Childlike faith . . .

We’ve often heard: “Seeing is believing!” However, with God it is most often just the opposite, that is: “Believing is seeing.” Take just a couple of examples, for instance: The Virgin Birth is absolute non-sense, unless it is seen through the eyes of faith. The same goes for the Resurrection. When is the last time you saw a dead man resurrected three days after the undertaker had buried him? Same goes for turning water into wine, or Jesus walking on the water. All are non-sense, unless you believe first, then, and only then, does it make sense.

The same goes for spiritual rebirth, also. Jesus said,

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8 ESV).”

Show me proof for the new birth, without believing first—then a changed life means nothing more than a poorly kept New Year’s resolution, or an ill kept promise to keep an anxious wife at bay. Why, do I say this? Well, simply because nothing has change on the inside—that is, the soul is still as sick as ever, and the spirit remains in bondage to the filthy residual of Adam’s legacy. 

So, in short, belief not only works miracles; it is a miracle. No wonder Jesus said to the Syrophoenician woman whose daughter he healed:

“Woman, your faith is great! Let what you want be done for you (Matthew 15:28).” 

Her faith did not waver, even when He told her in essence that His mission was to the Jews, not some off-brand Canaanite. Yet, she persisted. Faith paid off, not persistence, however, that was only a sign of her unfailing belief. True she no doubt had seen, but seeing accomplished nothing; committed faith, however, made the difference.

May God give us the insight to step on the water when He calls us, trusting that the tumultuous sea beneath will sustain us, simply because He said, “Come.”

Faith is nothing more than belief in action; and faith is given, not rationalized (Romans 12:3; 1 Corinthians 4:7). No one has ever thought his way into Heaven; yet even a simple child can often radiate with the glory of God. Faith is never childish; however, it is only childlike in its simplicity. 

Childish faith is whimsical, playful, treats God’s promises as commodities, fostered off at times to the most gullible among us—like so much merchandize: a prayer cloth, or holy oil or water, or a rosary blessed by the Pope, a miracle working CD. Like children playing the street (Luke 7:32), Jesus says. In other words, religion is only a game. Great fun, but no substance. An entertaining sideshow. A facade, or ruse to work its way into our pocket books. To the unbelieving, it is all of these and more; but never sustaining faith. Sad, but true.

So, anything short of belief, is not faith at all. 

True faith, therefore, is always first grounded in belief. It can not be whipped up emotionally, experienced at the short end of a long-armed evangelist shouting “Be healed, in the Mighty Name of Jesus!” or mustarded-up by wishful thinking. True faith is belief that simply takes God at His word. Nothing more, and nothing less. 

Remember, there are no mountains you can't tunnel through, or rivers that you cannot cross with Christ at your side.

JimR/-