Faith - No Problems, No Miracles

A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down.

The following conversation ensued:

"Is anyone up there?"

"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?"

"Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer."

"That's all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch."

A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?"

We like to talk about faith. We believe in faith. We sing about faith.

But, when it really comes down to it, we don't like faith.

We don't like faith because we like certainties and guarantees. And certainties and guarantees are not, well...guaranteed. Faith operates in the land of uncertainties and no guarantees. In order to live in faith, it requires us to live with uncertainties and no guarantees.

Faith operates in the very place where we are called to do that which we cannot on our own.

Someone once said that you will know when you're involved in a God-thing when you are in way over your head.

That's all fine and good when you're involved in a God-thing.

But that is exactly the issue with faith, isn't it? How do you know with a certainty that you are involved in a God-thing? How do you know that it's not your-thing, or your pastor-thing, or some denominational agency-thing?

God gives us some clues.

First, if it is a God-thing, it will bring glory and honor to God. The purpose of a God-thing is always to glorify God. The people involved in a God-thing may be gratified and satisfied as a result for being involved in a God-thing, but our gratification and satisfaction is the byproduct of doing a God-thing, not the goal.

Second, if it is a God-thing, God's influence and impact increases. Whatever it is, if it is a God-thing, it will result in God's Spirit entering into the lives of more people. If it is a God-thing, lives get changed, marriages get whole, the darkness gets pushed back, eternal destinies get changed.

Third, if it is a God-thing, God will always provide everything necessary to accomplish that thing.

But, we're still left in a quandry. Doing a God-thing requires faith. There are no guarantees. And because there are no guarantees, it's always nerve racking, and well, it requires...FAITH.

That's exactly where we find ourselves in the life of the church today. Unless God acts and intervenes and moves in this place, we are done for.

Remember...No Problems...No miracles.

We want some miracles!