Questioning Faith

Christianity

“Now without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6

Our conversation in the hospital that day went something like this:

“This chaplain believes like I do. The Bible is full of stories of people that are just that–stories. It doesn’t mean that they happened, but just that they teach us things.”

{Thanks a lot, chaplain.}

“The Bible is not just a book of mysticism or spirituality; it is a book that gives geographical truths and historical truths.

If you’re an honest skeptic, it’s not just calling you to a feeling; it’s calling you to a real Person.

~~Ravi Zacharias

My response was, “I have read the Bible, I have been to the places of the Bible, and I believe in the God of the Bible. While I didn’t need to see the evidence to have faith in God, He reveals Himself to be true and the source of truth, I do believe every word and every event to be true. I believe they really happened. There is plenty of historical and archeological evidence to prove the Bible. Every piece of evidence has continued to validate God’s Word, not the opposite. When a story is just a story, it is clearly presented as a parable or a story.”

“For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” 2 Peter 1:16

“Yes, well, the Bible was written by fallible men who actually believed the earth was flat during that time as well! It only proves the flood was maybe as far as they could see, but not actually covering the whole earth.”

“Even science validates the flood. While we might try to explain away every miracle, the reality is, it’s a choice. That’s where faith comes in–you choose to believe God and His Word or you don’t. You don’t get to choose which parts to believe or else you become your own god.” A pause, and I decide to go for it and ask the most crucial question of this one who wa facing eternity . “So, what then, do you believe about death?”

“That it is just the end. No eternity. You just go to sleep and don’t wake up.”

“You never know how much you really believe

until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life or death.

C. S. Lewis, in A Case For Faith by Lee Strobel

An onlooker in the room is silent until now:

“Listen, everybody has to have faith in something.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was profound and didn’t even know it. Her simple statement spoke volumes and silenced the conversation.

Faith in God means I choose to trust Him over everything and everyone else–including myself and my own opinions.

Faith is a funny thing. It peaks and wanes. It shrinks back and it moves mountains. It lifts up the lowly and humbles the mighty. It gives us boldness and courage and hope, yet always demands surrender and obedience.

You say you don’t have faith? Look again. You practice faith in everyday circumstances. Without it you wouldn’t get out of bed. Your faith is either in yourself and your abilities or someone else. That someone (or something) else can be a job or career, finances, health or even another person or god. When those things which are only temporary disappoint you, where then, do you turn?

To something else.

I urge you to look outside of yourself and your preconceived notions about God. He has given us everything we need for this life. He gives us a glimpse of Himself and His purpose for creating us in His Word. He revealed Himself by coming to a manger in Bethlehem. Born of a virgin, He walked among us and demonstrated for us what God is like: a kind, merciful, loving servant who was willing to experience death–all for the people He created.

That verse in Hebrews 11 doesn’t end there. It tells us that we need faith if we want to please God, but it also tells us what that looks like:

Remember the wise men who traveled long hours to find Jesus? They couldn’t have possibly done it for gain. Their journey wasn’t rewarded with gifts like the ones they carried to the newborn King–in seeking the Christ child in order to bring Him their finest, they gained a reward that was eternal: They are forever remembered in the story of His birth.

“Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11

The book of Hebrews is known as a book that speaks of the strong faith of men and women from the past. These were not perfect people by any stretch of the imagination. Some had great faith that led to conquering giants in their life (in David’s case, literally!). Some were known by their great faith in difficult times. Beaten, stoned, imprisoned, mocked, scorned and martyred, verse 38 says, “The world was not worthy of them.”

I may not have enough faith to move mountains, but I do pray that others will see the evidence of God moving mountains in my own life. I am not perfect but I am perfectly forgiven by the only One who can bring hope and peace to my soul.

Won’t you consider FAITH today? Hebrews 11:6 has a message that is pretty clear: “Believe that He exists and [that He] rewards those who seek Him.” The choice is yours today. God gives grace. He demonstrates mercy. He asks us to place our faith in Him and His plan for our world and our life. The real question is, will you put your faith in Christ alone today?

**My Scripture Memory Challenge is nearing the end! You can join me as I memorize Hebrews 11:6. Let’s remember to hide God’s Word in our heart–it is always beneficial, and from my own experience I can tell you that God often reminds us of the very verses we need right when we need them.


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    “Now without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6 Our conversation in the hospital that day went something like this: “This chaplain believes like I do. The Bible i…

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