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Gotta' Have Faith
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EXAMPLE ONE
FIRST EXAMPLE
But before he begins sharing specific names and stories, he includes a broad example of faith in verse 3 (TPT), “Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words! He spoke and the invisible realm gave birth to all that is seen.” Faith, in many ways, begins at this point…with creation.
Let the scientists study and research and attempt to re-create the time and event called creation all they want (we must be aware that they will arrive at many “false” theories first). We Christians, more than anyone else, long for scientists to discover the truth; for there is no possible way for something to be created out of nothing without a Divine Creator. Even if you envision that the smallest particle of matter, or an energy wave, or even a particular law of the universe existed first in order to begin the “process” of creation, it had to get here somehow…someway.
So, once again, our faith is not a blind leap from a cliff; not even close. A sensible, logical person must arrive at the same conclusion. There is a Higher, “unseen” Power or Creator working “behind the scenes.” Again, it is considered “faith” because we cannot literally, physically see, touch, feel, or interview God (the “unseen” of this passage) about it. Yet we believe God is definitely the Creator and Designer.
As a result of that initial belief in a divine Creator, the next logical step forces us to ask further questions and search for answers. What is God like? What does He want from me? What is my purpose for being here? We, as believers, do not dissuade anyone from asking these types of “faith” questions. As a matter of fact, we wholeheartedly want people to begin their own diligent search for the truth!
CONCLUSION
We have gotten off to a good start in our discussion about faith. Faith is our foundation, our support that undergirds our entire “God Life.” It is a total trust in the “unseen” that governs the “seen.” It is an absolute certainty that God will deliver on all of His promises.
There exists a type of “false faith” (or possibly better referred to as a “half-hearted” or “incomplete” faith) that is merely a mental acceptance of a statement or person or thing or event. Everyone must begin here. If we are sincere in our search for trust, we should eventually come to the conclusion of the existence of an unseen God who created the “seen” or known universe, that Jesus Christ was (is) a real (historical) person, that He was (is) who He claimed to be, that heaven is a legitimate place, and so on.
However, what we do not want to do is merely add these to our lengthy list of other facts stored in an unnamed folder on our hard drive, never to access them again. No, we must paste these truths on our computer desktop display page or as our phone screensaver where they stare directly into our eyes throughout each and every day.
Why? Because if these things are true, then everything changes! If there is a God, then discovering more about Him MUST…MUST be more important than posting on Facebook or Tweeting or shopping online or playing golf or spending time with family or making some extra money. As a matter of fact, it must be more important than eating or sleeping!
FIRST EXAMPLE
But before he begins sharing specific names and stories, he includes a broad example of faith in verse 3 (TPT), “Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words! He spoke and the invisible realm gave birth to all that is seen.” Faith, in many ways, begins at this point…with creation.
Let the scientists study and research and attempt to re-create the time and event called creation all they want (we must be aware that they will arrive at many “false” theories first). We Christians, more than anyone else, long for scientists to discover the truth; for there is no possible way for something to be created out of nothing without a Divine Creator. Even if you envision that the smallest particle of matter, or an energy wave, or even a particular law of the universe existed first in order to begin the “process” of creation, it had to get here somehow…someway.
So, once again, our faith is not a blind leap from a cliff; not even close. A sensible, logical person must arrive at the same conclusion. There is a Higher, “unseen” Power or Creator working “behind the scenes.” Again, it is considered “faith” because we cannot literally, physically see, touch, feel, or interview God (the “unseen” of this passage) about it. Yet we believe God is definitely the Creator and Designer.
As a result of that initial belief in a divine Creator, the next logical step forces us to ask further questions and search for answers. What is God like? What does He want from me? What is my purpose for being here? We, as believers, do not dissuade anyone from asking these types of “faith” questions. As a matter of fact, we wholeheartedly want people to begin their own diligent search for the truth!
CONCLUSION
We have gotten off to a good start in our discussion about faith. Faith is our foundation, our support that undergirds our entire “God Life.” It is a total trust in the “unseen” that governs the “seen.” It is an absolute certainty that God will deliver on all of His promises.
There exists a type of “false faith” (or possibly better referred to as a “half-hearted” or “incomplete” faith) that is merely a mental acceptance of a statement or person or thing or event. Everyone must begin here. If we are sincere in our search for trust, we should eventually come to the conclusion of the existence of an unseen God who created the “seen” or known universe, that Jesus Christ was (is) a real (historical) person, that He was (is) who He claimed to be, that heaven is a legitimate place, and so on.
However, what we do not want to do is merely add these to our lengthy list of other facts stored in an unnamed folder on our hard drive, never to access them again. No, we must paste these truths on our computer desktop display page or as our phone screensaver where they stare directly into our eyes throughout each and every day.
Why? Because if these things are true, then everything changes! If there is a God, then discovering more about Him MUST…MUST be more important than posting on Facebook or Tweeting or shopping online or playing golf or spending time with family or making some extra money. As a matter of fact, it must be more important than eating or sleeping!
