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"The Substance of Things Hoped For!"
by Karin Paparelli
Faith. According to Webster's Dictionary, faith is defined as (1) Belief
without proof, especially in God; confidence, reliance. (2) Loyalty; fidelity
to an agreement or promise. (3) A religious creed. The scriptures define
faith as " the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). What is faith to you? Is your faith subjective
or is it absolute? Do you believe without proof some things while not
others?
The eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews speaks specifically of faith,
beginning with its definition and then producing examples of people who
have lived and died according to their faith in God and His promises.
From Abraham through Stephen, from Noah to Joshua these saints operated
in faith. They are our "great cloud of witnesses", they were
also ordinary people living extraordinary lives by faith.
The word of God says that each has been given a measure of faith, so we
know that all have possession of some faith , however minute it may be.
Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 that with faith as small as a mustard seed,
you could move mountains. So we see that size is not a concern. We also
know that without faith it is impossible to please God. What does that
mean? I believe that faith and trust are interrelated. Look again at the
definition by Webster. The second part of the first definition states
that faith is confidence, reliance. Interestingly, Webster defines trust
as reliance upon, confidence in. How can you please God if you do not
trust Him? You can't. How can you trust God if you never have? Simple,
you have been given a measure of faith. It resides in you, you need only
exercise it. As you do you will see that God is indeed trustworthy, and
you will be able to trust Him for more.
Another interesting feature about faith is that faith doesn't always mean
success by the world standards. God's ways are higher than man's ways,
His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Dare we presume to know what
God is thinking? Look again at the great men and women of faith from the
Bible. Abraham was told his children would inherit a promised land, yet
he did not live to see it happen. Moses, by the power of God, led the
Israelites out of Egypt and slavery to a promised land yet he never lived
to reside there. But how many more lived to receive their inheritance
or promise while living. Abraham fathered a son at 100 years old, Joshua
witnessed the walls of Jericho fall, Noah was spared from the flood, Moses
crossed the Red Sea, Gideon won the battle, David slew Goliath. The list
goes on and on. What did these saints have in common? They remained faithful,
loyal, true, steadfast, unshakable in the face of giants, storms, seas,
armies and persecutions.
Although this may seem like a Biblical history lesson I assure you it
is not intended to be. No, although this message is historical it is also
for today. You may not be called to cross a sea or battle a giant, but
you will require faith just the same. The God of yesterday is the God
of today and the God of tomorrow. We are living in perilous times. The
saints of the new millennium will still need faith to please God. So how's
your faith these days? Have you given it much thought? I have to admit
I've never been big on praying for an increase of faith. Call it fear
if you will, but I heard a testimony a while back of a woman who asked
God to increase her faith and then suffered the most challenging year
of her life. When it was all over, she testified that her faith had grown
incredibly. At that moment I decided faith was highly overrated. Oh I've
prayed for an increase of wisdom, courage, joy, compassion, mercy, grace,
love, you name it, just not faith. I reasoned I could get by just fine
with what I had. Wrong!
Just this week, I received information that jolted my faith. I couldn't
help but think, 'was I wrong to believe? Maybe I didn't hear from God
what I thought I had? Had I heard from God at all?' These types of questions
are what I'd call DOUBT!! The exact opposite of faith. I could believe
as long as all of the evidence pointed in the right direction. As long
as my circumstances corroborated with my belief, I was OK. Suddenly they
didn't. The circumstances shifted and everything looked like it would
fail. What was I to do? Believe the circumstances that confronted me or
believe God? This is what James, Jesus' brother, was speaking of when
he wrote, "he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed
by the wind." Where is your security? In circumstance? That can change
in the blink of an eye. We need to rely upon something more sure than
what we see. More sure than what we feel. We need to rely on God. But
to believe God despite my circumstances would take faith, a whole lot
of faith. Was I ready to pray for that kind of faith? I would be foolish
not to. Only God knows what lies down the road of life for me and I'd
better trust Him to bring me along, in any way that He sees fit. It is
a matter of trust. Do I trust that God will take care of me? Do I trust
Him to arrange and re-arrange the circumstances that confront me? Do I
truly believe that God is sovereign? Am I willing to stand in faith for
what I believe? Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes. What else can I say? My life is
to please God so I will choose to trust Him and not what surrounds me.
How about you? Will you be tossed at sea? Trust God and walk by faith
and not by sight.
May you walk in His Grace. Thy kingdom come!
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