domingo, diciembre 29, 2013

Faith

I have been given the task of distilling my plans and resolutions for 2014 into one word, and I have chosen faith.
"Why faith?" That is a good question; I mean, I've been a Christian for 20 years. I have believed in God and His Holy Son, Jesus Christ, for 20 years. I've never doubted the truth of the Holy Bible. So why faith? In short, because faith is belief, and belief is not easy. Belief does not come naturally to anyone, and anyone who says they were born believing in God is lying. Look, even a man whose child was healed by Jesus (Mark 9), had to ask God to bear with him and his lack of faith (also translated belief) . . . and he witnessed a miracle in the flesh! We, on the other hand, are asked-no, commanded-to believe in what we do not see. That is the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1: "Faith is . . . being certain of what we do not see." The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:18 that we must fix our eyes on what is unseen. "For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." If believing that doesn't take faith, I don't know what does! Faith is not easy; it is a fight . . . some days more than others. Some days I just don't feel the presence of God-but those are the days when, like that man with the ill child, I cry out to God, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" So, readers, friends, family and neighbors, there's the truth for you: faith isn't something you're born with or born into . . . its something you believe, even when it feels and seems so unbelievable. Faith isn't just something you feel in your bones . . . it is the truth that you fight to believe and to hold on to. All the cutesy sayings about faith are nice, but that's all they are when the rubber hits the road. When times get tough, and when belief becomes a struggle, you'll have to ask God to give you the faith you need. He alone is the "author and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2.) We cannot generate our own faith; it is only a gift from God. So, this year I will not fall into the trap of thinking that I can believe hard enough. I will remember that the faith that I need can only come from God.

3 comentarios:

Debbie dijo...

I have the verse: For we walk by faith not by sight. 2 Cor 5:7 on our wall. Always a reminder...

Elizabeth Johnson dijo...

Great choice for 2014! I'm still trying to narrow down my choice... thinking of either "growing" or "knowing God's people." Either one would be good to focus on for a year!

The Resident Writer dijo...

Why limit yourself? Why not choose both? (I know that kind of defeats the purpose of CHOOSING, but, hey, you have a whole year of writing blog posts!)

A great, graceful, disciplined and faithful 2014 to all!