Month: March 2022

Little Faith, Faith, and Great Faith

suzieinglis
Photo by Tobi on Pexels.com

Would you like to join me for a little boat ride on the lake? Wonderful! I must warn you though, the weather is going to get quite rough. Don’t worry; we’ll be just fine.

Can you imagine being on a boat when a furious storm comes up? Would you have faith in the captain to get you out of danger? Let’s look at the disciples’ faith when they encountered this situation.

23 “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:23-27

In the midst of the storm, the disciples’ fear was greater than their faith.

Though it would be easy to blame the disciples for their lack of faith, I’m sure many of us have fallen into that same problem. During the storms of our lives, we allow our fear to grow instead of our faith.

Jesus points out the disciples’ “little faith” and asks why they are so afraid, right before He rebukes the winds and the waves to bring calm. What’s the lesson for the disciples, and for us?

Jesus has authority over nature – have faith in Him.

In Matthew 9:1-8, we see another example of faith. This time, it’s not “little faith.” In this account, we read about some men who bring a paralyzed man to Jesus. What does Jesus notice about them? Their faith! The fact that they brought this man to Him was an act of faith. It’s notable though that He doesn’t heal the man physically right away. What does He do? He forgives the man’s sins.

“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son: your sins are forgiven.”

However, just as Jesus proved His authority over nature, here He proves His authority to forgive sins. Verse 6 reads, “’But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.’”

What was the lesson for the teachers of the law who thought Jesus was blaspheming and for us? Jesus has authority to forgive sins. Have faith in Him.

Our last example shows us an unexpected someone of “great faith.” You can read the account in Matthew 8:5-13.

A centurion approaches Jesus and asks Him to heal his servant who is at home, paralyzed and suffering. Jesus asks the centurion, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion humbly said he didn’t deserve to have Jesus under his roof. Instead, he told Jesus, “just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes…”

Now comes Jesus’ response, which is worth reading slowly. “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, ‘Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such GREAT FAITH.’” (v. 10 emphasis mine).

What made this Roman soldier’s faith so great?

  1. He didn’t consider himself worthy to have Jesus come under his roof (humility).
    1. One commentator noted: “Humble souls are made more humble by Christ’s gracious dealings with them.”
  2. The Centurion told Jesus to just “say the word.”
    1. He had faith Jesus could heal by His word alone. This is what we see in the creation account in Genesis. God spoke and it was done.
  3. The centurion had faith that Jesus has Divine power and command over all that is under him – the creatures of nature and nature itself. He recognized what so many of Jesus’ followers failed to recognize. Jesus not only has the ability to heal sickness, He has the AUTHORITY to heal sickness. The centurion had FAITH that whatever Jesus told the sickness to do, it would do, because He has authority over it just as the centurion was under authority and had soldiers under him.

As we think about how to live out our faith, we can learn a few things from the Centurion:

  1. We can recognize the authority Jesus has over everyone and everything
  2. We can humble ourselves
  3. We can submit ourselves under His authority

I know the word “submit” can carry some negative connotations, so I would encourage you to read my post Surrender vs. Submit. And let’s remember that we are submitted to:

  • the One who created the heavens and the earth.
  • the one who loved us so much, He who was sinless, took on all sin and died that we might be reconciled to God.
  • the One who forgives sins.
  • the One who prepares a place for us in heaven, the One who gives us an inheritance that awaits us…and the list goes on.

Phew! What a boat ride we went on today. May we be people of GREAT FAITH, who trust our Captain, whether for ourselves or for others in the midst of storms, sickness and sin.

Let us go be radiant this week!

Running the Race

suzieinglis

Are you a runner? I really admire runners. Runners have such dedication, commitment, endurance through good weather and bad, through rough terrain and smooth.

I always struggled with long distance running. When I had to run the mile in school, I thought I was going to keel over and die every year. It wasn’t just the physical part I struggled with – there was a psychological element too. As my heart pounded louder and louder and my legs ached with exhaustion, I remember thinking things like, “I’m never going to be able to do this, I can’t do this…”. I just didn’t have the confidence and I certainly didn’t have the perseverance. It might have helped if I’d had a coach or a trainer – someone who was an expert in running.

Now that you know this about me, you can probably imagine how I cringed ever so slightly as I read about the topic of faith (see my previous blogpost What is Faith?) in Hebrews and came across this passage:

12 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Hebrews 12:1-3

The author says “…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” Not only are the Hebrews instructed to RUN, but they are also to do so with “perseverance” and in a race nonetheless!

Have you ever wondered what that race is exactly?

I always assumed it was a generalized metaphor for the Christian life, but as I studied it, it’s actually more specific. One commentator writes that it is: “The persevering obedience of faith in Christ.” In the end, the Hebrews were either going to win the crown of glory or have everlasting misery. That was the “race” set before them.

If we, like the Hebrew believers, have the same “race” set before us, which I believe we do, then how do we run it well? Answering this question is key in helping us know how to practically and tangibly live out our faith on a daily basis.

Hebrews 12:1 gives us the first step: 

By throwing off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

What do professional runners wear? Hardly anything, right? They don’t want anything to slow them down or hinder them.

When we apply this same idea to our Christian lives, we need to remember that there are things in our lives that weigh us down. They might not even be sinful per se, but they might be influencing our ability to run well. What kinds of things in your life might be hindering your ability to have persevering obedience of faith in Christ?

We also have to recognize that our sins – whether they be from habits, circumstances, things we’re exposed to, or things we willfully choose, hinder us from running our race well. How? They entangle us so that we are flailing about instead of running with smooth, steady strides.

We need to throw off those sins, which requires intention and effort on our part. Would you allow me to encourage you to spend some time this week praying that God would reveal to you the sin that needs to be thrown off?

Our sins take away every motive we have for running the race. Who wants to run when they are weighed down or tangled up?

Not only that, our sins give power to discouragement. The author of Hebrews knew this and in chapter 10, he admonishes the believers to encourage one another. Like the Hebrews, we need encouragement to run the race, the persevering obedience in the faith, and we do that by getting rid of sin and spurring one another on.

The second step in how to run our race well according to Hebrews 12 is:

By fixing our eyes on Jesus

We are to look to His holy life; to His patience and perseverance in trials; to what He endured in order to obtain the crown, and to His final success and triumph.

Jesus is the AUTHOR and PERFECTOR of FAITH. The word “author” here indicates that He is the source, the cause.

He is the first and the last as an example of faith or of confidence in God – the most complete model that can be placed before us. He is above all.

The Hebrews, like us, are exhorted to look to him. One commentator noted that the idea of looking to Jesus was as if at the Grecian games there was one who stood before the racer who had previously carried away every victory; who had always been triumphant, and with whom there was no one who could be compared.

I envision running with Jesus right in front of me (He’s running backwards) and He’s making eye contact with me. “You’ve got this Suzie, keep your eyes on me. Don’t look over there.

Isn’t it easy to look at other people and what they have – such a nice house, ooh new car, I just love how she dresses, what a wardrobe!

Jesus is right in front of us giving us direction along the way – “keep your body aligned, don’t be distracted, remember your breathing – I gave you your first breath and I will continue to give you all you need to finish this race.”

We have to remember that WHATEVER Jesus asks us to do is ATTAINABLE!

Jesus is the Finisher of faith. This idea corresponds in meaning with the word “author” above. It means that he is the completer as well as the beginner; the last as well as the first. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last. He occupies this elevated position of being beyond comparison above all others.

The third step to running our race well is:

By fixing our thoughts on Jesus (Hebrews 3:1-6) – even more so when we are weary

3 “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

It’s easy to grow weary when running. When that happens the author of Hebrews instructs them, and us, to:

  • Recall the suffering Jesus endured, to save them and us from eternal misery.
  • Steadfastly look to Jesus, which brings strengthening and keeps carnal desires in check.
  • Frequently consider Jesus. 

Living out our faith means running the race God has marked out for us. The running we do in this race, which is the persevering obedience of faith in Christ, is not something to dread like I did every time I had to run the mile. We actively throw off our sin and keep our thoughts and eyes on Jesus, our Coach, who runs with us, guides us and strengthens us. Our confidence comes from Him.

If your focus starts to blur or you feel yourself getting back into old habits of sin, talk to someone who will pray with you and encourage you to get your eyes back on Jesus.

Let us go be radiant as we run the race set before us.

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What is faith?

suzieinglis

Hello friends! I know, it’s been a while. Though I’ve been silent on the blogging scene, God has still been at work in my life. In fact, He used that time to prepare me for something new.

After attending a women’s conference last spring, I felt strongly, and was encouraged by some close friends, that God wanted me to start a new women’s ministry at my church.

After much prayer, talking with my pastor and other church leaders, I was given the green light and started a ministry called, ARISE, where women can gather, grow and go.

I’m excited to share with you some of the content we’ve been learning about at our ARISE gatherings.

Our topic today: FAITH

We’ll start by looking at Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Now, it seems as if this verse gives us a definition of faith, right? However, after doing a little research, I discovered that some have debated if this is a “definition of what faith is, or in reality a description of what faith does.” (Ellicott’s Commentary for English readers).

I love the idea of “faith does” kind of like Bob Goff’s book, Love Does, because it reminds us that faith, like love, is not passive.

Hebrews 11 is considered by some to be the “Hall of Fame” of faith because the author lists a number of faithful people found in the Bible and what they did to demonstrate their faith. The heading in my Bible for that chapter is “Faith in Action,” which goes back to the idea of “faith does.” The author of Hebrews is explaining the concept of faith by using examples from the Scriptures of people who, by a strong faith in God and in His promises, resisted huge temptations, sustained heavy persecutions, and obeyed, even when it was difficult.

Let’s look at the first part of the definition of faith in Heb. 11:1:

Confidence in what we hope for…

The idea here is that “faith is a confidence that we shall receive the good things for which we hope, and … a foundation or ground for our expecting them;” because by faith we are justified, adopted into God’s family, and heirs of the things for which we hope; namely, eternal life.    Summarized from Benson’s Commentary.

And (this continues our definition in Heb. 11:1)

Assurance (evidence – strict proof, conviction, persuasion or demonstration) about what we do not see

This part of the verse is describing the assurance or evidence we have about the things of God – things that are invisible and eternal. Some might even say that the assurance described is equal to that which our outward senses give us of the things we can see. Our faith is founded upon the veracity and power of God – this is the evidence.

Putting it simply, faith is belief in who God is. Faith is acting on His Word, trusting that He is who He says He is and that His Word is true.

“Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable,

and receives the impossible.”

Corrie Ten Boom

This quote reminds me of the healings we see in the New Testament.

If we read a few verses later in Hebrews 11:6, we can see why it’s important for us to have this kind of faith.  “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.” Don’t we want to please the Creator of the heavens and earth; the One who sent His only Son to die for our sins?

How do we get this faith?

The book of Romans gives us two ways:

  1. by hearing (Ro. 10:17) “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” (NLT)

As we hear about God, who He is, and what He’s done, it evokes faith.

2. by distribution (Ro. 12:3) “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

God has distributed faith to His people.

Okay, Suzie, I’m with you so far, but let’s talk day-to-day. What does all this mean at a practical level in my life? Let’s look at the Thessalonians, a great example because they are commended for their faith.

Read 1 Thes. 1:1-4 here.

In this passage, we see that the Thessalonians:

  1. had “work produced by faith” – v. 3 (we’ll come back to this in a minute)
  2. had a reputation of faith – v. 8 It sounded out like the blast of a trumpet – such that they didn’t need to say anything about it. It was already known.
  3. put their faith in God (turning from idols to serve the living and true God and wait for His Son) – vs. 8, 9

What was their “work” produced by faith?

Essentially it means faithful activity, in another words, a work that was characterized by faith and prompted by faith, such as faith alone could have enabled them to accomplish. They were acts that showed an internal faith. These were likely acts of duty, holiness, and benevolence, which proved that they exercised faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Summarized from commentaries by Ellicott and Barnes.

The idea of exercising – of using, building, developing, making stronger is perfect because we can do that with faith. We see that idea carried forward in the passage when it says: “your labor prompted by love.” “This means a laborious toil undertaken for love’s sake, and done in the spirit of love;…” (Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers)

John 6:29 brings us full circle. Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

When it comes to walking in faith, we have to remember that walking is done by taking one step at a time.

The first step is to turn from idols and put our faith in God – just like the Thessalonians did – to believe in Jesus – the One God sent to redeem us, to save us, to sanctify us. That belief is an act of faith.

The second step is to be faithful in what God has called us to do – to serve – like the Thessalonians did. We serve with acts prompted by faith and love.

I believe there is a distinction between having faith and being faithful. We can say we have faith, but are we being faithful?

As you consider living and walking by faith, here are some questions for reflection.

  1. What kinds of things do we (even as believers) tend to put our faith in besides God?
  2. Where is it hard to live out our faith and why? What might we be able to do differently in those areas to better live out our faith?
  3. What do you think it looks like today for someone to have a reputation of faith?
  4. What do you do daily that you would classify or consider as living out your faith?
  5. What is one step of faith you can actively take this week?

If you read this far, thank you! I know this was a long one 🙂 I would love to hear your insights, so please leave a comment. Until next time, let us Go Be Radiant as we walk by faith.