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“Where
He Ain't”
A
little boy was wandering through his neighborhood
admiring all of the marvels of creation that he could
find. A neighbor was watching the boy’s behavior and asked him
what he was doing.
“I’m just looking at all of the things God
created,” the boy replied.
“Humph!” replied the unbelieving neighbor.
“If you will tell me where God is, I’ll give you a
brand new dime!”
Quick as a flash the little boy answered with a
sure confidence, “I’ll give you a dollar, Mister,
if you’ll tell me where God ain’t!”
In
Hebrews 11:6 we learn: "But without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must
believe that (1) He is,
AND that (2) He is a rewarder
of those who diligently seek Him."
From
this text we learn that faith includes:
1)
Believing IN God - i.e. believing that God exists.
Now faith involves things we cannot see
(see Hebrews 11:1).
Although no one has ever SEEN God (see John
1:18) because He is Spirit (John 4:24), this does NOT
mean that there is NO evidence of His existence.
BIBLE
FAITH is NOT
BLIND FAITH, contrary to the misconception of
many.
For
example... let’s suppose that you have traveled
by boat to an uncharted island that you assume is
uninhabited. As
you pull your boat onto the beach, you notice a
set of footprints in the sand.
What have you learned?
You have learned that someone has been on that
island! How
do you know that -- did you SEE the person?
NO, but you HAVE SEEN evidence that the person
has been there.
In
the same way, no one has SEEN God, but we CAN see His “footprints,”
His “handprints,” His “fingerprints,”
ALL around us (see Romans 1:20).
Like the little boy, we SEE tremendous evidence of His
existence.
Faith
also includes…
2)
Believing God – i.e. trust in His promise to reward "those
who
diligently seek" Him. Through
nature we can know ABOUT
God – through the Bible we can KNOW
God! You can look at nature and recognize the
existence of God, but you will NEVER know anything
ELSE about God until you read His Word.
ONLY the Word of God tells us who God is and
what He expects of us.
Through
an open and honest study of God’s Word, FAITH is
built (Romans 10:17).
The faith that develops is not only a certainty
of His existence (believing IN God) but also a
trust in His promises (believing
God). This
kind of faith will cause one to ACT
on his faith by responding to His will.
We
find in Scripture that those who acknowledged the
existence of God AND trusted His promises, ACTED on
their faith by submitting their lives in obedience to
the will of God.
Obedience to His will includes: repentance
(2 Corinthians 7:10), confession
of Jesus Christ, God’s Son (Romans 10:9-10), and baptism
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
sins (Acts 2:38).
Do
you believe IN
God? If
so, do you BELIEVE God? If so,
will you now ACT
on your faith in obedience?
Have
YOU obeyed the gospel? (click
here)
God
bless you!
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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