A friend of mine who is now deceased (Rest In Peace, Richie) once asked me about a riddle that had him stumped. It was one of those catchy riddles that wasn’t long but it did make you think and it went something like this: fear knocked at the door but faith answered and fear fled. This is a simple message with a great meaning.
Yes, I’ve written so much about faith because it is one of the pillars of a Christian’s walk. We are told that we cannot please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is not just something that we use here and there when we are in trouble but is something that should be a part of our daily walk here on Earth and with our Savior. Faith is our badge, our shield, and is our lifeline.
As I’ve grown and matured in my walk with Christ, I have learned that faith is a must and for different reasons. Yes, we need faith to please God, that’s a given, but we also need faith to keep our heads afloat and from drowning in doubt and anxiety. Personally, I have family members and acquaintances that are nonbelievers and it’s hard for me to fathom how they can wake up each day without believing in something.
Of course, they do believe in something as a belief in nothing is still a belief in something but I cannot grasp how someone can look at the beauties and wonders of this world and not see there’s a God. Scripture tells us that God is present within nature and He is alive in all things (Psalms 8:3-4). This does not mean that God and nature, or the universe, are identical or the same but God does show Himself through His creation.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
—Romans 1:20
There are many examples of faith within scripture and none of them require a person to be perfect. Perfection is unattainable for us here below and while this is said time and time again, many people still repeat this worn out line about not being good enough to come to Christ. One of the best illustrations of coming to God and being saved through faith is that of the thief on the cross. While two thieves hung next to Christ, one on each side of Him, one accepted Him while the other rejected and mocked Him.
The one that accepted Him was given a ticket to Heaven and all eternity with Christ while the other one, well, wishing he had as his eternity is not nearly as blissful as the other thief. Both of these men were being put to death for their heinous crimes against the land but still, Christ offered them eternal life. Christ is the ultimate example of what forgiveness means as He offered it to everyone alive, then, and still does now. We are saved through Grace and nothing that we can do will earn us a ticket to Heaven but through faith, we are saved not because we are righteous but rather, because Christ loves us.
Once we start focusing on the target, which is Christ, then we can forget about the things of this world and the things that we have done. The things that we have done may define who we are to people but they do not to God. Our faith in Him regardless of what we have done is what God looks for even if our faith is small. Christ tells us that the faith of a mustard seed will produce great results.
Our walk with Christ will build and grow our faith as we see what He does and we learn to trust in Him and once we do, our lives will forever be changed and, again, the thief on the cross illustrates this as he produced bad fruit and did nothing good for this Earth but because he believed on Christ and had faith in Christ, we now resides in paradise with Christ and his faith was of a mustard seed.
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
—2 Peter 3:18
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