January 14, 2014

If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. - Luke 17:6

Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. - Matthew 17:20

Faith is an interesting thing and it is something I do not understand fully.  I used to think that you either had faith or you didn't, it was on or off.  And I still believe that you either believe in Jesus or you don't.  But I also think you can be a great man full of faith, a man with some faith, or a man with little faith.  It seems to me that my faith can be encouraged and grown.

An elder preacher was returning to his hotel room one night and as he got off the elevator and proceeded down the hall to his room a young man moved quickly in front of him with a gun to rob him.  He told the preacher to hand over his wallet and watch or he'd kill him.  The preacher replied, "You can't scare me with heaven!"  And then he proceeded to witness to the young man.

I feel fairly certain that if I was in that same scenario, my instinctive response would not be one of a great man full of faith.  Dungy comments, "Sometimes we want to get our finite brains around an infinite God and understand things without having to do it on faith alone.  ...  And usually those times are when we need to have faith even more."  This is where I fall the most.  I say, "I hear you Lord, but why?  That doesn't make sense and I don't feel like it."  And I'm slow and sluggish to move. 

Dungy reassures me by saying, "The disciples had their moments of doubt, and Jesus was standing there, right in front of them."  Everyone has had their moments of doubt.  Sometimes that moment is truly a moment of minutes and sometimes that moment is a few years.  The answer is always a decision of faith.  Will I believe, while not understanding why, while not knowing what the outcome will be, while not feeling it, and do what He says do simply because that is what He says?

Dungy's challenge today is, "Christ doesn't' call us to understand it all, ... Instead He wants us to have just enough faith in Him to continue to follow Him day by day on the path He has set before us."