Previously, I likened faith to believing in something even though it makes no sense to me, because of the person who demonstrates it to me. For the sake of a common understanding, allow me to continue the use of this analogy.
Roses cannot be heard, I believe we can agree on that. Therefore, I will find it incredibly hard to sustain my faith based on what you tell me, because I do not know it myself. Shake a rose at me, and to me, it'll sound almost the same as any stick I've heard before. It doesn't matter how many times I hear you talk about the beauty of roses, my belief in your words will die quickly enough.
The only way for me to grow in my belief is NOT to hear more descriptions of roses, but to receive the senses I lack so that I too may experience it for myself. I must grow eyes to see, skin to touch, and a nose to smell. There is no other way.
Therefore, in the same manner, it is not sufficient to believe in an Almighty God who is a loving Father with only our five physical senses. Give it enough time, and the input from your physical senses will wear down any faith you have. How then is it possible to sustain faith in God the Father?
We must grow new senses so that we can "see" Him, "touch" Him, "smell" Him, "hear" Him and "taste" Him. Jesus teaches of a spiritual realm, where God reigns from, and the only way for a man to see the Kingdom of God and all its glory is for him to be "born again". In fact, Jesus has this exact conversation (John 3:1-10) with a man named Nicodemus, who had great knowledge of God, but did not have a personal experience of Him.
How will you personally experience God the Father unless you personally spend time with Him? Faith in God can come in an instant, but faith is like gold. You will not know how pure it is until it is tested with the fire of difficulties in life.
Postscript: "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." - James 1:2-4
No comments:
Post a Comment