A Question Of Faith

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2xqmzm

Some surveys show that over 90% of our population believes in God or in some type of religious deity. Yet less than 50% of our citizens actually bother to worship their God on a weekly basis. It kind of makes you wonder why they would acknowledge there is a God if they were unwilling to worship Him.

Faith is a fundamental foundation of religion. It is the essence of our belief. The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Later in verse 6 we find, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

So what do you believe concerning your religion? Are you willing to stand by your faith? Is your faith strong enough not only to confess your belief but also to live it?

Not everyone who believes in Jesus will confess Him or follow Him. In John 12:42-43 we find, “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”

What a shame that would be to think that a person believed in Jesus or God but then were unwilling to confess that belief for fear of punishment or rejection by other men. If a person believes in God and Jesus they should fear their rejection more than the rejection of mere humans.

Concerning such a confession, Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was. Here is that reading from Matthew 16:13-16.

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Peter answered correctly and Jesus went on to say that His church would be built upon that confession. But talk is cheap unless it is followed up with action.

Many people acknowledge Christ with their lips, but it does not show in their lives. Faith must be seen as well as heard.

Unfortunately many in our culture today do not smile upon any religious system that claims exclusivity. In Exodus 20:1-4 we read of this exclusive nature of God.

And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”

In John 14:6 we also read of the exclusive nature of Jesus as He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” With these two readings we find that there is one God and the way to that one God is through His one Son, Jesus.

If we believe this then we should neither be ashamed nor afraid to confess it before others. Once we know and believe that this is the truth, then there is no other choice to contemplate. Our faith in our God and Savior must be seen as well as heard.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we ask ourselves the question, “If I believe in Jesus Christ, does my life demonstrate it to others?” May we also be ready to always tell others of the God we worship.

Our thought for the day: “Discipleship is more than a single confession. It is a continuous commitment.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.