Faith

A Childlike Faith

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And said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3 ESV

Having childlike faith right after conversion is no trick at all, but holding on to it after decades is nothing short of a miracle. Believing God can do anything seems simple and then we discover our Christian friends getting divorced, falling into substance abuse or walking away from their faith. So what can we do to keep a childlike faith? We have hope because of three words: when, where and who.

When?  “How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed” go the lines from Amazing Grace. So ask yourself, “When did faith bring God’s grace to me? Was when I was looking for Him? Was it on a day I was doing good things? Or was it in an hour when of my worst failures and sin?” Our hope is a grace that began before the dawn of time!

Where?  When I discover I am lying flat on my face, I remember the second word: where. If I can have a childlike faith like the thief right next to Jesus on the cross, then I have hope. That thief looked like he was at the worst place on earth; but of all the people in the Bible only he received the guarantee of heaven directly from the lips of Jesus. The cross where Jesus was dying became the source of all hope for us all.

Who? But greatest of all is not when I found faith, or where I found faith, but in the God who chose to give it to me. My childlike faith is not because I have been a good child; but because my Father has come to my rescue and claimed me as His own!

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Heavyweight Champ

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I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.                   2 Timothy 4:7

In 1964 Muhammad Ali became the youngest challenger to ever win the heavyweight boxing title when he beat Sonny Liston. Every time Ali stepped into the ring he brashly proclaimed that he was the greatest. His bravado not only incensed his opponents but it had many in the crowd rooting against him. But other people’s opinions  didn’t worry Ali  He never even imagined losing. The only outcome he planned for was a knockout!

The apostle Paul was spiritually a heavy weight champion. He also entered the ring with only one goal in mind: the complete victory of His Lord Jesus Christ! Throughout Paul’s ministry he battled persecution, prison and a death sentence, and then ended his life a champion. But the bell that rang signaling the end of Paul’s match was the opening bell for Timothy.

Today the bell is ringing the opening round for you and me.  Centuries have passed and the world is a different place but just as Paul and Timothy fought their battles we must fight our own. When we brazenly trust Christ He will give us His strength to score a knockout over sin and death. He was the champion of the universe long before Paul was born and He fights by our side. He is the one and only who can truly say He is,  “The Greatest”. He is the all time heavyweight champion. He is the Lion of Judah and our Lord Jesus Christ!

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Eye of the Storm

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Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.       Psalm 57:1 ESV

Vital to a hurricane’s formation is the occurrence of a center around which its winds gain strength. Its existence in the middle of the chaotic destruction all around is because the winds cannot penetrate the protective wall that the winds form around the eye.  To get into that calm center of the hurricane, such as the one currently bearing down on our state, means its leading edge have already passed over you. As it passes the winds calm and the blue sky appears for a little while, but it is only a temporary respite. Soon thunder, lightning and dark clouds move in, the wind direction reverses and chaos descends again.

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Maybe your life feels like you are in the hurricane of a catastrophic event, a broken relationship or a health crisis. But God has promised you and me us a real calm and a shelter that is way better than the eye of a storm. This refuge is called, “The shadow of His wings.” For us to hide under God’s wings means getting close to Him. His wings can only cover us when we are near enough to touch Him. So remember that when life spins out of control, He offers a refuge greater than the temporary peace at the eye of the storm. His peace will protect and keep us until every storm of destruction has completely passed us by.