March 15, 2006

Dear Friend,

Last week we talked about how one aspect of faith is looking at the big picture; and the way we do that practically is to constantly remind ourselves that there is a big picture, and not get hung up on the little things that we can see happening around us. As Paul says, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17, 18).

Another aspect of faith is trusting in God's faithfulness. Some of the definitions of faithfulness are firm in adherence to promises, steadfast in affection or allegiance, true to the facts or to a standard. Now faithfulness is sometimes hard for us to grasp because hardly anything is truly faithful in this world. Friends let us down, objects fall apart, equipment stops working, pets die, and spouses are...well, not always firm and steadfast and true to the facts! Perhaps that's one reason why people are so surprised to see a couple celebrating 55 or 60 years of marriage. We don't see that kind of faithfulness very often in our world.

But God is faithful; and the Bible tells us that over and over again, perhaps to help us see through the distortion that is all around us. "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful" (1 Corinthians 1:9). "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23). Paul tells us that as he would go around preaching Jesus it wasn't easy, but he would not give up. In fact, he wasn't even ashamed! His faith was based on God's faithfulness. "That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day" (2 Timothy 1:12).

An additional characteristic of faith is believing that I am forgiven. Many of us don't truly believe we are forgiven! We've asked forgiveness from God (perhaps millions of times for the same sin!), but we still go through life as though carrying a heavy burden on our backs! Pardon brings hope, forgiveness brings peace, and mercy brings tranquility. And that's exactly why so many of us are walking around without these qualities--because we don't truly believe we are forgiven!

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand" (Romans 5:1, 2). Wow! I guess it's like the man who was rushing around trying to figure out how to pay his heating bill. The money was in his pocket; he just didn't believe he had enough, and had never stopped to count it! Same with us. Christ's power is enough to forgive us of our sins! Believe it! Exercise that faith, and rejoice that those sins that you have confessed are forgiven!

As Jesus was just hours away from the cross on the evening before He was betrayed and arrested, He turned to Simon Peter and told him, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail" (Luke 22:31-32). And Jesus is still praying for you, right now. He's praying that your faith doesn't fail. (See also Hebrews 7:25 and Romans 8:31-34.)

So read the verses over again, and let's start practicing faith!

Mark