Firm faith!
Colossians 2:7”…rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
“I will do all it takes to be the world champion. The chessboard is always pictured in my head and I move pieces there. I can probably remember a few thousand games. ”, said Magnus Carlsen, the 22 year old from Norway.
Friend, making casual unsupported claims would not work, confidence cannot be gained in a vacuum, we got to work towards it like this player, who has got the world at his feet. Sheer hard work, commitment, determination and persistence are most important for success! Today I would like to talk about firm faith, let me reiterate not just mere faith but firm faith, read Colossians 2:5”rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.” Our faith has got to be firm, sturdy, stable and strong; not wobbly and weak!
Work towards this! Regular Bible reading, separating quiet time with the Lord and meditation of the Bible are paramount for the growth of your faith. During the initial days of my launch into ministry and after resigning my job with the multinational bank, I did not have super-duper faith then to be cool during such times, I felt jittery, ’now, what do I do for the next month expenses?’ Praying for each and every bill took major portion of my prayer time. Let me share the first experience of need during that time, we had to pay our daughter’s school fees and we needed a certain amount of money. We didn’t know how we would get it and who would send; however, we kept praying for it unceasingly. As I was praying, I heard a knock on the door and it was the post man! We got money order for the exact amount we needed! Believe me, this is no fairy tale but the truth. Amen. Miracles kept flowing day after day and thus our faith kept growing in our life.
Most important, we should not expect to be spared from pain and struggle, we had ample taste of it during our walk with God. My daughter was not allowed to write a particular exam while studying in the Engineering college because of non-payment of fees; it was the most humiliating and agonizing moment for our family. My daughter was made to stand outside the examination hall from where she called me and cried, “why should I be humiliated this way mummy?’ I said nothing but promised to keep praying, we turned to none for help but trusted God for His mercy. Firm faith! Are you listening? We were actually ready and prepared even if she would not have written the exam – may be God had some other plan! It was not easy though, but we firmly believed He loved us! Within a couple of hours, money was dropped into our bank account and my daughter miraculously wrote the exam on the same day. Glory to Jesus! This incident has humbled her and helped her tread through other tough terrains in her life
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Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
