By Faith, _____

  

 I imagine entering the gates of the Heaven – as our name is found in the Book of Life, we take our seat among the patriarchs – David, Moses, Elijah. Then a scroll is passed to us. On it reads Hebrews 11:

By faith, Noah…

By faith, Abraham…

By faith, Joseph…

The, a pen is given to us with the assignment of filling in OUR paragraph. What will be said of me?

By faith, Julie…

Or

By faith, Adam…

    Have I traveled to foreign countries, converting ISIS leaders to Christianity or snatching children from false god temples? Have I prayed and seen mountains crumble before me? Have I built an alter, directly adjacent to a pagan god’s alter, doused it with water and called upon the Lord to consume it with fire from Heaven and prove to these onlookers YOU are the ONE TRUE GOD? Have I found myself in prison, unfairly or rightly so, but given an opportunity to learn and grow? Have I driven across the country to pray with a hurting, wounded sister or brother and help carry them to the feet of Jesus? Have I clothed the fatherless? Fed the poor and hungry? What bars of oppression have I seen BROKEN? Have I held a fevered child, nursed an infant baby, prayed for a small child?

These questions scream out to me. What am I doing by FAITH? Or does my life make complete COMMON sense? If you plugged in all my if/then scenarios into a high tech mathematics calculator, would the answer convert? Or would it come back IMPOSSIBLE? I desire, and this is truly crazy (and SCARY), that my life make ZERO common sense. That it cannot be explained by a simple math equation.

Today I live by faith…

No matter how big or how small the faith is. No matter how big or how small the mountain is, do I have faith, and who or what is it in? Jesus said it only takes faith as big as a mustard seed to move a mountain! God wanted Jonah to have faith in Him for words to the people of Nineveh.  In this moment, whether facing mechanical difficulties, colicky babies, homeschooling woes, sibling rivalry, un-employment, heart-breaks, injustice, etc, if our faith is founded in Jesus Christ, He will not disappoint us. Those trials we experience have a way of bringing into light what we actually are putting our faith in! Jesus wants our faith in HIM alone. He calls us…but it’s a whisper. He beckons us to listen to Him…but it defies common sense. So, its our choice. We must choose FAITH. He won’t force us. But He does tell us in Hebrews 11:6,

“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. “

Stay tuned...more to come!!