Faith
When it comes to the word “faith” many people can choose to
interpret it in so many differing ways.
Some may refer to having “faith that my car will make it down the road”
or that you have “faith that you’ll pass the test”. To some degree, faith can be aligned with
succeeding in something or making the best of a certain situation. Faith can
also be personal in that you yourself must at times have faith or confidence in
yourself. Maria Shriver best defines this type of faith by saying to “Have faith that your best days are ahead of
you. That your next frontier will be
your most fulfilling time. And that you
deserve to be seen as good enough just the way you are.” I totally love that statement as it is so
motivational and encouraging for us to keep on believing. (And yes, for what it’s worth, I adore Maria
Shriver, too!) Additionally, faith is being devoted or dedicated to a cause or
something and having the belief to back what you are devoted to. Believing that no matter what, you’ve made
the right decision and believing that the cause you have dedicated to will be
successful.
But overall, when I think of the word “faith”, ultimately my
thoughts are always drawn exclusively to my true faith – my religion, my belief
in God.
Upon my requirement, I “Googled” the word “Faith” and this
image was the 11th image that appeared. Appropriately enough, it is a portrayal of the “faith” that I ultimately think of when I hear the word – my belief in the Almighty.
With us drawing closer to the Easter season, it is almost
symbolic, as much as it is fitting, to discuss my faith and what this image symbolizes
to me personally. Upon first glancing at
this photo, you are drawn to the image with the cross and the beauty of the
clouds, but stare at it for a while longer and ponder on it. The dark cross is symbolic of Christ dying on
the old wooden cross. He willingly
sacrificed Himself to die for us. His
death on the cross allows us to be washed white as snow from the darkness of
the sin that encapsulates our lives. By
trusting and believing in Him and confessing our sins to Him, the simplest step
is to ask Him to enter our hearts and wash us as white as snow. Symbolically, while Christ might have died on
the old wooden cross, three days later, He rose from the dead. How appropriate that this picture shows the
cross as being “dark” and then the Heavens declaring the glory from above. Picture the cross as darkness because Christ
died on that cross. He shed His innocent
blood and the cross was not only stained with His physical blood, but it also
was stained with all our dark, evil sins.
But when He arose from the dead and ascended in to Heaven, glory shown
down from above. We await His glorious
return when we will be able to join Him in the Heavens. His light shines from above down upon
us. His light and His glorious presence
overshadows the darkness that was displayed on the cross.
Christ suffered a brutal death – He was beaten repeatedly,
He was mocked and scorned, He was forced to have a crown of thorns placed upon
His head, He was nailed to a cross, His side was pierced, He died a martyr’s
death. He was an innocent man. He was a perfect man. He is God’s Son. Yet for us, He was willing to endure all of
this, so that we could be set free. Yes,
we will still face persecution and rejection for following Him and believing in
Him, but what we will face and endure is minute compared to the suffering that
He willingly did for us. What a true
sacrifice Christ made for us! He
willingly laid down His life for ours.
How many people would do that for you these days? I can guarantee you not very many, if
any!
I challenge you this Easter season to take time to reflect
on all that Christ has done for you.
None of us are here on this Earth by an accident. God loves us and He wants us to spend
eternity with Him. If you haven’t accepted
Him as your Lord and Savior, it is a very simple process:
- Recognize that you are a sinner – Sorry to bust your bubbles but no one is perfect. We are all born sinners and sin is what separates us from eternity in Heaven. Romans 3:23 puts it simply “For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
- There is a punishment for sin -- Christ loves you no matter what you may have done. He loves you more than anyone else on this planet, and nothing will stop Him from loving you – not even you yourself! So that we don’t have to deal with the punishment directly, Christ willingly came to Earth to die on the cross to save us from our sins: Romans 5:8 states “But God commendeth (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” And Romans 6:23 also states: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Your works won’t save you – We must realize that just by being a “good person” or doing good deeds, it will not get us to Heaven. God’s grace is what allows us to be united with Him in eternity. His grace is a free gift to us. Ephesians 2:8-9 states: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: It is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
- Simply Confess (repent and turn away from sin) – Confess and admit that you are a sinner and accept the gift that Jesus has given you – freedom from sin and to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. Romans 10:9-10 states: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Additional Scriptures include: I John 1:9 (If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.) and Acts 16:31 (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.)
- Eternal life – Believe in Christ and you’ll be with Him forever in glory. John 3:16 states “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
This can be done as easily as a simple prayer like this:
“Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died and rose from the
grave to make a way for me to spend eternity in your presence. Jesus, come in
to my life, take control of my life, forgive me of my sins and save me. I am placing my trust in You alone for my
salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life.”
What a wonderful gift that we have been given – not only to
have the opportunity to believe and be cleansed of our sins but the opportunity
to spend our eternity in Heaven, which I can guarantee you will be better than
the alternative!
Where does your faith lie?
I certainly hope you place your faith in the Lord above and not on the
things of this world. Earthly things are
temporal but our faith in God is eternal.
Which would you prefer?
As Coach Sue Semrau at Florida State University often says
“Keep the faith”. I challenge you to place and keep your faith in the Lord
above and you won’t have to worry about anything. He is our first and our last, the Alpha and
the Omega. Believe in Him and be
blessed!
No comments:
Post a Comment