The Rest of the Story- MAN'S FAITH
The Rest of the Story
by
Rocky Fleming
Thursday -Man's Faith
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Like with grace where there is more to it than we realize, there is more to faith than we realize if it is genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is not a one-time act that is followed by a passive acceptance and assurance. That is a great mistake in one's thinking if he or she feels that getting their ticket punched for heaven is the Gospel, and it requires only a one-time faith commitment. There is more to grasping God's hand of grace with our hand of faith than a simple one-time touch. Faith is dynamic and ongoing. Faith in Christ is a living connection that takes more that is being offered to us. Our faith grows by being challenged, tested, rewarded, fed and sometimes shared. Shared faith strengthens us and strengthens others. But at the end of the day, persevering faith is developed in persevering trials when we are alone in the lonely hours and it is just you and the Holy Spirit. It is then that faith is tested and grows and produces a man or woman after God's own heart.
Now some would try to read into my words and say that I am saying our salvation can be lost, which I am not saying. I believe the same as Billy Graham states ... here's what he says:
Only God knows if someone has truly and sincerely repented of their sins and given their life to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, but if they have, they now belong to Him forever, and their salvation is secure. The Bible says that nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord"(Romans 8:39). Billy Graham
I believe authentic faith creates a secure and permanent connection with God through Jesus. But I also believe as a follower of Christ, authentic faith is encouraged by the Holy Spirit to grow stronger in our grip with His hand of grace. He does not want our faith to stay stagnant or weak. Growth in our faith in Christ is fundamental to our growth in Christ-likeness, for the most glaring aspect of sanctification is to be identified so closely with Christ that we grow more like Him. The Holy Spirit is our guide in this process and faith is our companion in this journey to intimacy with Christ. Without faith it is impossible to get there. Here's what the writer of Hebrews 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. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
If we will fully embrace the challenge of overcoming a multitude of fears and setbacks by recognizing that God and His grace is not our problem, then we may be able to see that those things that trouble us can be dealt with by a faith that needs to be increased. When I read that it is impossible to please God without faith, then it is pretty clear to me that if I want His help with my troubles, it starts with my faith in Him. Jesus said that with even a small amount of faith we can see mountains moved. He goes on to say that if there is doubt we will see nothing. Faith needs to grow and the first step in this growth is at the cross. The resurrected Christ in our life authenticates our faith, and it is the work of the Holy Spirit who helps our faith grow. TheGospel is more than the first step of recognizing Christ's death on the cross for our sins. It is that. But it is also the resurrected Christ who is alive in our daily walk with Him. When the Gospel is fully embraced, we are also fully embraced by the relationship that has been granted to us by God's grace. What we see is a relationship through and through. It is Christ to me ...Christ in me ...Christ for me ...Christ with me ...and Christ waiting for me. That dear friend is the Gospel, and that is why I say there is much more than we realize.
Tomorrow we will talk about how we grow in our faith.