What's faith?
Faith, to me is not just trusting, but rather believing and surrendering our all to God. Faith is accepting God as the center of our lives and placing everything that we have into his hands. Faith can be expressed as that toward future things (what we hope for) or that toward invisible things ( what we cannot see). When we are certain and completely believe without a shred of doubt that God is in control of these areas, that's faith.
When we believe that this universe is created at God's command, is it not faith? By the same faith, what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
When we carry out what God orders us to do despite the difficulty or impossibility (Noah's ark), is it not faith? By the same faith, what seemed impossible is made possible.
When we believe, in our ignorance, every word of the Bible and accept it as the truth and word of God, is it not faith? By the same faith, ideas are made truths.
Faith requires belief in that which we cannot see - God's provisions and promises for us. An inner attitude does sufficiently demonstrate faith though, for faith comes with obedience. And obedience, in turn, requires an action. Thus, faith is proved through our obedience to God. "Actions speak louder than words"
And faith comes with a price as well, though the cost may vary in significance.
A person that I've always been in awe of is Abraham. His life experience is witnessed in the Bible and truly, we can very much relate to our own lives...
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even thought he did not know where he was going. He was like a stranger in a foreign country. A covenant was made between God and Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, as countless as the sand on the seashore. He believed. He had faith.
And by faith Abraham, even though we was past age and Sarah herself was barren, was enabled to become a father.
Where lies the act, then?
When Abraham was asked to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice to God, he believed that God was in control and that He had a greater purpose for him in fulfilling the covenant made. He obeyed. Is it not touching? Abraham is the only man, to my knowledge, who was put to the test of having to sacrifice his one and only son. He is the only man who could relate to what God went through in sacrificing Christ for mankind. And Abraham with his amazing, unshakable faith, obeyed without a moment of hesitance. The price of his faith? His son Isaac, of course. Yes, he did not die in the end, but at times, the cost of a cause need not be in actual, physical, or material form - Abraham was fully conscious that his son's life was at stake and yet, he obeyed willingly. And that is all that MATTERS. That is what makes a difference to the world, to our relationship with God. Our faith.
Of course, not all of us go through what Abraham or Paul or any saint had undergone. Some of us are just the man in the street, the average person living a simple life. However, faith is what makes up our lives. Faith is what drives the wheels of the life-train we are riding. Without faith, we live without purpose, without hope.
And we can demonstrate faith through the simple things we do... Praying and believing that God can stop the rain for us, and if to no avail, believing that He has other plans for us. In the face of setbacks, by faith, we take a positive attitude toward God's providence for us and move on. When we pray, we must also have faith in God, in His timing. If we pray for strength, He may not give us physical or mental strength directly, but place us in situations where we can develop that which we have asked for. If we ask to have the courage to share the Gospel, He may place certain friends around us and give us a chance to do so. If we ask to become a better, kinder person, He may somehow allow us to meet, perhaps, an old lady who needs help crossing the road or carrying heavy, cumbersome shopping bags...
Faith requires an action. And this action can be that simple and made possible by God in our everyday lives. God gives us the chance, the road for us to walk. What matters ultimately is our decision and whether we manage to see and grasp that chance. So grab every opportunity that you see and don't let it slip through your hands like grain!!!
In the end, faith comes with acceptance. Even for non-Christians, acceptance is a vital aspect of the way we should live our lives. Accept that certain things are beyond our control, and for us Christians, accept that everything is under God's control. If we keep trying to hold onto our lives and run our lives as we deem fit, then all the more we will lose it. Accept, in times of difficulty and trials, that God has a greater purpose for us, perhaps He wants us to become a better person. Accept, and have faith.
Live and let live.
Live and let God run our lives.
Faith, to me is not just trusting, but rather believing and surrendering our all to God. Faith is accepting God as the center of our lives and placing everything that we have into his hands. Faith can be expressed as that toward future things (what we hope for) or that toward invisible things ( what we cannot see). When we are certain and completely believe without a shred of doubt that God is in control of these areas, that's faith.
When we believe that this universe is created at God's command, is it not faith? By the same faith, what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
When we carry out what God orders us to do despite the difficulty or impossibility (Noah's ark), is it not faith? By the same faith, what seemed impossible is made possible.
When we believe, in our ignorance, every word of the Bible and accept it as the truth and word of God, is it not faith? By the same faith, ideas are made truths.
Faith requires belief in that which we cannot see - God's provisions and promises for us. An inner attitude does sufficiently demonstrate faith though, for faith comes with obedience. And obedience, in turn, requires an action. Thus, faith is proved through our obedience to God. "Actions speak louder than words"
And faith comes with a price as well, though the cost may vary in significance.
A person that I've always been in awe of is Abraham. His life experience is witnessed in the Bible and truly, we can very much relate to our own lives...
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even thought he did not know where he was going. He was like a stranger in a foreign country. A covenant was made between God and Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, as countless as the sand on the seashore. He believed. He had faith.
And by faith Abraham, even though we was past age and Sarah herself was barren, was enabled to become a father.
Where lies the act, then?
When Abraham was asked to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice to God, he believed that God was in control and that He had a greater purpose for him in fulfilling the covenant made. He obeyed. Is it not touching? Abraham is the only man, to my knowledge, who was put to the test of having to sacrifice his one and only son. He is the only man who could relate to what God went through in sacrificing Christ for mankind. And Abraham with his amazing, unshakable faith, obeyed without a moment of hesitance. The price of his faith? His son Isaac, of course. Yes, he did not die in the end, but at times, the cost of a cause need not be in actual, physical, or material form - Abraham was fully conscious that his son's life was at stake and yet, he obeyed willingly. And that is all that MATTERS. That is what makes a difference to the world, to our relationship with God. Our faith.
Of course, not all of us go through what Abraham or Paul or any saint had undergone. Some of us are just the man in the street, the average person living a simple life. However, faith is what makes up our lives. Faith is what drives the wheels of the life-train we are riding. Without faith, we live without purpose, without hope.
And we can demonstrate faith through the simple things we do... Praying and believing that God can stop the rain for us, and if to no avail, believing that He has other plans for us. In the face of setbacks, by faith, we take a positive attitude toward God's providence for us and move on. When we pray, we must also have faith in God, in His timing. If we pray for strength, He may not give us physical or mental strength directly, but place us in situations where we can develop that which we have asked for. If we ask to have the courage to share the Gospel, He may place certain friends around us and give us a chance to do so. If we ask to become a better, kinder person, He may somehow allow us to meet, perhaps, an old lady who needs help crossing the road or carrying heavy, cumbersome shopping bags...
Faith requires an action. And this action can be that simple and made possible by God in our everyday lives. God gives us the chance, the road for us to walk. What matters ultimately is our decision and whether we manage to see and grasp that chance. So grab every opportunity that you see and don't let it slip through your hands like grain!!!
In the end, faith comes with acceptance. Even for non-Christians, acceptance is a vital aspect of the way we should live our lives. Accept that certain things are beyond our control, and for us Christians, accept that everything is under God's control. If we keep trying to hold onto our lives and run our lives as we deem fit, then all the more we will lose it. Accept, in times of difficulty and trials, that God has a greater purpose for us, perhaps He wants us to become a better person. Accept, and have faith.
Live and let live.
Live and let God run our lives.
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