The Boundaries of Faith – Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

We set boundaries to our faith.  From our perspective we limit God.  We ask God to prove himself to us.  We will follow in “faith” if we have this evidence or that sign.  We put God to the test by our standards and then find him wanting.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that “Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.”  Paul told us that the just must live by faith.  Faith is the prerequisite for following Christ.  Again I would echo the words of the letter to the Hebrews, “No one can please God without faith. Whoever goes to God must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

It is we that set boundaries on our willingness to seek God.  We gather evidence or circumstances as our boundaries to belief.   We decide that God has not met our test and dismiss with a polite “no, thank you.”    We even teach others not to have faith. 

God requires me to approach him with simple and innocent faith.  He requires me to believe so that I might actually see.  I realize that it is difficult for some people to have faith.  God, however, explains that he will reward the smallest amount of faith with more faith.  It is not a leap.  It is a step.

The long journey home begins with a moment of faith.  It starts with a single step toward Christ.  The beauty is that no matter how far you have run in any other direction, the journey back is always a single step in faith.  The boundaries are crushed by the willingness to believe. 

It is by grace that we are redeemed through faith.  It is faith that moves me down the path.  It is faith that has brought me through my darkest times and faith that will eventually get me to the clearing at the end.  It is faith that keeps from despair over my children that do not walk in faith.  It is faith that is the spring of my hope and love for others.  Without faith I would not bother, full stop.  I cannot, therefore, afford to set boundaries on it.

That’s What Faith Must Be – Michael Card

To hear with my heart

To see with my soul

To be guided by a hand I cannot hold

To trust in a way that I cannot see

That's what faith must be

When the universe fell from His fingertips

He decided He wanted some fellowship

But the man and the woman would not submit

So He made a better way

When the moment was right He sent His own son

And He opened the way so that everyone

Could have hope and believe that when time was done

He'd be able to make us one

To hear with my heart

To see with my soul

To be guided by a hand I cannot hold

To trust in a way that I cannot see

That's what faith must be

Now I understand that there is a key

It's Jesus in me, a reality

That God is in Christ and that Christ's in me

That with faith I see what is unseen

To hear with my heart

To see with my soul

To be guided by a hand I cannot hold

To trust in a way that I cannot see

That's what faith must be

That's what faith must be

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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