True, Mandy, especially in these trying times! How we need to press on with our faith in our Sustainer Who keeps us going [like an energizer bunny]. You are right, Mandy, this will be a call to action to Live by Faith! Faith in the Triune GOD and His promises, faith that GOD’s grace is sufficient for our salvation, and faith that JESUS CHRIST is Lord, Savior, and always there for us when we seek Him in our lives. GOD bless you and your entire family! How are you my friend? 🙂
True, Jim! Otherwise, faith is useless if it is not directed only to the Triune GOD and includes the saving grace GOD the FATHER gave us through His SON, JESUS CHRIST; with the HOLY SPIRIT working and pointing us to JESUS, our Savior.
We should be steadfast in our faith in Him who is faithful to us, Crissy. Anchoring on His promises and a better world in heaven. That picture is from my sibling. Timely, Crissy, I have a shirt that I’m about to wear today with the same words from 2 Corinthians 5:7 but I chose 1 John 1:5. A blessed Sunday!
My dad preached many a sermon on this verse. It is one of my favorites.
He studied the Greek text and based on this verse was able to put it as simply as Faith= instruction from God.
Whereas most people think faith is more about belief, he taught that it was hearing the instruction from God. And acting on that. Faith without works is dead…
It is interesting how much gets lost in translation. Hope literally mean “confident expectation” in Greek and we experience it more as hope from a much less confident standpoint.
That’s why hope deferred makes the heart sick. When you confidently expect something and it doesn’t happen it does indeed make the heart very sick.
Ok – I’ll stop. 😂 sorry about that. It’s like Dad came down and started preaching again.
Be blessed today!
Beck, these are all really good points! Actually, I like it that faith is instructions from GOD. We should follow them because we love Him who saves and sustains us. These are worth heeding for as we mature in faith and love of JESUS CHRIST! After this subseries on faith, we go into justification, election and we visit the book of James. With the saving grace of GOD through JESUS CHRIST in us (we are assurred to be with the Triune GOD), we then can manifest/convey it through the prodding of the HOLY SPIRIT by loving the Triune GOD and neighbor (i.e. works). A “Christian” who does things otherwise is not a a good example and his/her fate is open to a grueling emotional debate among Christians that only GOD’s mercy can have a definite answer; knowing it in heaven. Continuing your dad’s legacy is a good thing indeed. May GOD bless you in your ministry. Blessings also to your family. My sincere apologies for the late response. Don’t stop also. I’m enjoying this and learning from you all. This thing we are doing is also to learn and not just to espouse. Hearing from you soon.
Thank you Kent! I always appreciated my dad’s view. In our church circle growing up the accusation of ‘you don’t have enough faith’ was quite frequently tossed about. Especially when it came to things like healing and what not.
Thinking of faith as instruction changes the ballgame a bit.
May God also bless you abundantly in your ministry.
Good morning from the Philippines, Beck! Sadly, a holier-than-thou attitude still existed in different forms these days; when to think about it, we all are sinners living under the grace of GOD. But we are all imperfect humans and we see each other still in heaven as Christians whom GOD owns by His grace. Only JESUS is perfect and we focus on Him as we proceed on making Him known. Blessings for the week!
Gersom Clark 
Amen! Now more than ever do we need to live by faith!
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True, Mandy, especially in these trying times! How we need to press on with our faith in our Sustainer Who keeps us going [like an energizer bunny]. You are right, Mandy, this will be a call to action to Live by Faith! Faith in the Triune GOD and His promises, faith that GOD’s grace is sufficient for our salvation, and faith that JESUS CHRIST is Lord, Savior, and always there for us when we seek Him in our lives. GOD bless you and your entire family! How are you my friend? 🙂
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And faith is important! And what we place faith in even more so!
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True, Jim! Otherwise, faith is useless if it is not directed only to the Triune GOD and includes the saving grace GOD the FATHER gave us through His SON, JESUS CHRIST; with the HOLY SPIRIT working and pointing us to JESUS, our Savior.
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Amen
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We live by faith and not by sight. Even more so in these dark world we live in.
Nice picture!
Blessings to you and yours .
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We should be steadfast in our faith in Him who is faithful to us, Crissy. Anchoring on His promises and a better world in heaven. That picture is from my sibling. Timely, Crissy, I have a shirt that I’m about to wear today with the same words from 2 Corinthians 5:7 but I chose 1 John 1:5. A blessed Sunday!
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My dad preached many a sermon on this verse. It is one of my favorites.
He studied the Greek text and based on this verse was able to put it as simply as Faith= instruction from God.
Whereas most people think faith is more about belief, he taught that it was hearing the instruction from God. And acting on that. Faith without works is dead…
It is interesting how much gets lost in translation. Hope literally mean “confident expectation” in Greek and we experience it more as hope from a much less confident standpoint.
That’s why hope deferred makes the heart sick. When you confidently expect something and it doesn’t happen it does indeed make the heart very sick.
Ok – I’ll stop. 😂 sorry about that. It’s like Dad came down and started preaching again.
Be blessed today!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beck, these are all really good points! Actually, I like it that faith is instructions from GOD. We should follow them because we love Him who saves and sustains us. These are worth heeding for as we mature in faith and love of JESUS CHRIST! After this subseries on faith, we go into justification, election and we visit the book of James. With the saving grace of GOD through JESUS CHRIST in us (we are assurred to be with the Triune GOD), we then can manifest/convey it through the prodding of the HOLY SPIRIT by loving the Triune GOD and neighbor (i.e. works). A “Christian” who does things otherwise is not a a good example and his/her fate is open to a grueling emotional debate among Christians that only GOD’s mercy can have a definite answer; knowing it in heaven. Continuing your dad’s legacy is a good thing indeed. May GOD bless you in your ministry. Blessings also to your family. My sincere apologies for the late response. Don’t stop also. I’m enjoying this and learning from you all. This thing we are doing is also to learn and not just to espouse. Hearing from you soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Kent! I always appreciated my dad’s view. In our church circle growing up the accusation of ‘you don’t have enough faith’ was quite frequently tossed about. Especially when it came to things like healing and what not.
Thinking of faith as instruction changes the ballgame a bit.
May God also bless you abundantly in your ministry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good morning from the Philippines, Beck! Sadly, a holier-than-thou attitude still existed in different forms these days; when to think about it, we all are sinners living under the grace of GOD. But we are all imperfect humans and we see each other still in heaven as Christians whom GOD owns by His grace. Only JESUS is perfect and we focus on Him as we proceed on making Him known. Blessings for the week!
LikeLiked by 1 person