What is Faith?

Chuckle: When the Smith family moved into their new house, a visiting grandparent asked five-year old Tommy how he liked the new place. “It’s great,” he said. “I have my own room, Alex has his own room, and Jamie has her own room. But poor Mom is still in with Dad.”

Quote: “Faith convinces us of the reality not only of the things which we cannot see but also of those which we cannot feel.” --Hubert van Zeller

"What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot see. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith" (Hebrews 11:1-2 NLT).

It is often difficult for us to accept as reality the things we cannot see, hear, or feel with our physical senses. Some people never get to the point of seeing reality through the eyes of faith. Until we can rest assured and are confident that God is who He says He is and that what He has promised will actually happen, we cannot exercise the kind of faith that pleases God. "So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him" (vs. 6).

How much of God do you have to see to convince you that He is God and to believe that He loves you; that He sent Jesus Christ to be crucified and die as the atoning sacrifice for your sins; that Jesus arose from the dead on the third day; that He ascended into heaven; and will come again one day to claim all those whose immortal souls have been saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Do you truly believe all these attributes and actions by God as revealed in the Bible, God's Holy Word? "By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen" (vs. 3).

The great Biblical characters had these things in common -- they believed in the reality of God; they believed God’s promises; they trusted God’s faithfulness; they obeyed God's commands; they were approved by God for their faith (vs. 2b); and were (or will be) rewarded for their faith. “All of these people we have mentioned received God’s approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race” (vv. 39-40).

“The desert is seemingly void of all life, but given a little rainfall, life springs into existence and beauty. Life is there, but it is dormant. Unbelief is like that. It is the desert of one’s being. But the potential for life is there and needs only to be watered by faith to spring into existence and beauty.” --Illustrations For Biblical Preaching; Edited by Michael P. Green

When we get to the point that we trust God to keep His promises even when we may not see all the promises fulfilled in our lifetime, we are demonstrating the kind of genuine faith that pleases God.

Love, Jerry & Dotse