Nothing But Faith

         Feelings and Faith (Sonnet 23)
My feelings and emotions come and go
Like ocean waves, with no stability.
Distracting, blinding, leading to and fro,
Their end is doubt, despair, despondency.
But faith and truth will constantly abide,
Unchangeable and steady like a rock.
When made my focus, they’re a trusty guide,
Stability and hope on which to dock.
Emotion tells me truth’s not true at all,
But truth persists in spite of how I feel.
Repeatedly my feelings make me fall,
But truth-based faith provides an even keel.
Though feelings linger which my heart disdains,
My faith rests firm in truth that e’er remains.

I’m not much of a basketball fan, though I can follow a game if I want to. I don’t know all of the terminology, but I remember one phrase that, at least in my world, was popularized by a commercial several years ago. In a contest to win food from McDonalds, two NBA players kept making increasingly more difficult shots. The phrase I remember describing one of the shots is “nothin’ but net.”

The meaning is a bit different, but recently I’ve been considering the phrase “nothin’ but faith.” There are times when faith is the only thing that keeps us going. Circumstances may oppose us. Human reasoning may call us foolish. Friends may give contradictory advice. Our emotions may rebel against everything we know to be right. In fact, there may be nothing to support our continuing to follow God and His path for us – nothing, that is, except faith.

But isn’t that what faith is? It is the assurance and conviction that helps us maintain our course when reality consists only of “things hoped for” and “things not seen.” If we had to have evidence to support our faith before we were willing to believe or obey, then we would be operating on proof rather than on faith. Is it easy to live by faith when all other supports seem to abandon us? No, it is not easy, but it is possible because faith is enough to keep us firm even when all other aspects fall short.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (NASB)

Born to Die

Although my church did not sing this hymn during the Christmas season, I saw it as I flipped through the pages of our hymnal. “Born to Die” by Ron Hamilton expresses so aptly the core truth about Christmas.

Here is the chorus:

“Born to die upon Calv’ry,
Jesus suffered my sin to forgive;
Born to die upon Calv’ry,
He was wounded that I might live.”

We must never forget the truth about our Savior and His death for us. The communion service is a God-appointed time to bring Christ’s suffering to our remembrance. The Christmas celebration may be developed more by man, but it is still a wonderful opportunity for us to be reminded of the greatest expression of God’s love – that of sacrificing His Son in order to redeem us.

Merry Christmas!

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” II Corinthians 9:15 (NASB)

Book Review: Martyr of the Catacombs

Martyr of the Catacombs
-author unknown

This fictional story about the early Christians is set in the historical context of the mid-200s A.D. It was a time of intense persecution in which many Christians survived by living in the vast and intricate catacombs underneath the city of Rome. During these years Christians were sacrificed by hundreds at a time in the brutal “games” of the Coliseum.

The main character is Marcellus, a Roman soldier. He has recently been called to Rome where he receives a promotion and a commission. He is to be in charge of the task of going into the catacombs and destroying the Christians. He admits that he knows little about them. He has witnessed their courage and peace as they die in the Coliseum, and he wonders why they are such a threat that they must be destroyed.

As he takes steps in carrying out his orders, he learns several things. He learns that there is some difficulty involved just in finding an entrance to the catacombs. Venturing out without his uniform, he convinces someone to lead him into the catacombs, where he discovers that without a guide, a stranger would become hopelessly lost and die. He also realizes that an armed invasion of the catacombs would be ineffective, as the Christians would scatter and escape through the countless tunnels they knew so well.

Most importantly, Marcellus learns about what the Christians believe. He assures his guide that his visit is in order to learn about them, and that it will not lead to any danger against them. As he continues talking with the Christians and asking questions, he sees the truth of the gospel and becomes a Christian himself.

His change of heart puts him in immediate conflict with his superiors, and he quickly becomes one of the most wanted people in Rome. His new-found faith is the basis of courage and conviction that cause Marcellus to choose loyalty to God over loyalty to the army. Marcellus and his fellow believers willingly face the potential consequences of their faithfulness to God.

 

This short book helps the reader to better grasp the reality and intensity of the persecuted early church. It presents portraits of courage and directs the reader to consider the ramifications of genuine faith. While not pointedly personal in terms of application, the book ought to challenge a Christian to examine how much he is willing to allow his faith to impact his life as well as how committed he is to his faith.

Waves and Winds

 “Be Still, My Soul” is a precious hymn written by Katharina von Schlegel. While every stanza is great, I want to focus for a moment on the second stanza.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake

To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

We can have complete confidence in God even in the darkest of days and in the fiercest of storms. Why? There are many reasons, but one of them has to do with the unchangeable nature of God. Because He is always the same, His power never diminishes. He is just as able to control and work in the difficulties of today as He has been for every challenge in the world’s history. While we may not understand what God is doing or even be consciously aware that He is doing anything, God is always at work, accomplishing exactly what He intends to accomplish.

When we are intimidated, confused, or doubting within our life circumstances, we have multiplied instances of truth to remind us of God’s power and control. This stanza alludes to Jesus’ calming of the storm that terrified His disciples. We can look back at that incident and be encouraged at God’s work in the past. All Jesus had to do was speak, and the storm quieted itself before Him. He had power over external circumstances then, and He still has that same power today. Nature, people, powers – all must bow before the will of God.

I am reminded of Psalm 77, in which Asaph records a very difficult time in his life. He was without strength, without comfort, without sleep, without speech, without peace, and seemingly without the love and compassion of God. In this time when troubles seemed to overwhelm him, Asaph determined to focus his mind on God’s great acts from the past.

“I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds” (v. 11-12 NASB).

Interestingly, when Asaph sought a stabilizing anchor to keep him from hopelessness, he did not look at events in his personal past. Instead he talked of things like the exodus and the parting of the Red Sea. There are few stories in the Bible that are more dramatic in their illustration of God’s power and deliverance. Asaph realized that God was still the same for him as He had been for Moses.

God is still the same for us as he was for Moses and for Asaph and for the disciples in that boat on the Sea of Galilee. The Bible is filled with accounts of God’s tremendous work in the world and especially on behalf of His people. With a God who can do all that our God has done, it should be possible for our souls to be still. When we focus on the God who controls the waves and the winds, we can say with Asaph,

“Your way, O God, is holy; what God is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples” (v. 13-14).