FAITH

(PART 2)

There are many examples of faith throughout the Bible. By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain; by faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; by faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family; however, none of them strike me as much as Abraham and Sarah.

We all know that there are consequences to any action we take. What we do can set into motion a series of events that may continue long after we gone. Unfortunately, when we are making a decision most of us think only of the immediate consequences. These are often misleading because they are short-lived.

Abraham had a choice to make. His decision was between setting out with his family and belongings for parts unknown or staying right where he was. He had to decide between the security of what he already had and the uncertainty of travelling under God's direction. All he had to go on was God's promise to guide and bless him. Abraham could hardly have been expected to visualize how much of the future was resting on his decision of whether to go or to stay, but his obedience affected the history of the world. His decision to follow God set into motion the development of the nation that God would eventually use as His own when He visited earth Himself, and thus fulfilling God's promise that through Abraham the entirely world was blessed.

There probably isn't anything harder to do than wait, whether we are expecting something good, something bad, or an unknown. One way we often cope with a long wait (or even a shorter one) is to begin helping God get His plan into action. Sarah tried this approach. She was too old to expect to have a child of her own, so the though God had something else in mind.

Another way we cope with a long wait is to gradually conclude that what we're waiting for is never going to happen. Sarah waited 90 years for a baby!

When God told her she would finally have one of her own, she laughed, not so much from a lack of faith in what God could do, but from doubt about what He could do through her. When confronted about her laughter, she lied. She probably didn't want her true feelings to be known.

How could Abraham or Sarah doubt God? It seemed incredible that both in their advanced years could have a child. Abraham, the man God considered righteous because of his faith, and Sarah, a woman of faith, in fact, the first woman to be listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, had trouble believing God's promise. Despite their doubts, however, both Abraham and Sarah followed God's commands. Even people of great faith may have doubts. When God seems to want the impossible, and we begin to doubt His leading, we must be like Abraham and Sarah and focus on God's commitment to fulfill His promises to us.

Let us, then, absorb the values of the lessons from their lives:

*God desires dependence, trust, and faith in Him - not faith in our ability to please Him;

*God's plan from the beginning has been to make Himself known to all people;

* God responds to faith even in the midst of failure;

And last but not least, *God is not bound by what usually happens; He can stretch the limits and cause unheard of events to occur.

Hebrews 11:6 says: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

Believing that God exists is only the beginning; even the demons believe that much. God will not settle for mere acknowledgement of His existence. He wants your faith to lead to a personal, dynamic relationship. You might argue 'But does faith make sense, really?' Does one believe because faith makes sense, or because faith doesn't need to make sense? Some Christians think people cannot understand God and should not try. Others believe that nothing true is irrational, including true faith. The truth is, God gave us minds that should be developed and used. I totally agree that to ignore intellectual growth is to live a stunted and naive life. God wants our trust and faith, even while we ponder and wonder about so many matters mysterious to us. Even so, we do not believe in a void or leap into the dark. Faith is reasonable, though reason alone cannot explain the whole of it. So let's use our minds to think things through, but leave room for the unexplained works of God.

Faith combine assurance and anticipation!

Faith is to be sure and certain. These two qualities need a secure beginning and ending point. The beginning point of faith is believing in God's character - he is who He says. The end point is believing in God's promises - He will do what He says. When we believe that God will fulfill His promises even though we don't see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith.

It is natural that at any given time, we show traits of skepticism. Many times we need to doubt before we believe. If doubt leads to questions, questions leads to answers, and the answers are accepted, then doubt has done good work. It is when doubt becomes stubbornness and stubbornness becomes a prideful lifestyle that doubt harms faith. When you doubt, don't stop there. Let your doubt deepen your faith as you continue searching for an answer.

Consulting material : NIV Application Study Bible