"Focus on Jesus. Not word definitions." |
STOP MAKING FAITH HARD FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE. GAH! Focus on the One who gave you faith. Focus on God and His presence and stop measuring your faith. I have knowledge of how to cook certain things. I don’t need to measure my ability in order to cook it. I know how to tie my shoes. I don’t consider this when buying shoes. God gave us faith, so we must know we have faith, but stop with the balance of faith and doubt. Oops, the scale’s tipped too far left on this one. Sorry. No, no, no->It’s something you have, like body hair.
Take grace, for another example. It is by grace we are saved through faith. Do we need to know what grace is? Yes. Especially, if you are a second century Jew who still believes in the Law. You can’t earn salvation through washings and sacrifices. Truth is, very few have this issue today, not on that scale. We must know it is by grace and that God’s grace gives it to us, but to focus on the definition before you accept salvation is silly. Just say, “God did this for me, and all I have to do is believe.” Focus on Jesus, not word definitions. So you can define it. Big hairy deal. I can spell Thonotosassa too.
One minister defined faith as a sixth sense, and I like that thought. We follow our nose to the kitchen when our eyes can’t see what’s in there. In the same manner, we follow faith toward the goal, although we can’t see the manifestation of it yet. At the same time, on that analogy, if you know you can smell, you don’t consider it in order to use it. Wait, let me fix my nose first, before I sniff anything. I don’t have to think about how to smell things (just sometimes not smelling things).
God’s not flipping levers. “This one’s only kind of in faith. That one has faith but she’s too angry.” The whole point of Jesus’ death and Resurrection was we couldn’t earn our salvation (see above). He provided forgiveness so that we could walk in love with others without having guilt over our past behavior, so that we could be healed in body and mind and relationships. Jesus said to leave our gift at the altar, and go, and be reconciled before we offer it, and this is a good thing. We should do that. But faith, such as it has been overly defined, has lost in our hearts what it is supposed to do. Be as natural as breathing.
We have faith. We use our faith BECAUSE GOD LOVES US. It really is as simple as that.
“And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (10) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10)
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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com
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