In my college age days we were quite a pack of wise guys (different term applies but as this is a G rated site after all!). We had been looking at the concept of faith and belief. Now the exorcist was popular at the moment and one of the guys leans over Sister Bekka and hollers, "Do you believe Jesus is the Christ?" And totally deadpan, Bekka rolls her eyes and almost whispers, "Even Satan believes Jesus is the Christ, who do you think was behind the crucifixion..... He just does not have any faith."
Oh, Tmothy (different one) was so totally owned on that one! We howled for quite a long while over that. If anything Bekka was always the straight woman, always dead on target and always hilarious!
Please read Hebrews 11. Here Paul lays out a wonderful discourse on the concept of faith in God. (Oh, just in case, yes Hebrews was written by Saul/Paul. We know this due to a complete copy of the text dated to 164 ad, which was a transcript from a copy made from the original and dated 48 ad. It does contain the standard Paul greeting and is the artifact property of the US Government - being a gift from Turkey.....) Anyways, back to faith.
It is easy to believe in something; if you can see it, taste it, smell it, touch it, hear it - yeah, belief comes easy. But, what about faith - it is none of those things. It is what is hoped for and not seen (v 1-2). You can not even measure your faith in success or failure because, well the one whom requires the faith, is looking for your obedience in faith. There is nothing worse that someone completely knocked for a loop because they were sure God told them to do something and guess what - it was an utter failure! How could this be? Oh yeah, they are in sin. they did something wrong, etc.
Well, did God really tell them? Did they misunderstand? Were they in a fantasy world? Or was God testing their faith in Him and their obedience in what He told them? If the latter, then success or failure is meaningless - God provides all opportunities and all successes. Guess what, He also provides failures for us to learn and grow from.
When I think of daughter, on the mission field, in what had to be a major ministry disaster for any Christian, one's faith is easily challenged. Oh yeah, God pulled her out and she counted this failure. But was it? Did she minister to others? Did she learn something of value? Did she make a difference? I think the answer to all three is yes. But, things were not as expected, things did not "work out", things were a mess. But, then, God knew all of that before she went. There are no "accidents" with God.
I have read many times the adage that Faith = Belief + Trust + Action.
Yeah, you have to have belief in what you are called to do (salvation or service) and you have to equally have trust that what you believe is true - AND - the coming step of faith is correct. It is our will, emotions and mind - in AGREEMENT with God, having an ATTITUDE of trust, WILLING to take action when the opportunity presents itself (not when it is convenient with us!).
Faith is the reality of what is expected by us of God. Faith is the evidence of what is the not seen, yet. Faith is what we hope for, what is already there waiting for us. You can not have Spiritual Wisdom without a hefty dose of faith; there is no understanding without illumination by the Holy Spirit and faith. There is no Spiritual Worship without faith; how can we worship what we have no faith in? "The fool in his heart has said there is no God"; where "fool" implies one whom is morally deficient. Faith is our moral response to the character of God. And, faith is required for Spiritual Growth; no faith means no growth.....
Read through the list of characters Paul gives us as examples in the faith! Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham through Gideon, David and Samuel - all patriarchs of the Jewish faith, their faith in God what distinguished them from obscurity. But, a host of verses come to mind! Read through: Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Hebrews 10:38, Mark 9!
Equally, through faith we please God. Through faith God gives us His treasure. And faith is not something you can earn or have, it is something which is given to you! Ephesians 2:8, II Peter 1:1, Philippians 1:9, Hebrews 12.
Faith is the product of our success in understanding Jesus as the Messiah. He is the beginning and completion of your faith.
Paul uses the metaphor of running a race, probably in the year of the Olympic Games - but not in London I am afraid.
You must train:
- know your scripture
- observe God requirements of you
- we are disqualified by sin - so get real!
- consecrate yourself for/to God
- do not look to the prize - look to the race!
- distractions on/in our path will be penalties..... just sayin.....
- live your faith - your witness if you daily walk!
- be prepared to answer for yourself
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