. These are things you do not welcome, but they are precisely what you need to grow into maturity. Trials are an inevitable part of life. My word teaches you to welcome them as friends. It is easier to do so if you know you need them to grow.