The Hand of Faith
The Hand of Faith
"Faith…it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8,9
Faith is not self generated; it is God-given.
Most of us have faced dark moments when we have beaten ourselves up for having weak faith. We reason that since faith is required in order to get anything from God, when we are desperate for a miracle, we think we need to pump up our faith into a heightened state of optimism. Tragically, this happens most often when we are already in a life-crisis like an emergency room at the hospital when our loved one is in surgery. What a burden this can be!
Stop here. Take a deep breath. Think. Relax.
Good news. Faith is no more our work than is the miracle for which we are praying. The Bible clearly states, “Faith, it is the gift of God, not of works.” This means that we cannot self-generate faith. What freedom!
Faith is not like a coin that we slide into the slot machine of prayer, pushing any button we want, and out comes our miracle. And aren’t you glad! Faith is far more adventuresome, far more relational, and far more breath-taking than that. Today, Christ extends His hand to you and invites you to come. His extended hand is the gift of faith. Taking His hand is your privilege.
Loving Father, I receive from You today the gift of faith, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
"Faith…it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8,9
Faith is not self generated; it is God-given.
Most of us have faced dark moments when we have beaten ourselves up for having weak faith. We reason that since faith is required in order to get anything from God, when we are desperate for a miracle, we think we need to pump up our faith into a heightened state of optimism. Tragically, this happens most often when we are already in a life-crisis like an emergency room at the hospital when our loved one is in surgery. What a burden this can be!
Stop here. Take a deep breath. Think. Relax.
Good news. Faith is no more our work than is the miracle for which we are praying. The Bible clearly states, “Faith, it is the gift of God, not of works.” This means that we cannot self-generate faith. What freedom!
Faith is not like a coin that we slide into the slot machine of prayer, pushing any button we want, and out comes our miracle. And aren’t you glad! Faith is far more adventuresome, far more relational, and far more breath-taking than that. Today, Christ extends His hand to you and invites you to come. His extended hand is the gift of faith. Taking His hand is your privilege.
Loving Father, I receive from You today the gift of faith, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
Posted in Year on Fire
No Comments