| Today's Word June 2, 2009 |
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Today's Word for Tuesday June 2, 2009
Faith
Defined by Webster:
Confidence or trust in a person or a thing; a belief in God; the obligation of loyalty to a person.
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"But the just shall live by Faith."
Habakkuk 2:4.
"O you of little Faith."
Matthew 6:30.
"So then Faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the Word of God."Romans 10:17.
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
II Corinthians 5:7.
"I say to you, if you have Faith as a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain, 'move from here to there'
and it will move. And nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20.
"Now Faith is being sure of what we hope
for and certain of what we do not see."
Hebrews 11:1.
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We live by Faith every day. It is easy to believe in things that we can see and touch. It is much harder to believe in things that are unseen. And yet we do that every day and we accept those "things" by faith. We cannot see air but we take it into our lungs every time we breathe. Although we cannot see it, we have evidence that it is there because of the effect it has on us. When you arise in the morning you take your first step by faith. When you are driving on the road and come to a hill, you continue by faith not knowing for sure that the road is still ahead.
When it comes to spiritual things, we enter a relationship with Jesus by faith. This faith cannot be seen or touched but it is evidenced by the effect He has on our lives. Faith in Jesus Christ changes ones outlook on life. When we have a relationship with God through His Son, faith becomes a shield for us. In Ephesians 6:16 it reads that above all we are to take the shield of faith with us all the time to quench the fiery darts of the evil one - Satan.
The scripture also tells that Faith without works is dead. Therefore we must work every day as Christians at our walk and talk with the Lord or else our spiritual faith has no meaning. We can have faith and sit around and do nothing and God would not be honored. We can accept Jesus as our Savior by faith and do nothing and as the scripture says our faith becomes dead. [James 2:26]
One of the scripture verses I remember hearing from my parents and at my church when I was a teenager was to flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. [II Timothy 2:14]. Teaching living by faith to a young person is difficult. Most children want to see what you are talking about and unless you can be consistent every day in giving meaningful examples of faith your child will not grasp early in life the importance of accepting Jesus into their lives - by Faith.
I [Ken] remember a conversation I had with an elderly man over 50 years ago when I was traveling to a different town every night in the Pacific Northwest showing a Billy Graham film. This man came forward at the end of the film showing with a desire to accept Jesus as his Savior. But he could not grasp the concept of FAITH! I remember asking him if he had ever enjoyed an ice cream cone. He responded with a "Yes." I then asked him that before he took that first "lick" was he concerned if it was hot or cold. He responded by saying that he knew it was cold. Then I said to him - "then you accepted BY FAITH that it would not burn your mouth or tongue." The light dawned on him and it was exciting to me to see that man find the Lord as his Savior.
Hebrews chapter 11 has a list of some of the greatest men of faith from the Old Testament. We call it the "HEROES OF FAITH HALL OF FAME." It will encourage you to read this as a reminder what these men accomplished by faith. How strong is your faith today? Have you accepted Jesus into your heart by faith? Are you training your children to live by faith? Do you have the faith to "move mountains" in your life as promised to you in God's Word?
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Help me today dear Lord, to live a life of faith. Give me the type of faith
that allows me to do as the scripture says to "move mountains." Help me not to limit what you want from me today by my lack of faith. Bless my family and together may we work to honor you every moment of this day.
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Your Friends,
Ken and Dottie Phillips
"Today's Word" is sent to you free
to encourage you to commit today to
serve and honor God as a family.
These Family Devotional Thoughts are written by Dr.Ken Phillips, ministry director for World Bible Society, and his wife Dottie. Ken has had ministry positions with The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, World Vision, Youth For Christ, World Opportunities International, and World Bible Society. He also has consulted for more than 20 Christian ministries in management and stewardship development. Ken and Dottie have been married for 52 years, and have 6 children and 21 grandchildren. Come back regularly to enjoy their Family Devotional as they share their thoughts about living in God's Word!
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14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. |
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