Substance part 5
When we talk about faith we need to know (and believe) what we're talking about. Because faith is not the power to conjure something into existence. Faith is knowing (and believing) what already exists. It is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for and the EVIDENCE of things not seen. Faith means persuasion. And the way you are persuaded of something is by experiencing it. Seeing is believing, if I can say it that way. Jesus told us what love is--laying your life down for your friends--and then He went to the cross and did that very thing. He gave us THE measure of faith by giving us something--someONE, Himself, Love--to believe in. I said seeing is believing. And this goes right along with that: You are what you eat. What you feed is what will grow. If you eat something substantial you'll be satisfied. And when the Bible says, "God is love" that's what the word love means; it means "love feast." Jesus prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies, and He knocks at the door (the heart) waiting for us to answer so that He can come in and sup with us. He wants to SHARE a meal. SHARE an experience. He wants to fill us to overflowing with love so that we can love each other (naturally) with that same love. So that instead of trying to get something we think we don't have--which is what we THINK faith is all about--we can begin to receive and release the gift of God that we've already been given. Faith comes from hearing, right? And hearing from the Word of God. When we KNOW what we've got we can BELIEVE that we have it. When that still, small voice inside of us leads and guides us into all truth by telling us the ultimate truth of the universe--that the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands... that Daddy loves you--that's when you can stop trying to get something. Because you know you've already got it. And when you know what you've got you can experience and enjoy what you've got. You can share what you've got. When you're satisfied--filled to overflowing with God's love for you--you can focus on satisfying others. When you're full of it, then you've got something to share. You can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. Faith isn't trying to get anything. It's knowing what you've got. Believing that what you've got is enough. "Have faith in God" means, "have faith in love." Because God IS love. That's the gift of God--eternal life, knowing the Father and the One whom He sent. Knowing who God is--your heavenly Father--and knowing who you are--His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. That's what we feast on. That's what we fill ourselves with. Not what we do, but who we are. That's what's real. That's what's substantial. The evidence and substance of God's love for us. That's what makes life worth living. That's what makes it POSSIBLE to live. Because to live is to love and to love is to live!