Faith
There are certain verses that anyone who has spent time in a church can quote off the top of their head: "The Lord is my shepherd..." "For God so loved..." "Love is patient..." Could you finish those verses?
While it's a wonderful thing that we know the scriptures, I believe we sometimes become hard to the true meaning and power of these words. For this reason, I want to spend the next three days breaking down the popular verse "Faith without works is dead." I want to begin by taking a look at the biblical definition of faith using two specific passages: Hebrews 11 and Matthew 17.
Hebrews 11 is often called the "Hall of Faith" because it includes a list of people to look to as examples of faith. In the beginning of the chapter, the author gives a very specific definition of faith: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." I can have faith that God can answer my prayers or that my friend Siobhan will answer my texts. Both are things I don't know for sure because I do not directly control their outcome, but I can hope that they will both be true.
The people listed in the Hall of Faith are a very eclectic group. David was a king who got another man's wife pregnant and killed him, yet was still considered a man after God's own heart. Rahab was a prostitute who harbored spies from Israel and was spared her life as a result. Moses begged God to give his leadership role to anyone but him, suggesting his brother as a better candidate. These people were as real and flawed as you or I, but were set apart as great because of their faith.
In Matthew 17, a desperate father brings his demon-possessed boy to the disciples. They try to help him and, sadly, fail. The boy is than brought to Jesus, who heals him. Later in private, the disciples ask Jesus why they were unable to drive out the demon. His answer is a shocking one: "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Now, before you go trying to rearrange creation, know that the phrase "move a mountain" was a Jewish expression that literally meant "do the impossible." You may say, "Jessica, I have faith." Notice, however, that Jesus didn't criticize the disciples for not having faith; he criticized them for not having enough. One would think that the disciples, of all people, should be the ones praised for their faith. After all, they had given up their entire lives to follow Jesus.
Do you have enough faith that you could do the impossible in the name of Christ? Do you have faith the size of a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds? How many times have you felt God calling you to something, only to reply, "Lord, that's impossible."
We all have a bit of Moses in us, the voice that says we can't do it. We are all Rahab, unqualified and unworthy of our calling. We are all David, continually stumbling into sin. But our faith in God will mean we believe we are called, believe we have been qualified, and believe God will pick us up when we fall.
It may seem impossible now that God can use us, broken, lost and confused as we are. But all we need is a mustard seed of faith, and there is no longer such thing as "impossible."
While it's a wonderful thing that we know the scriptures, I believe we sometimes become hard to the true meaning and power of these words. For this reason, I want to spend the next three days breaking down the popular verse "Faith without works is dead." I want to begin by taking a look at the biblical definition of faith using two specific passages: Hebrews 11 and Matthew 17.
Hebrews 11 is often called the "Hall of Faith" because it includes a list of people to look to as examples of faith. In the beginning of the chapter, the author gives a very specific definition of faith: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." I can have faith that God can answer my prayers or that my friend Siobhan will answer my texts. Both are things I don't know for sure because I do not directly control their outcome, but I can hope that they will both be true.
The people listed in the Hall of Faith are a very eclectic group. David was a king who got another man's wife pregnant and killed him, yet was still considered a man after God's own heart. Rahab was a prostitute who harbored spies from Israel and was spared her life as a result. Moses begged God to give his leadership role to anyone but him, suggesting his brother as a better candidate. These people were as real and flawed as you or I, but were set apart as great because of their faith.
In Matthew 17, a desperate father brings his demon-possessed boy to the disciples. They try to help him and, sadly, fail. The boy is than brought to Jesus, who heals him. Later in private, the disciples ask Jesus why they were unable to drive out the demon. His answer is a shocking one: "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Now, before you go trying to rearrange creation, know that the phrase "move a mountain" was a Jewish expression that literally meant "do the impossible." You may say, "Jessica, I have faith." Notice, however, that Jesus didn't criticize the disciples for not having faith; he criticized them for not having enough. One would think that the disciples, of all people, should be the ones praised for their faith. After all, they had given up their entire lives to follow Jesus.
Do you have enough faith that you could do the impossible in the name of Christ? Do you have faith the size of a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds? How many times have you felt God calling you to something, only to reply, "Lord, that's impossible."
We all have a bit of Moses in us, the voice that says we can't do it. We are all Rahab, unqualified and unworthy of our calling. We are all David, continually stumbling into sin. But our faith in God will mean we believe we are called, believe we have been qualified, and believe God will pick us up when we fall.
It may seem impossible now that God can use us, broken, lost and confused as we are. But all we need is a mustard seed of faith, and there is no longer such thing as "impossible."
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