Bridge across The Mississippi River On US 60 at the meeting with the Ohio River I am not sure what I want to write about today but have a very strong desire to write something to you all.
In the past weeks I have had many experiences and discussions regarding my God. My experiences are usually the impetus for my articles but I have had far too many to choose just one to write about or find a scripture to relate it to, so I think today I am going to write about my most favorite of all subjects "Faith".
Ancient Israel in the beginning of the Exodus, had been rescued by God from the taskmasters of Egypt through the persons of Moses and Aaron. Those Israelite's had seen first hand the mighty works that God had used to get the Pharaoh to let them leave, and not just leave as beggars but, as conquerors, taking the spoil of their masters without war.
Israel to this very day has never forgot that part of their history yet they quickly forgot the God who was the real rescuer. They saw Moses, they heard Aaron, but where and who is this Yahweh? It was only three days after having been rescued from Pharaoh's army through the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, that they came whining and complaining, not to God, but to Moses. Hmmm, Just who did they have faith in??
None believers tend to have confidence in only what they can touch, hear or see. I find that a bit amusing since they can not see or touch, thought or feelings, yet many live by those very senses.
Jesus told us, in the book of John, at a well in Sumeria, talking to a women of that region, one of ill repute and shunned by nearly all but her boyfriend, " But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. " (John 4).
How do we worship Him in Spirit and truth?
It is thru faith.
Faith is like the bridge in the photo, all around us the world is a blur, we cannot see to the safety of the other side but our belief that the bridge is there, that there is an "other side" is our guiding light. And when we reach the safety of the other side our faith is turned to worship, meaning gratitude. Yeah I know it's a funky analogy, but hey, I had to work the photo into this article somehow.
Faith is our belief, and as someone said, "What we believe in is what we act on."
Abraham believed God so he acted on that belief. Moses believed God so acted on that belief, David believed God so he acted on that belief and as the writer of Hebrews said:
Heb 11:32 "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:"
No one has ever better defined faith than the writer of Hebrews:
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Sometimes the seen gets in the way of believing in the unseen. We see the mess we have made of our life, yet God sees an opportunity to show you just how great He is. Making a gratitude list is one way of overcoming our lack of faith. If the Israelis had done this they would not have fallen into the sin of "Tempting God" (Exodus 17:7).
Another hindrance to our faith is unrepented sin. This is where the Ten Commandments although no longer the way of righteousness, can help us to grow in faith. When used as a inventory of our life they can help us to find hidden sin that is hindering our growth in the Lord and in faith.
Tonight at midnight our reckoning of time begins over with a New Year. This is a great time to make a new commitment to our Lord to grow more in Faith. Its a great time to asses the growth we have made and thank God for it. If you are unpracticed in this process I would like to suggest you download my free book, "Ten Commandments, A Guide to Holiness" and the Inventory sheet that goes with it" You can do so by going to the download page, clicking on the link and saving the file to your computer.
May God richly bless you in the coming year not just with wealth and happiness but with great and unmovable faith in Him
In the past weeks I have had many experiences and discussions regarding my God. My experiences are usually the impetus for my articles but I have had far too many to choose just one to write about or find a scripture to relate it to, so I think today I am going to write about my most favorite of all subjects "Faith".
Ancient Israel in the beginning of the Exodus, had been rescued by God from the taskmasters of Egypt through the persons of Moses and Aaron. Those Israelite's had seen first hand the mighty works that God had used to get the Pharaoh to let them leave, and not just leave as beggars but, as conquerors, taking the spoil of their masters without war.
Israel to this very day has never forgot that part of their history yet they quickly forgot the God who was the real rescuer. They saw Moses, they heard Aaron, but where and who is this Yahweh? It was only three days after having been rescued from Pharaoh's army through the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, that they came whining and complaining, not to God, but to Moses. Hmmm, Just who did they have faith in??
None believers tend to have confidence in only what they can touch, hear or see. I find that a bit amusing since they can not see or touch, thought or feelings, yet many live by those very senses.
Jesus told us, in the book of John, at a well in Sumeria, talking to a women of that region, one of ill repute and shunned by nearly all but her boyfriend, " But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. " (John 4).
How do we worship Him in Spirit and truth?
It is thru faith.
Faith is like the bridge in the photo, all around us the world is a blur, we cannot see to the safety of the other side but our belief that the bridge is there, that there is an "other side" is our guiding light. And when we reach the safety of the other side our faith is turned to worship, meaning gratitude. Yeah I know it's a funky analogy, but hey, I had to work the photo into this article somehow.
Faith is our belief, and as someone said, "What we believe in is what we act on."
Abraham believed God so he acted on that belief. Moses believed God so acted on that belief, David believed God so he acted on that belief and as the writer of Hebrews said:
Heb 11:32 "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:"
No one has ever better defined faith than the writer of Hebrews:
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Sometimes the seen gets in the way of believing in the unseen. We see the mess we have made of our life, yet God sees an opportunity to show you just how great He is. Making a gratitude list is one way of overcoming our lack of faith. If the Israelis had done this they would not have fallen into the sin of "Tempting God" (Exodus 17:7).
Another hindrance to our faith is unrepented sin. This is where the Ten Commandments although no longer the way of righteousness, can help us to grow in faith. When used as a inventory of our life they can help us to find hidden sin that is hindering our growth in the Lord and in faith.
Tonight at midnight our reckoning of time begins over with a New Year. This is a great time to make a new commitment to our Lord to grow more in Faith. Its a great time to asses the growth we have made and thank God for it. If you are unpracticed in this process I would like to suggest you download my free book, "Ten Commandments, A Guide to Holiness" and the Inventory sheet that goes with it" You can do so by going to the download page, clicking on the link and saving the file to your computer.
May God richly bless you in the coming year not just with wealth and happiness but with great and unmovable faith in Him
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