Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Luke 17:5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
FAITH IN GOD
I'm sure that you've noticed that the word "faith" is used in a variety of ways today.
If you tell your children you have faith in them that they will make the right decisions, you mean that you are reasonably confident that they will make the right decision.
When people say they have "faith" in God, they can sometimes mean that they are reasonably certain that God exists. Then again, some folks mean that they have some confidence in God . . . whoever He is.
When the Bible speaks of faith it doesn't speak of something shallow or indecisive. Faith is absolute confidence in God through absolute confidence in Christ Jesus.
If you stand behind your child and tell them to fall backwards and you'll catch them, do they hesitate? If you have a little child, will they jump from the bed into your arms or to you in the swimming pool without hesitation? If so, then we might say your child has a healthy measure of trust in you.
Faith in Christ is absolute confidence in Him. It means being confident that if I stumble, He will catch me. If sickness or pain or trouble comes to me, He will stand by me. If I'm hated and cursed by men, He still loves me. When I die, whenever and however that happens, I will go to be with Him.
I trust in Him, and that means that when I die His life and death will be my salvation. It's not that we are confident because of what some boastfully call "my faith," rather it's the one in whom we trust. He makes us confident.
Faith is complete confidence in Jesus Christ and what He has done. It isn't just knowing about god or knowing the answers to certain questions.
Faith is also a humble thing. We understand that what we have is a gift of God. We don't boast in ourselves, but in Christ. It's not that I'm strong, it's the fact that Jesus my Lord is strong and He strengthens me through His Word.
