What Faith Will Do

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 Today seemed like a busy and fairly taxing day. Mid-afternoon I took a nap and that helped me regenerate for the rest of the evening. Changing my antibiotic doses to twice a day has really made a difference. The nine at night and nine in the morning seems to work out well for our schedule.

My good news of the day was that I discovered an oversight on my tax return that should help with an additional $500 tax refund. I’m just not sure when I will get it, but it may come in handy for Christmas. Also, it was great to have Ted Grizzel help yesterday with my transportation to the Rehab Hospital and to come today to work on a leaky faucet in our kitchen.

I am trying more and more to use the walker to transfer from wheelchair to bed or my recliner. This gets me some periodic exercise through the day in addition to any specific exercise activity. This morning I stood in my walker without having to push up from the bed which was a first.

BIBLE VERSES FOR TODAY… Mark 11:22-26

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it,and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

 These verses come at the end of a passage in the Bible where Jesus is teaching His disciples about faith. The passage begins with Jesus cursing a fig tree as they left the town of Bethany.  The verses above follow the disciples observation, on their return journey, that the fig tree was dead.

Frank Adams is a church consultant from Fredericksburg, Virginia. I like the wording for his outline related to this passage.

1.     Faith will dry up what needs to be dried up (11:12-14, 21-21)

Frank makes the comment, “there are things that should not be allowed to continue as they are.” That point alone is challenging and convicting enough! It reminds me of the leadership adage, “If the horse is dead dismount!” But for our personal lives it calls for some inner evaluation. What is there in our life that needs to be changed, or killed? What is there in our life that needs tending and mending in order to bear more fruit?

2.      Faith will remove what needs to be removed (11:22-23)

Mountains thrown into the sea is a pretty dramatic metaphor. But when the challenges and problems in life can appear as intimidating as the Rocky Mountains it is easy to become discouraged. Faith provides the strength and the ability to see the future regarding our life not from the perspective of the foot of the mountain,but at the top of the mountain.

3.      Faith will get done what needs to get done (v.23)

“Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe…”

James said, “when you ask you must believe not doubt”  (James1:6)  If we ask without faith we are wasting our time.

Consistently in Jesus ministry we see Him responding to an individual’s faith. We see Him commending faith. Heb. 11:6 says, “without faith it is impossible to please God.”

So, keep believing, keep trusting because faith gets done, what needs to be done.

4.      Faith will provide what you need but don’t have (v. 24)

The old hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” contains the admonition, “take it to the Lord in prayer.” What troubles us, challenges us, what we need, we can ask the Lord for in faith.

 Church Reformer Martin Luther said, “God our father has made all things depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have everything. And whoever does not have faith will have nothing.”

 5.     Faith will heal what needs to be healed (v.25-26)

The sin of unforgiveness can hinder our prayers. When we understand God’s forgiveness freely extended to us, it should empower us to forgive others. But this verse places the action of our forgiveness toward others as preceding God’s forgiveness for us. Perhaps it is because if we don’t have faith in God to take care of our offenses and to empower us to forgive, how can we believe Him to forgive us or for “whatsoever we ask”?

This verse reminds us that the greatest healing, the greatest act of faith, the greatest request can be for the healing of broken relationships.

Frank Adams ends his outline with the exclamation, “Think about it!” I actually have for several weeks and decided to grab his outline and include my own commentary. If you like the outline you can thank Frank, if you don’t like the commentary don’t write Frank.

Frank Adams www.newlevelchurchconsulting.com   frankpadams@verizon.net