A rainbow is a perfect arc, with all the colors one can ever imagine. But sometimes we can't see all of it because clouds that crowd our lives block our vision.
I liken the arc to the truth, which we fail to see because we are short on faith. (I am trying hard not to sound like a theologian here because I am not; I can only speak, like I do in the books I write, from my heart.)
Faith is not a mental or emotional delusion, it comes to us through grace. In Romans 10:17 (NLT), we read: “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”
Just because I have great faith today doesn’t mean I have it the same way tomorrow, or forever after. Faith is something one has to pray for, work on, and work at having—by reflecting on God's Word every day of one's life.
A.W. Tozer said, “. . . it is not enough that we believe; we must believe the right thing about the right One.”
And what is the right thing about the right One?
It is spelled out in probably the best known verse in the Bible, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NLT)
Without the Savior's grace, nothing is. His promises hold in good and bad times. Believing in (being convinced and certain) and embracing this truth is faith.
The catch is, every day we experience disappointments and are saddled with all sorts of problems; we discover new, exciting ideas on the internet; we read new books that cite and paraphrase the Bible with beautiful reasoning that seems so right. Before long, we depart further and further away from the truth—and behold an incomplete rainbow.
How do we keep the faith? How do we get to see the complete arc?
Paul said that he "kept the faith." He did that by preaching the Word in season and out of season; his life was focused on the Gospel of Jesus to the very end.
We keep the faith when we are hearing the word of God and repeating it back to Him. Yes, as we talk about what Jesus has done for us, we keep faith.
Rom. 10: 9 (NLT), “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
May the blessing of faith enable us to see the complete rainbow.
7 comments:
Faith starts and ends in Jesus. This opens the door for God's grace in our lives. Oh that everyone would have a revelation of who Jesus is!
Like No One Else Can
Hail to the Queen. Ms. Grace, I have always been a big fan of yours. In a world filled with pressure and stress, reading your works have always been therapeutic for me, just like getting a pinch of salt in a soup that has turned dull. Despite knowing your great writing prowess, I still find myself getting amazed with your thoughts and how you translate to writing. I hope that one day, I will be able to follow your footsteps and finally win a Palanca, and get a much deserved-bonus: meeting you in person. You are an inspiration, because you hold your pen and command it... like no one else can.
We pray that people may see it, Yay.
Dear Jose Paolo,
Thank you so much for your very uplifting message. I don't want to claim credit for my writing--I have always believed that it isn't about me, but about grace. I will forever be grateful to God for allowing my writing to reach people like you and encourage them as well.
Are you from Manila? If you are, we can probably meet in one of OMFLit's book signing sessions scheduled this December, and have some book chat.
Wow! I would love to! I live in Laguna ma'am, just a couple of hours away from Manila. =)
Please visit the OMFLit site (omflit.com) every now and then to find out the exact dates. See you!
Jose Paolo, there is booksigning scheduled this Saturday, December 17, at the Pergola OMFLit Bookshop, BF Paranaque. I hope you have time to come so we can have a chat.
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