Faith Grabbers

Mark 11: 22 -23 And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

I love scripture passages like these--filled with power and opportunity. God has a way of presenting things that call us to action. This passage in Mark chapter 11 is one of those passages. The beauty of this passage, however, is found in the phrase “Have faith in God.” I think that all too often we take that line for granted, yet it is the very ingredient that provides power for that which follows.

Speaking in and of itself does not produce action. I can say all kinds of things and even say to mountains, “Jump into the sea.” I know from experience that doesn’t work. What does work, however, is having faith in God! The core teaching of this passage is not what we say but what we believe. In fact Jesus reinforces this two times in the text. He says, “do not doubt, but believe.” Belief is what grabs our faith.

James chapter 2 is a complete discourse on this subject. (Read it sometime) The gist of that chapter pertains to what happens when we bring faith and action into practice. Sounds easy, but many times the application is difficult. I find in my life that sometimes it is easy to have faith. On the other hand, when faced with action, I crumble under the weight. I am not willing to risk exposure to my lack of real faith.

So what does this say for me? There are two things I need to remember in life about faith. First, faith is God’s gift to me for the living out my life in relationship with Him. (Eph 2:8-9) God is the beginning point of faith. It is not something I have had all along but is birthed in me when I turn to Him for salvation. Second, faith is the effect of this relationship. The more I am with God the more faith builds in me.

The power of this passage is that having faith in God will produce the things God calls me to do. Therefore, grab faith, my friends.