Understanding faith is no
easy task, yet there are some happenings in history, both inside and outside of
the Bible, that describe the reality and the price and the rewards of
faith.
One of those is the founding
of this country where we are blessed to live.
People through hundreds of years have fought for our freedom, and this
week is the birthday of our constitution.
If you look at the document we know as the “declaration of
independence”, you will meet people who took their faith seriously. Those who signed it knew that their lives
were in danger. It took courage to sign
it.
Listening to the stories of
the people who fought for our freedom or even travel back further to those who
sought a new home, and you will hear stories of faith, courage and desire to
worship as they wanted to. America was
founded because of faith. It is amazing
to come to understand real freedom and faith are synonyms.
It is impossible to have
real freedom without faith. Freedom from
oppression where you can’t worship, freedom from fear, freedom from addiction,
freedom from … you name it. The real
word for freedom is FAITH, and it must be rightly placed faith.
Faith is the confidence that what we
hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot
see.
Faith is reality for those
who have experienced God. Yet often we
have a onetime experience that makes no difference in our lives and leaves us
unchanged, not challenged and frustrated.
That is not God. Real faith
leaves us changed.
The people who founded the
United States of America understand that faith was seen in action. Who are the people you know or have seen live
by faith?
Faith acts. Faith puts into practice what we say we
believe. The people of Hebrews 11
understood that faith is tied to what we do and what we say. They go hand in hand. In fact the people around the people of faith
believed they understood faith because they saw it in living color.
Pleasing God is the part of
faith that the world misses. People say
they have faith, yet there is something missing. There is a piece that just won’t line
up. It is because of placing faith in
the wrong things.
We put faith in people. Has someone ever disappointed you that you
believe in? We put faith and trust in
money. Have you ever run out of
money? On the list goes, and that is why
God has to be where our faith is placed and why we have faith and the origin of
faith.
And it is impossible to please God
without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and
that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Believe God and have an on
going relationship with Him. Pleasing
God is a big deal. I believe that God
called me to be on mission with Him.
Often that seems to be mission impossible.
Faith moves mountains. Faith accepts responsibility. Faith takes God at face value and experiences
life on steroids. Faith believes and
hopes the best and offers grace to people, even to the people that hurt
you. Faith takes the next step even when
it seems failure is possible and fear is rampant.
I want to suggest that being
on mission with God means that we have to live with courage and believe what
God says. Faith literally lives with
courage.
No comments:
Post a Comment