Truth, Acted Upon
This is just a snippet of something that I've been working on for the last few months...
Faith is a word we use all the time as believers in Christ, but it is also a word commonly used by the world. What does it actually mean though? There are a few definitions of faith that I keep coming back to.
Heb 11:1: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith – “a continual gaze on a saving God” – AW Tozer
“Faith sees the reality of the unseen or invisible, and it includes a readiness to act as if the good anticipated in hope were already in hand because of the reality of God.” - D. Willard
Faith is, by it's very nature an uncomfortable position. It's a choice to disregard the external circumstances of daily life that surround us and press in on us. To focus not on the facts of life, but the truth of Christ. There's a big difference between facts and truth. Fact change, Truth does not. Most of the time my life is dominated by facts. The fact that I have these things that I need to get done. The fact that I don't have enough money to buy what I want. The fact that something didn't turn out the way I planned. Christ calls us to live life by His Truth. Over and above all the facts of life He never changes.
The biggest problem in life is the suppression of Truth. (Rom. 1) I know what the Truth is, I may even affirm it verbally, but I refuse to act on it. I know what’s right, but I don’t do it. I know I'm wrong, but I won’t admit it. I know I made a mistake, but I won’t apologize. I know God is sovereign, but I won’t submit. Faith acknowledges the Truth and allows it to direct our lives. Faith takes the theory or theology and puts it into practice. It acts on it as reality. If its just theory that I talk about it’s hypocrisy.
It's interesting that in Hebrew there is no word for faith, the word used implies faithfulness. There is no faith apart from faithfulness. We don't come to faith once. We don't belong to a certain faith. The world uses faith in these terms, but the Bible does not. We live by faith, moment by moment. We live faithfully. That doesn't mean we're simply just striving and pushing ourselves to believe in God. The Bible says that God has given to each a measure of faith (ref?). It's a moment by moment surrender. I have little control over the facts of life, but I can believe in the Truth of the One who does.
I think that one of the toughest area to have faith is when I've made mistakes. I can believe that God is in control of external circumstances. The “accidental” events that affect my life. I believe He can use those for good, but do I believe He can use me for good? Even though I can't seem to fix my bad attitude, my weaknesses, my hesitation to believe can He still work? When I fail and God brings me around to the same situation again I start analyzing it for where I went wrong and how I can correct myself so that God can use me. I want control of the situation, instead of His grace in it. Instead I need to believe that He can use me as I am.
The answer is simple, it's Christ. Just because it's simple, though, doesn't mean it's easy. Having the answer and living the answer are two different things. It's a daily walk, believing He is who He says He is, believing Truth. It's faithfulness. Assured from God and learned by us.
posted by Jordan Cameron | 8:42 PM
10 Comments:
hey!
umm i was wondering if you can look at my page again and tell me if you see any pics on the page. i think its just where i got them from. so . . yha that would be helpful :)
steph
Hey,
Happy New Year!!
Its been very encouraging to read your thoughts. Thanks for sharing.
Donna
Hi Jordan,
Thanks for the thoughts. I definitely resonate with a lot of what you've shared. Thanks for the reminder that, " I have little control of the facts of life, but I can believe in the Truth of the One who does" - where would we be without this truth?! Without this aspect of faith where would the hope be? I am so thankful that the Truth of who God is never changes. What a wonder it is that in spite of the fact that we so often suppress the knowledge of this truth that God ever so graciously continues on with us.
Hope you're doing well.
Amen.
It's crazy how something so simple is so complex and beyond our understanding without actually experiencing it. I like the D. Miller quote, but I would change it from "readiness to act" to just plainly "acting"... What do you think?
I didn't know that the word faith in Hebrews implies faithfulness. This definitely provides a new angle to thinking about and living out faith.
I'm sure glad I read this right now. I read it a couple of days ago, but had to take time again to go through and really think about it. It's funny - the part where you talk about the "fact" of needing to get things done during the day... that was the mode I was in a few minutes ago. But it's been good to sit for a bit and reflect on the things that you talked about, and the things I'm learning...it even puts my mind into a clearer perspective for the rest of the day (ha-fancy that!).
The word "fact" threw me a bit, but I think it's a good word to describe how we go through our days: as if we have no choice in the matter. Hmmm...choice. :o)
Good thoughts Jordan. Hope you keep them coming!
Take care.
Hi Jordan,
happy New Year. Thanks for taking the time in Edmonton to meet with us. We had a really good time.
Thanks also for sharing. Its been really encouraging. I have to admit I had to read it a few times before I got it. I mean got it in a way as much as words. Like you said to know and to live are two different things.
Andrea
Amen, friend. The Lord has been teaching me much of the same things .... I am thankful for His grace .... inexpressibly so. Thank you so much for sharing Truth. You are a good and true friend for doing so.
Hey Jordan, just saw your blog here. Thanks for the thoughts on faith, they definately encouraged me. Nice to see some pics from capernwray too, and hear what your up to. Take care man.
Hey Jordan! How was Mexico? Hope you're finding it alright to be back (busy as it is!)...
Nice post. I'd like to make some observations and criticisms if I may. For the majority of what you wrote I was trackin' with ya. Ninety-nine percent in fact. Even if you expressed it in different terms, and I had to boil it down to what I was interpreting you were meaning my my own sphere of vocabulary, I feel like I was with ya. The difference between facts and truth is a really important distinction. Those things that are real for all people at all times regardless of sex, culture, faith, or geographic location. (The reference you were looking for with measure of faith thing is Rom 12:3 btw) I would argue about this truth, and its permeation throughout society at various levels, is that our Christ, our Bible has no monopoly on truth. You kinda get this sense when David reflects on God's pervasiveness in the world. He says that the world is God's and everything in it (Pslm 24:1) He then later, much later in fact in another song asks where can he flee from God's presence? (Pslsm 139:7) Now I don't know Hebrew, nor do I know when David wrote this during his life; two facts that would help greatly my knowledge of what exactly he meant it as, so I am forced, as all translators are to as well, to interpret this. Seems to me that David is saying, God is in all things and I can't get away from God because all things were created by God. I think that these "things" include the created world, experiences, and sets of beliefs. I'm not saying that all "religions" have it figured out, but what I am saying is Christianity doesn't have it all figured it out. To say "Christ is the answer" and leave it at that is a bit disingenuous to say the least and the obvious question comes: What do you mean by that? I'm not denying in anyway that truth lies within our story of Jesus. What I am denying is that there are truths found in those stories NOT found in any other set of beliefs, and what I AM saying is that we have things warped in our set of beliefs, ideas that may not exactly be what Christ had in mind for his followers, just as other faith systems have strayed and possibly returned to their main tenants. It seems that to limit truth to the Bible is to put God in a box of black and white. I refuse to do that. I've kinda floated into my criticism so here goes.
The last paragraph the "believing in who Christ was" bit. Thats pretty empty without qualifying that with what you mean. Do you mean that to believe that what he said and how he lived is the best possible way, or do you mean that we are all shitty and that if it weren't for what we are told in those stories as actually having happened we'd all be going to the fiery pit below? Something else? For me those were just dull sunday school terms that have the wait of those felt boards some of us were taught with as children.
Keep up the good work.
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