Faith: Simple But Solid

You may feel like the sheep in the picture. The location, by the way is in Norway. 

From Wikipedia:

Kjeragbolten is a boulder on the mountain Kjerag in Sandnes municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The rock itself is a 5-cubic-metre (180 cu ft) glacial deposit wedged in the mountain's crevasse. It is a popular tourist destination and is accessible without any climbing equipment. However, it is suspended above a 984-metre (3,228 ft) deep abyss. It is also a popular site for BASE jumping. The boulder is just southwest of the village of Lysebotn, just south of the Lysefjorden.^[1]

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kjeragbolten}

Not sure if the sheep was photoshopped in, but I think it probably was. Still, the Bible often calls us sheep. It isn’t the most flattering term but is probably more accurate than we would like to admit. Right now, during all this COVID-19 stuff, you might be feeling kind of like this sheep. 

[Most of what follows was an addendum to a Life Group lesson I wrote for March 15. There are a few changes.]

So Let’s Talk About Faith

Sometimes, when we talk about living by faith, we seem to move toward having faith in faith, and that is shaky ground. It goes like this, “If you just have enough faith…” which implies that the greater quantity of faith you have (not sure how you measure it), then the more likely your prayers will be answered, your physical ailments healed, and all your relationships will be wonderful. The problem is there is no object of faith—no foundation.

Faith must have an object. Faith is no stronger than its object. That object must be Jesus Christ. It is not the “quantity” (how much) faith you have, but what or who your faith is in. 

Not long ago, a friend and I were talking about why it seems that God moves in powerful ways on the mission field in ways we are not familiar with in the west. Sometimes this work is miraculous. My friend asked why that seemed to be so. One reason I proposed was that believers in developing nations had, at least for many years, nowhere else to turn. They learned to trust God. 

Now we are faced with something clearly beyond our control. Yes. Social Distancing helps, and washing your hands as well. But as we have watched the global spread, it is obvious that we, at least so far, are not in control. We can, and should, do things to mitigate the threat, but the threat will still be there. We just don’t know how this is going to play out.

My experience is limited to just a few countries and the believers I met there, but in every case where I noted the greatness of faith lived out, it was simple but solid. Simple in that there was no flourish to expressing faith. No grinding of the teeth or spiritual (and physical) gymnastics that we sometimes see on TV to “pump up faith.” There was no big show, be it an individual or a church expressing faith. There was simple trust that God, based on what He said in His word, would do what He said He would do. It was solid because it was grounded on the Word of God and the God of whom it speaks. Faith in faith is building on the sand. Faith in God is building on the rock (Matthew 7:24-27).

So cling to the promises of God’s Word, but cling to them in the total context of Scripture. While Psalm 91 is true and a great comfort to hang on to, so is James 1:2-4, Philippians 4:6-7, and 1 Thessalonians 5:18. (Have you thanked God for COVID-19? We are to give thanks. We don’t have to feel thankful).

Trust God. Wash. Your. Hands.

Quick Health Update:

On the cancer front my indicator numbers are falling, so the chemo is working. I am also getting stuff to boost my immune globulin level (IGg), so that is very timely. I get my treatment all in Augusta, so that is nice. Also, you may remember the problems I had in the fall with low hemoglobin. Now that treatment has begun, that seems corrected, and the numbers are coming up on their own. Praise the Lord!

Your prayers are ALWAYS appreciated and needed. They are the main ingredient in my treatment.