May 4, 1999
A sign outside a church reads, “Running low on faith? Stop in for a fill-up.”
That sign is catchy but somewhat misleading. It makes faith sound like a commodity or like a battery that loses its charge. While a trip to church could restore a person’s faltering faith, faith is not something we can pour into our hearts like we pour gasoline into our cars.
Biblical faith is believing or trusting God. It is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” It is trust but also describes an inner knowing. That is, faith is positive that God is real, that He loves me, that He never lies to me, and that He keeps His promises.
Sometimes circumstances talk louder than God and then our faith can falter. We wonder if He still controls our lives or is even interested in what happens to us. Faith can plummet when a loved one dies, our business fails, we lose our job, or our child is hit by a car. Tragedies like these not only test our faith but can sometimes mock it.
A man named Job is an ultimate example of a faith tested by tragedy. He lost his livestock, possessions, servants and family. Finally he lost his health. When his friends came to comfort him, they could not bear his agony very long. Instead of crying with him, they began to accuse him that all his problems must be his own fault.
Like Job’s friends, well-meaning people may suggest if you have enough faith, nothing bad will ever happen to you. You will never be sick or in financial trouble. Your family will be perfect and life will be wonderful. This is a delusion. God never defines strong faith by the quality of our circumstances. Besides Job, we can find a New Testament example in Hebrews 11. Here, people of faith are commended. Because of his faith, Abel offered God an acceptable sacrifice. By the same faith, Noah built an ark to save his family from judgment. By faith, Abraham packed up his family and all his possessions at God’s command and set out for a destination he did not know.
These biblical heroes offer some positive experiences but not all of their experience were positive. Abel had faith, but he was murdered by his brother Cain. Noah had faith but his neighbors ridiculed him for building an ark. Abraham was called the “father of faith” yet he died without ever seeing the land God promised him and his descendants, the land he was headed for.
God measures our faith not by our situation, but by whatever we put it in. If we trust ourselves, He looks beyond the amount of self-confidence we have and sees our strengths and weaknesses. He knows we are not able to do for ourselves what He can do for us. If we trust people, He looks beyond our loyalty and devotion, realizing that almost everyone we know will fail us in one way or another. He knows other people cannot do for us what He can do.
God Himself is the only one worthy of our trust. That is why He encourages us to place our faith in Him. However, it is logical that whenever we take our eyes off His power, wisdom and goodness, or when we forget His promises, our faith will take a nosedive. It is not that God has changed but that we have stopped trusting Him. We could say our faith-tank is empty.
How can we start trusting again? How can we be filled with faith? Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”
This means that the only way to refuel our faith tank is through reading and hearing God’s revelation of Himself, given to us in the Bible. As we do that, faith, which is actually a gift from Him, begins to grow.
Further, faith is not like gasoline that is depleted by use. Instead, using faith actually makes it stronger. As we trust God, we discover His worth and trust Him more. A good church can help us make those discoveries by directing us toward God and His Word. Once we know He is true, we can exercise our faith by sharing it with others and by giving it back to Him in worship. If we do that, it will never run low.
Showing posts with label object of faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label object of faith. Show all posts
Friday, September 8, 2017
Friday, June 16, 2017
Faith is about who God is .......... Parables 602
July 7, 1998
I used to argue with my mother about evolution. She believed in a six-day creation by God and I thought horses used to be the size of small dogs.
One day, after a few major failures, I invited Jesus Christ into my life. I wanted His forgiveness and help with what I had ruined. At that point, the creation/evolution conflict was not an issue. Sometime later, I realized that I no longer believed the horse thing. I had much the same belief in creation as my mother. My mind had somehow changed although no one had tried to convince me with various points from either theory. I had read the Bible, trusted God, and despite so-called scientific evidence to the contrary, my position changed without any effort on my part.
Descriptions of experiences like this cause some people to think Christians “park their brains” when they embrace faith. They wonder how a thinking person could possibly believe that there is a God or that He created the world. This especially includes the scientific community.
Several years ago, someone researched this issue. They discovered that many founding fathers of modern science were Bible-believing Christians. This includes names like Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Louis Pasteur, Francis Bacon and German astronomer, Johannes Kepler.
For instance, Kepler reasoned that since the universe was designed by an intelligent Creator, it should function according to some logical pattern. In his day, other non-believing scientists thought the universe was a product of chaos, therefore had no order. Kepler countered that a chaotic universe was inconsistent with God’s wisdom. Because of his faith and thinking, we now have a better and more accurate understanding of the consistency in planetary motion.
In more recent research, it has been noted that 40% of the scientific community professes a belief in God. The writer who reported this number seemed surprised. The percentage turned out to be the same as statistics before this century. He thought that since more “scientific evidence” had been discovered, more scientists would dismiss God and embrace evolution.
In my experience, faith seemed to sidestep the creation/evolution debate, yet I realize that faith is not about believing something without evidence. Nor is it believing in spite of evidence to the contrary. Instead, faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” based on a deep trust in God and in what He says. If it opposes other theories, who is right?
In relation to how the world was formed, God says “what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Believing that God created all things is not based on what I can see or not see or figure out by my own reasoning. My faith is based on what God has revealed about Himself and my trust is in Him. When I ask “Is God telling the truth?” — faith says, “Yes, He is.”
Faith is reasonable. If God is the God described in the Bible, God can make a universe out of nothing. He can do whatever He wants, even form a spiritual dimension or reality that is totally unlike those things we can see, yet exists parallel to them.
The Bible says sin has flawed human reasoning. We cannot always depend even on our own common sense. Gideon is one example. He went into a battle against a Midianite army of more than 100,000 but God told him his army of 32,000 men was too big. God thinned it to only 300, then instructed Gideon to use a battle tactic that was absurd.
Gideon’s faith saw both visible and invisible realities. He knew he was hopelessly outnumbered. However, he did not allow what he could see to detract from what God said. His faith went beyond what his common sense told him. He believed in the unseen God — and won the battle.
Faith is not blind but accompanied by inner vision. Faith sees past theories and suppositions because it is focused on God and His Word.
I used to argue with my mother about evolution. She believed in a six-day creation by God and I thought horses used to be the size of small dogs.
One day, after a few major failures, I invited Jesus Christ into my life. I wanted His forgiveness and help with what I had ruined. At that point, the creation/evolution conflict was not an issue. Sometime later, I realized that I no longer believed the horse thing. I had much the same belief in creation as my mother. My mind had somehow changed although no one had tried to convince me with various points from either theory. I had read the Bible, trusted God, and despite so-called scientific evidence to the contrary, my position changed without any effort on my part.
Descriptions of experiences like this cause some people to think Christians “park their brains” when they embrace faith. They wonder how a thinking person could possibly believe that there is a God or that He created the world. This especially includes the scientific community.
Several years ago, someone researched this issue. They discovered that many founding fathers of modern science were Bible-believing Christians. This includes names like Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Louis Pasteur, Francis Bacon and German astronomer, Johannes Kepler.
For instance, Kepler reasoned that since the universe was designed by an intelligent Creator, it should function according to some logical pattern. In his day, other non-believing scientists thought the universe was a product of chaos, therefore had no order. Kepler countered that a chaotic universe was inconsistent with God’s wisdom. Because of his faith and thinking, we now have a better and more accurate understanding of the consistency in planetary motion.
In more recent research, it has been noted that 40% of the scientific community professes a belief in God. The writer who reported this number seemed surprised. The percentage turned out to be the same as statistics before this century. He thought that since more “scientific evidence” had been discovered, more scientists would dismiss God and embrace evolution.
In my experience, faith seemed to sidestep the creation/evolution debate, yet I realize that faith is not about believing something without evidence. Nor is it believing in spite of evidence to the contrary. Instead, faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” based on a deep trust in God and in what He says. If it opposes other theories, who is right?
In relation to how the world was formed, God says “what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Believing that God created all things is not based on what I can see or not see or figure out by my own reasoning. My faith is based on what God has revealed about Himself and my trust is in Him. When I ask “Is God telling the truth?” — faith says, “Yes, He is.”
Faith is reasonable. If God is the God described in the Bible, God can make a universe out of nothing. He can do whatever He wants, even form a spiritual dimension or reality that is totally unlike those things we can see, yet exists parallel to them.
The Bible says sin has flawed human reasoning. We cannot always depend even on our own common sense. Gideon is one example. He went into a battle against a Midianite army of more than 100,000 but God told him his army of 32,000 men was too big. God thinned it to only 300, then instructed Gideon to use a battle tactic that was absurd.
Gideon’s faith saw both visible and invisible realities. He knew he was hopelessly outnumbered. However, he did not allow what he could see to detract from what God said. His faith went beyond what his common sense told him. He believed in the unseen God — and won the battle.
Faith is not blind but accompanied by inner vision. Faith sees past theories and suppositions because it is focused on God and His Word.
Friday, October 21, 2016
Overcome Worry .......... Parables 500
January 16, 1996
A wise person says worrying in your recliner chair is more difficult than singing in your garden on the business end of a spade.
According to my dictionary, worry is mentally gnawing, like a dog worrying a bone. Another definition says worry is “a complete cycle of inefficient thought revolving around a pivot of fear!” Because worry is non-productive, even destructive, maybe worry is like a dog gnawing but the results are more like what happens to the bone!
Most of us do not define worry as “fear” but use softer words. We say, “I am not worried, but I am concerned.” The difference is merely in degree. Besides, not all fear is destructive. Fear keeps us from drinking poison, driving too fast, or walking into a den of snakes. However, fear is a curse when it prevents us from enjoying our family, riding a bus, or walking across the front yard.
Fear also swings its club whenever something new challenges us. Fear threatens failure, ridicule and loss of self-esteem then hits us again on the back-swing suggesting every effort we make to prevent failure will also fail. Fear says we will eventually suffer. Whatever we fear will be the worst thing that ever happens to us.
Perhaps worry is a feeble attempt to control things we cannot control. A family member misses curfew — but does watching the door make him come home sooner?
Worry is folly and although Christians affirm faith and say God has the power to control everything, we still worry. Fear nags with “God will not do anything.” We worry that whatever happens, it will not be the thing we want done.
People with faith can trust God — but faith is not “don’t worry, be happy, shut your eyes to reality.” Faith sees the problems but trusts God because the person with faith knows God. Faith understands that God can use circumstances constructively, even negative circumstances. Romans 8:28 says “God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.”
The next verse defines God’s purpose. He is in the process of changing me into the image of Christ. It is His intention that I respond to all things in Christlikeness. Instead of gnawing on “inefficient thought” or let it gnaw on me, I have something to do.
For Christians, productive thinking begins with confessing fears and worry to God and telling Him we are sorry for thinking so little of His love and power. As He dissolves those fears into trust, we begin thinking differently about our situations. Our attitudes become more like Christ’s attitudes. We may not always know how to solve every problem but we are at peace instead of wasting energy and time fussing about what to do.
Faith’s productive thinking soon rolls up it sleeves and gets to work. We usually know what to do next. It may not be the solution to our problem but something more simple, like taking pencil and paper in hand to plan or reorganize, or washing a sink full of dishes. Faith uses energy to produce results, not headaches and ulcers.
Philippians 4 explains both our part and God’s part: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
That unfathomable peace produces singing — both in the garden and the recliner chair!
A wise person says worrying in your recliner chair is more difficult than singing in your garden on the business end of a spade.
According to my dictionary, worry is mentally gnawing, like a dog worrying a bone. Another definition says worry is “a complete cycle of inefficient thought revolving around a pivot of fear!” Because worry is non-productive, even destructive, maybe worry is like a dog gnawing but the results are more like what happens to the bone!
Most of us do not define worry as “fear” but use softer words. We say, “I am not worried, but I am concerned.” The difference is merely in degree. Besides, not all fear is destructive. Fear keeps us from drinking poison, driving too fast, or walking into a den of snakes. However, fear is a curse when it prevents us from enjoying our family, riding a bus, or walking across the front yard.
Fear also swings its club whenever something new challenges us. Fear threatens failure, ridicule and loss of self-esteem then hits us again on the back-swing suggesting every effort we make to prevent failure will also fail. Fear says we will eventually suffer. Whatever we fear will be the worst thing that ever happens to us.
Perhaps worry is a feeble attempt to control things we cannot control. A family member misses curfew — but does watching the door make him come home sooner?
Worry is folly and although Christians affirm faith and say God has the power to control everything, we still worry. Fear nags with “God will not do anything.” We worry that whatever happens, it will not be the thing we want done.
People with faith can trust God — but faith is not “don’t worry, be happy, shut your eyes to reality.” Faith sees the problems but trusts God because the person with faith knows God. Faith understands that God can use circumstances constructively, even negative circumstances. Romans 8:28 says “God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.”
The next verse defines God’s purpose. He is in the process of changing me into the image of Christ. It is His intention that I respond to all things in Christlikeness. Instead of gnawing on “inefficient thought” or let it gnaw on me, I have something to do.
For Christians, productive thinking begins with confessing fears and worry to God and telling Him we are sorry for thinking so little of His love and power. As He dissolves those fears into trust, we begin thinking differently about our situations. Our attitudes become more like Christ’s attitudes. We may not always know how to solve every problem but we are at peace instead of wasting energy and time fussing about what to do.
Faith’s productive thinking soon rolls up it sleeves and gets to work. We usually know what to do next. It may not be the solution to our problem but something more simple, like taking pencil and paper in hand to plan or reorganize, or washing a sink full of dishes. Faith uses energy to produce results, not headaches and ulcers.
Philippians 4 explains both our part and God’s part: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
That unfathomable peace produces singing — both in the garden and the recliner chair!
Monday, July 18, 2016
How faith works .......... Parables 459
February 14, 1995
An Edmonton man complained about a weather report on television. It predicted a 0% chance of rain but when he went outside it was raining. He was drenched. Wet and annoyed, he called Environment Canada and found that the weather reporters could not see the storm coming. They relied entirely on instruments because, at that time, their operation headquarters had no windows!
My husband has another interesting way to forecast the weather. My father, a retired farmer, turns on the weather report every morning. Bob teases him, “I can give you a report,” he says, walking over to the window. “See, the sun is shining today . . . “
While observation alone can be unreliable, it is an important part of any scientific inquiry. Scientists do not define rain or wind, explore the ocean floor, or classify orchids by looking inside their own heads or by relying entirely on instruments like thermometers, barometers or computers. They use their eyes and other senses to observe carefully and objectively in their exploration and analysis.
Scientists also work together, depending upon the observations of each other. They seldom limit what they know about the visible, material world to speculation but instead look for evidence that proves their theories.
However, scientists sometimes hesitate to exam or make conclusions about invisible or immaterial topics. They are reluctant to include in their studies concepts such as God or faith because God is invisible and faith cannot be directly observed, measured or dissected. Scientists usually ignore these topics, considering they belong in the realm of theory.
Does faith really require a leap in the dark? Is it based on speculation only? I do not think so. No one trusts anything without out some evidence that warrants their trust.
Electricity is an example. It is invisible but the average person can test it by the results it produces. We simply plug in our appliances. If they work, believe in the presence and power of electricity. If they do not, then electricity is either absent or worthless. If it did not do anything, we would have no reason to rely on it.
Also notice that the evidence is produced by the object of our reliance. It is not trust or faith in it that makes electricity work; electricity makes trust possible. That is, electricity that we cannot see causes something to happen that we can see, so we can believe in the power behind it.
Faith in God is like that. God is also invisible but He showed Israel what He is like through His activity on their behalf and through the words He spoke using His prophets. Because of the evidence, the people of God believed He is real.
God’s ultimate evidence of Himself occurred when He appeared in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ is God’s fullest revelation, the “exact representation of His being,” incarnate in a human body. When anyone seriously examines this evidence, they are convinced that God is real and they put their faith in Him and in Jesus Christ. This faith is not something believers conjure up in their minds, nor does it exist independently of the evidence. Christian faith is based on God-given evidence.
No matter what people decide to believe in, something convinces them that the object of their faith is worthy. If only one in twenty-five outlets in a house makes the toaster work, few would have any faith in the wiring in that house. If Christ had not demonstrated His worth, no one would ever say, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain...”
Christ demonstrated God’s grace, goodness and power. Because of what He has done, we have enough evidence to believe He is worthy and He can be trusted.
An Edmonton man complained about a weather report on television. It predicted a 0% chance of rain but when he went outside it was raining. He was drenched. Wet and annoyed, he called Environment Canada and found that the weather reporters could not see the storm coming. They relied entirely on instruments because, at that time, their operation headquarters had no windows!
My husband has another interesting way to forecast the weather. My father, a retired farmer, turns on the weather report every morning. Bob teases him, “I can give you a report,” he says, walking over to the window. “See, the sun is shining today . . . “
While observation alone can be unreliable, it is an important part of any scientific inquiry. Scientists do not define rain or wind, explore the ocean floor, or classify orchids by looking inside their own heads or by relying entirely on instruments like thermometers, barometers or computers. They use their eyes and other senses to observe carefully and objectively in their exploration and analysis.
Scientists also work together, depending upon the observations of each other. They seldom limit what they know about the visible, material world to speculation but instead look for evidence that proves their theories.
However, scientists sometimes hesitate to exam or make conclusions about invisible or immaterial topics. They are reluctant to include in their studies concepts such as God or faith because God is invisible and faith cannot be directly observed, measured or dissected. Scientists usually ignore these topics, considering they belong in the realm of theory.
Does faith really require a leap in the dark? Is it based on speculation only? I do not think so. No one trusts anything without out some evidence that warrants their trust.
Electricity is an example. It is invisible but the average person can test it by the results it produces. We simply plug in our appliances. If they work, believe in the presence and power of electricity. If they do not, then electricity is either absent or worthless. If it did not do anything, we would have no reason to rely on it.
Also notice that the evidence is produced by the object of our reliance. It is not trust or faith in it that makes electricity work; electricity makes trust possible. That is, electricity that we cannot see causes something to happen that we can see, so we can believe in the power behind it.
Faith in God is like that. God is also invisible but He showed Israel what He is like through His activity on their behalf and through the words He spoke using His prophets. Because of the evidence, the people of God believed He is real.
God’s ultimate evidence of Himself occurred when He appeared in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ is God’s fullest revelation, the “exact representation of His being,” incarnate in a human body. When anyone seriously examines this evidence, they are convinced that God is real and they put their faith in Him and in Jesus Christ. This faith is not something believers conjure up in their minds, nor does it exist independently of the evidence. Christian faith is based on God-given evidence.
No matter what people decide to believe in, something convinces them that the object of their faith is worthy. If only one in twenty-five outlets in a house makes the toaster work, few would have any faith in the wiring in that house. If Christ had not demonstrated His worth, no one would ever say, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain...”
Christ demonstrated God’s grace, goodness and power. Because of what He has done, we have enough evidence to believe He is worthy and He can be trusted.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)