Title: Exercising Real Faith!
Contents
Dear all! What do you think faith is? The greatest blessing that we have received by believing in Jesus is to live by faith. Unfortunately, many Christians do not know what faith is. Many Christians believe that knowledge of the Bible and doctrinal knowledge is faith. A lot of things happened because I often went to visit rooms when I was a novice. Once, we all went to visit the house of a young butler who was praised for having good faith. The people I went to visit with them all praised me for saying that among the young people these days, there are very few people with this kind of faith, so I had high expectations too. When I met him in person, the appearance of worshiping with a humble attitude throughout the whole time with a good impression seemed to be very faithful, as I had heard.
It is unfortunate, but many people who sincerely come to church do not have faith. “Going to church” and “living by faith” are clearly different. There is a standard by which we can know whether a person lives by faith or not. It's about how you deal with your concerns. The opposite of ‘faith’ is not ‘disbelief’, but ‘worry and anxiety’. We all want to cast our worries on the Lord. But even when you try not to be anxious, it's never easy. Anxiety does not go away with effort. It disappears when you believe in something greater than your worries. Therefore, if you do not fully believe in God, your worries will not disappear.
You don't know what a wonderful blessing it is to live by faith. From a young age until death, we work hard and work hard, but there are very few people who live happily ever after. But those who live by faith do not struggle and live happily. Life should be easy for a person of faith. That's normal. “Because happiness is a feeling, not a condition.” Where the Lord goes, I go, and where the Lord stays, I stay. If you feed him, he eats, and if he puts him to sleep, he sleeps. Those who live by faith can only praise. Just as King Jehoshaphat set up a choir at the front of the army when he was fighting against Syria in 2 Chronicles 20, it is to praise and go forward even when faced with difficult problems. All we have to do is always give thanks and praise. So how easy is it to live by faith?
We are saved by grace, not by effort, but by faith. But salvation is not only received by faith. We receive all the grace and blessings of God through faith. The sad thing is that there are many Christians who mistakenly believe that salvation comes through faith, and then victory, holiness, and blessings come through hard work. no. Victory, holiness, and blessings in our lives are all taken by faith. Can we really receive all the blessings after we are saved by faith? That's right. It really is. Believe it.
Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China, collapsed in China in 1869 in frustration and discouragement. Although I was exhausted, it was because I felt guilty for not being able to live a life that was completely pleasing to God. As a missionary, he tried to be a holy man. But the more I tried and pursued a holy life, the more unholy I would find myself. He was determined not to take his eyes off Jesus for a moment. However, because of the pressure, he became so sensitive that he became angry with the people around him more often and was embarrassed to see himself speaking harshly. I prayed, fasted, read God's Word diligently, and had more time to meditate, but to no avail. He tried to believe, but he couldn't. Then I felt frustrated. If you can't live like that, how can you declare, "If you believe in Jesus, he will give you the power to become children of God"? In the end, he had no choice but to fall.
Then a letter came from my friend, Missionary McCardy. The letter had this to say: “How can I strengthen my faith? It's not about trying to find faith, it's about relying on Jesus, the faithful.” That sentence came to light for Hudson Taylor. At that moment, he remembered the words of Jesus. “I am the vine, you are the branches…” (John 15:5)
Hudson Taylor overheard Jesus saying, “I will never leave you.” In that moment, I realized not only that Jesus would never leave me, but that Jesus and myself were one member of one body, one flesh and one bone. “Jesus remains faithful. Oh! There is rest! Meanwhile, in vain to rest in Jesus