21 Sep Meditations on the Psalms #363
New Year’s Reflections Part 5
Jesus told us there are four kinds of faith(Matt.13:18-23,36-43), but that it is only the faith that endures that is saving faith! We will all have trials & tribulations in this world, sometimes constantly, sometimes from time to time. The kind of faith Jesus talked about is not produced by trying, but by dying. Trials do not produce character, they reveal it.
The enemy of God knows that one of his best gimmicks is to get people to seek faith through morality. I am not against morality. It will keep you out of jail and stop you from getting traffic fines. I remember the story of a man who was angry with a police officer for issuing him with a traffic fine. As the officer walked away, he blurted out, “What do I do with this?” To which the officer replied, “Keep it, when you get 4 of them you get a bike.” Morality is not Christianity; it will not get you to heaven & it won’t make you happy.
Martin Luther once said “The more I look to self the more I wonder how I could ever be saved, but the more I look to Jesus the more I wonder how I could ever be lost.” The truth is the more we look to self the more we become like ourselves. Whatever gets our attention gets us!
When we concentrate on the results of our Christian faith, we will get frustrated. Does a child need to work on eating or Growing? If you want a strong faith, then focus on the source of that faith. Faith is not something we can work up; it is God’s creation in us as we focus on the source. The gifts of God (faith, peace, victory, eternal life, etc) materialise by coming into a relationship with Him. Please note there is no formula for that – see Matt.6:33.
One of the proofs that you are hopelessly hooked on a do-it-yourself approach to religion is when you are measuring your relationship with God by your performance. If Faith is trust, then who do you Trust? You can only trust the one you know – John 17:3
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