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"Character Test"
People often confuse faith and virtue. Virtue is developed. People talk about "big believers," as if believing came in sizes like suit jackets. But, we can have faith even when we know we are not very good. Sinners can have faith – otherwise they could never be saved! Nobody is good, but Christ taught us that all can believe. He commended some people for their faith – but they were foreigners, quite ignorant of doctrine. The Bible does the same. In Hebrews chapter eleven, it has a "Roll of Honor," listing heroes and heroines of great faith. They are remembered not for valor or kindness, but for their complete reliance upon God. Faith is a perfectly ordinary thing that makes us outstanding in the eyes of God. Scripture states: “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” By faith, it is possible to please God, and faith is possible to everybody.
We are what we believe. We had better watch what we believe. We make that decision, and it, in turn, makes us. Some believe in UFOs, or that the earth is alive, or in voices from the dead. There are a million things to believe, but God is supreme. We are focused on believing in God. That is what believe in believing. Surveys show that practically everybody believes in god – some sort of god, somewhere. The question is, what sort?
Believing tests us. The kind of god we believe in forms the window into our soul – believing in Christ, or Karl Marx, for example. Following a faith that only demands a few prayers – what does that say about us? Minimum-effort religions can be quite popular – small demands, big following – cheap faith for people who have sold their inheritance for a ‘dish of broth.’
Jesus Christ asks everything: “Give Me your heart.” A broad religion is an easy road but gets narrower and leads to nowhere.
Hold fast to this truth:
Your faith in Christ is a narrow road that gets wider and goes somewhere.
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