Hey all! Let’s all welcome our new month – March.
This week honestly something so surprising happened and that’s what makes this God Wink so amazing. Any guesses?
Well, I will just stop you there.
I saw a SHOOTING STAR!
That’s right folks you heard it first – A SHOOTING STAR. I couldn’t believe my eyes and wish I had a photo to prove it. The reason why this is so AMAZING is because I have never seen one, and in the back of my mind always wanted to see one in the sky. And again, here I was thinking, “God what are you communicating to me this week?”
I was thinking of what to share in the blog before I witnessed the shooting star and got the idea of highlighting the difference of what it means to believe and to have faith. I wanted to share believe and faith, and get to the bottom of what is the real difference. Though I realised nothing in my week at the time would make the connection. Well… that was until I saw the shooting star and the pieces of the puzzle came together.
You see I had this faith knowing shooting stars existed. A hope one could say. Hearing it from others, in school when you learn about space etc. Therefore, I could believe they are out there. While they are rare, they are not like God, in the sense that you can physically see a shooting star when they appear in the night sky.
The reason for wanting to find the difference between believe and faith, was because I was wondering if we Christians got it wrong. Now bear with me here…
When I did a basic Google, I saw that believe is a verb and faith is a noun. Believe comes from the word Faith which means to be persuaded. And believe goes beyond the commitment to just accept something as true. Thus, verb = ACTION. While faith is the resilience and the trust which endures in face of doubts. Faith forms this concept of strong belief or trust, while believe is the action of having trust.
Now back to my point about Christians having it wrong. Many times, we say “I believe” in God with all my heart.
Now I can only speak about myself. But when I grew up, “I believe” was so common. Now typing this I wonder because at first, I thought “we say ‘I believe’, but maybe we are confusing it with faith. Since faith isn’t action, rather a given fact we convince ourselves of.” But now I am wondering “what if some don’t truly have either?” And I’m including myself too.
Think about it.
(1) How many Christians truly trust (Faith) in God? and;
(2) How many Christians live it out (Believe)?
Can we say we are living a true Christian Walk?
Now ask yourself, does faith come first or believe? Like asking does the chicken come before the egg?
For us to believe we first need to have faith. Because it is from faith that we can have actions [James 2:14-26]. Now for me this verse really hits home! Faith produces deeds. It’s the working of true faith in God in knowing His characteristics, that a Christian can have the actions to go along with it.
See truly we need a firm foundation in the Word (faith) to have actions that go in accordance with our faith [Hebrews 11:6].
If we don’t truly have either, we first need to improve on our faith – for true faith [Romans 10:17]. Ask ourselves, “why do I believe in God? What evidence is there to prove I can have this faith?” (hint: the Bible).
I hope your encouraged and took something away from this week’s blog. I will be back next week. And who knows what’s God’s Wink will be!
God, You Amaze Me!
E
James 2:14-26 NIV
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Hebrews 11:6 NIV
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.
Romans 10:17 NIV
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
God’s Faithful