Faith sometimes will call for us to take a risk.  I am learning this with the new computer.  So far it avoided blowing up despite my lack of knowledge or skills.  My point and click method of learning is much slower than for most people but it does eventually lead to some insight.  One of the great issues of trusting God is how it shows up in our life.  Most times it is a tad more complex than trying to learn a new computer system.  But you can certainly find more than a few applications along the way.  There is the challenge of a new task.  I definitely know the anxiety of wondering what this change may mean.  Taking a few hesitant steps is another truth we can gain.  You can also think about what you knew when you began this journey of technology.  Who knew just how much we would come to depend on this tool?  We just grew over time as each update lead to another opportunity.  I would imagine that in ten years what is common place now will seem perhaps ancient.  You get the idea I hope.


Baptists talk a great deal about faith.  Many of our hymns refer to faith either in the title or in the lyrics.  Many of us know the scriptures relating to our confidence in God.  I wish there was a way to count the number of meetings attended where someone remarked of a need to trust God in faith.  Only one thing concerns me about all of this.  Where is God showing up with all of our words about our belief?  God is not just for the Sunday School hour.  If we are going to proclaim His greatness within the confines of the congregation then we may want to see if what we say matches up to what we do afterward.  One sure mark of faith is God does the unusual or even the incredible in our midst.  Or is our concept of faith merely a slogan to toss around?


Reading the stories in scripture of faith is a thrilling thing to do.  How often Jesus will respond to the simple faith of a seeker with great miracles?  Lives are changed because someone expresses confidence in Jesus.  You find older accounts of great saints who become that way due to a radical trust in God.  Then you take a look at the contemporary church.  We get so bogged down in the mundane we cannot grasp the magnificent mercy of God.  Is it any wonder people become discouraged when we practice a selective faith?   I find most people will want to act in faith when it is a project close to their heart.  Other times we will decide not to take the risk until we study something a bit longer.  If faith is not active all of the time then is it truly faith?


Let me confess to asking myself these same questions lately.  God may need to take apart our belief system on occasion to make sure it is eternally secure.  That makes us feel very uncomfortable.  Far too many believers would rather rock along with an occasional confidence than allow God to work a change within us.  We would rather God fix the other person or the situation than to change our heart.  If we do not trust God to do good in our faith then how do we every anticipate believing He will do great things through our faith?


Bro. Trey