October 30, 2018

Building Up Our Faith!

Faith is at the very core of our success in this life. It is at the very core of anything and everything that we say or do. It is the foundation our relationships, of our ability to perform in our careers, or in our hobbies. It is the very thing that gets us through the most difficult times. It is the key to literally everything.

Image courtesy of: +Lexia.com – pluslexia.com

Scripture:
“Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.’ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.” – Mark 6:4-6

Observation/Application:
Every time I read these scriptures, I am blown away. Jesus Christ who walked on water, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, raised people from the dead, was not able to perform miracles in his home town. And at the end of the chosen scripture today it says that Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith. And almost every reference that I can think of, when Jesus performed and healed, he always said, “by your faith you are healed.” So the fact that Jesus could not perform miracles in his home town had nothing to do with his lack of ability. The fact that Jesus could not perform miracles had everything with the lack of faith of those around him.

As I think about how this applies to each and every one of us, I can’t help but reflect on the areas of struggle in my life. And I think it is worth looking at the people around us and asking ourselves, “do these people have faith in me?” Do they speak words of encouragement to me? Do they remind me who I am, child of the most high God, heir to the His kingdom and glory, created as one of a kind for a unique and special purpose, given the ultimate gift by the Son of God who died on the cross and gave us the Holy Spirit which is the same power that rose Jesus from the dead?

Even though the people around us may love us, we cannot expect them to provide us with what only God can provide. We are human, and we all have faults. One of the greatest gifts that we can give ourselves, and others, is to stop setting an expectation of others that only God can deliver on. I’m not saying that we don’t hold others accountable and set high standards. On the contrary, I believe that we need to shoot for the moon and set the bar very high. And I believe that we should strive for excellence in everything that we do. But we should not let perfection get in the way of excellence. There is only one person to ever walk the face of this earth who was perfect, and his name was Jesus.

But one of the things that we can do for each other is speak God’s Word into each other’s life. We can speak hope, encouragement, edification, affirmation, peace, love, and faith. And we can cultivate an environment that is conducive to growth and health and life in our body, in our minds, and in our Spirit, through the Lord Jesus Christ. And we can build each other up in faith, so that God can work in our lives and in our town!

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word today. Help us to build up our faith today in ourselves and in each other. Give us insight and wisdom and understanding that is above human understanding. Fill us with your blessings that can only come through you. Guide our every thought, our every word, and our every action. Help us to walk in your Ways. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. Let your goodness overflow in us. Build up our faith Lord, so that You can get to work in our lives, and do miracles in our lives, and in the lives of those around us. We give you all the honor and glory, in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Image courtesy of: Clementine LESSARD