Skip to main content

How is Your Faith?



Sometimes the Lord does things in our lives whether or not we have faith. That scares me, at times, to think that my lack of faith (or effort) could cause God to “go on ahead without me” and accomplish a task or mission despite me. That God loves me so much that despite my response, He will still take care of me and have my best interest in mind.
Having faith is extremely important in the life of a Believer. Jesus emphasized that time and time again to us in Scripture. For example, Jesus told the father of a demon-possessed son: "Everything is possible for anyone who has faith" (Mark 9:23). The father realized that Jesus was calling him to exercise a deep, trusting faith. So he exclaimed: "I do have faith! Help the little faith I have!" (Mark 9:24)
In that situation, Jesus called not only the father to faith but also Jesus' disciples and the large crowd with them. Jesus said:  "What an unbelieving lot you are! How long must I remain with you? How long can I endure you?" (Mark 9:19)
Jesus felt frustrated with those who did not have or exercise faith. Jesus promised: "I assure you, if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you would be able to say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20).
We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). "Without faith, it is impossible to please" God (Hebrews 11:6). But Jesus questioned: "When the Son of Man comes, will He find any faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8)
Let us cry out to God: "I do believe! Help my lack of faith!" (Mark 9:24) Don’t doubt. Don’t despair. Why focus on your circumstances and allow them to shake your faith as if God is somehow making sport of your situation for the sheer pleasure of making life miserable for you?
We know God better than that! His love for us is unconditional and he has promised to “never leave us or forsake us.” (Hebrews 13:5) Put your focus squarely on God. Trust. Have faith.

Popular posts from this blog

Learn from Lydia

  There are a lot of interesting mentions of women in the Bible. Whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament, there are many strong, yet oddly missed, lessons from women that we can familiarize ourselves with to strengthen our faith.   One such woman is named Lydia. She provides a very powerful lesson for us. We find one particular mention of her in the book of Acts. Acts 16:14 , says that Lydia “reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.”   Lydia is actually a significant person in the New Testament. She is described as “a dealer in purple goods” (Acts 16:14). Pointing that out is quite a clue. Dealing in “purple goods” was considered a luxury in the ancient world.   It is probably safe to say that she was both a woman of great financial means and able to deal successfully with the influential people of her time. She was also noted as having a great gift of persuasion.   I think she might have been the only perso...
Read more

Tetelestai!

Just before Jesus gives up His spirit on the cross, He utters a very powerful word. The word that He cries out is “ tetelestai” (tih-tellis-tie). When literally translated, this word means, “It is finished.” It can also refer to something completed or accomplished. The word occurs in  John 19:28  and 19:30 and these are the only two places in all of the New Testament where it is found. In the John19:28 passage, it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now  completed , in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘ It is finished ,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”   Did you know that the word  tetelestai  was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full? The Greek-English lexicon (by Moulton and Milligan) sa...
Read more

Asking "What" Instead of "Why"

Life is not easy and it is not void of struggle, challenges, pain, sorrow, loss, grief, and suffering. I am sure I can come up with more words than that, but this article would soon blossom to two to three pages in length. I am sure we are familiar with the trials and frustrations of Job in the Old Testament. Some of us might even be familiar with the words of Habakuk in 1:2 , “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” When things don’t go well or something tragic or unfortunate befalls us, we are faced with the struggles of crying out to God, “why me?” “Why, God, did you let this happen?” Many times, we too, grow frustrated and angry at God, for how He chooses to work within our situations and circumstances. We sure do end up asking God a lot of “why” questions. I believe “why” could be the wrong word to be using. Asking “why” seems to imply a lack of faith, ungratefulness, and, somehow, that we think God owes us an explanation, an answer or reaso...
Read more