ALITTLE FAITH GOES ALONG WAY
Jesus said:
- “Ifyou have faiththesize ofa mustard seed, youwill sayto this mountain, ‘Move from here tothere,’and itwill move; andnothing will beimpossible toyou.” – Mathew 17:20.
Jesus issaying that asmall amount offaith canaccomplish great things!
Heis saying that with God’s help, even asmall amount offaith canaccomplish things that arebeyond ourwildest thoughts anddreams!
Inshort, Jesus issaying that there areno limits toGod’s power andwhat Heis able todo.
THEDEFINITION OFFAITH
Some would saythat faith ishard todefine. Others would saythat faith iseasily understood with alittle self-reflection andthe help ofGod’s word.
Dictionary.com defines faith as:
- Confidence ortrust ina person orthing,
- Belief that isnot based onproof.
Christianity.com defines faith as:
- “Putting your trustinGod andhaving confidence that hewill fulfill hispromises.”
These definitions arehelpful, butthe best place tolearn about faith isnot ina dictionary, butin theBible!
BIBLE VERSES ABOUT FAITH
TheBible hasa lotto sayabout faith.
Fortoday’s lesson, wehave highlighted thefollowing five verses:
- “Andwithout faith itis impossible topleaseHim, forhe whocomes toGod must believe that Heis andthatHeis arewarder ofthose whoseek Him.” -Hebrews 11:6,
- “Faith isthe assurance of things hoped for, theconviction ofthings notseen.” -Hebrews 11:1,
- “Forby grace youhave been savedthrough faith; andthat notof yourselves,itis thegift ofGod;notas aresult ofworks, sothatnoone mayboast.” -Ephesians 2:8-9,
- “Nevertheless knowing thataman isnot justified bythe works ofthe Lawbut through faith inChrist Jesus, even wehave believed inChrist Jesus, sothat wemay bejustified byfaith inChrist andnot bythe works ofthe Law; sincebythe works ofthe Lawno flesh will bejustified.” -Galatians 2:16,
- “Forwe walk byfaith, notby sight.” -2Corinthians 5:7.
HOWTO INCREASE OURFAITH
TheBible tells usthat theway toincrease ourfaith isby reading theBible.
- "Faith cometh byhearing, andhearing bythe word ofGod.” –Romans 10:17.
Reading theBible will increase aperson’s faith.
Andthe more weread it, thestronger ourfaith will become.
Jesus believed itwas important tostudy scripture andwould often goaway toa quiet place topray andstudy.
IfJesus believed devoting time tothis wasimportant, soshould we.
Having a“strong faith” does notmean that weget everything that weask for.
Having astrong faith means understanding that Godis God, andwe arenot.
Andwhile Godhears allour prayers, sometimes Hehas other plans forus. When this happens, weare always tosubmit toGod.
Weserve Him. Notthe other wayaround.
Andmaybe Godjust said no, which isHis right.
Heis God, andwe arenot.
Andjust because Godhas notanswered ourprayers yet, itdoes notmean that Hewill never answer them.
Goddoes things onHis timeframe, notours.
Ifwe believe ourprayers have been unanswered, wealso need toask ourselves ifwe areasking with pure motives.
CONCLUSION
TheHebrew writer tells usthat Godrewards those whoseek Himand puttheir faith inHim.
- “Andwithout faith itis impossible topleaseHim, forhe whocomes toGod must believe that Heis andthatHeis arewarder ofthose whoseek Him.” - Hebrews 11:6.
Having faith inJesus isa matter ofsalvation, anda requirement toenter Heaven .
Andthe more westudy theBible, thestronger ourfaith will become (Romans 10:17).
Wewill endtoday’s study with thefollowing words from theBook ofProverbs:
- “Trust inthe Lord with allyour heart, anddo notlean onyour ownunderstanding. Inall your ways acknowledge Him, andHe will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:5-6.
