True Faith

So which way should you go?

Many of us find ourselves at crossroads in life on a regular basis. I mean, life is all about choices, right? Who I should marry? What school I should go to? How many children to have? Am I a large or medium (for online ordering purposes)? Should I eat fries with my burger or supersize?

Choices.

Today we discussed the faith of the unnamed woman in Luke 8 who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years. She fought her way through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus' garment, and He told her that her faith had healed her. Jesus was referring to her physical healing, but her faith was a spiritual act. She knew who Jesus was and she knew that simply touch something that was touching Him would change her for the better.

There were a lot of people pressing on Jesus that day, but only this woman was healed. Her faith was greater than theirs.

Sometimes I think that we give faith "a try." We choose the path that God would have us walk, but when things don't turn out like we think they should - when the path leads through a dark, scary forest (as in the picture above) or the path doesn't seem to have the changing effect on my family that I thought it should, then we cut through the field and join the other path to "give it a try." If I was drawing this picture, I would have a well-beaten path that connects the two choices.

Is this a picture of true faith? Do we follow Jesus with expectations that He needs to live up to or else we're done? Or do we follow because He is God and He knows best, even when we don't understand?

Let's put it this way: Did Jesus live up to the expectations of the disciples? Where were they when He was being tried and on the cross? Now, I know I'm being tough on the men who eventually gave their lives for Jesus and ignited a movement in the world that we call the church today, but here's my point. Somewhere along the way, these men who had abandoned Jesus at the cross, decided that His way was the only way, the best way and the way worth dying for. So by faith they plowed through life all the way to their death, extolling Jesus Christ through the spreading of the gospel to the world. In the end, they got it.

Where are you today? Are you willing to truly walk by faith - faith that says, "God's way is best, even if I never see the results I want?" Are we willing to be sexually pure inside and outside of marriage? Are we willing to raise our children God's way? Are we willing to let doctrine permeate our homes and set the standards for us? Are we willing to be a godly spouse to a wretched one? Even if they never change?

God's way is the best way. It's the only way and there is great blessing that comes from obedience. Remember, God's definition of blessing may be different than yours. Guess what? It's better. It is blessing that is beyond our imagination. We need to stop "trying" God's way, and just commit to doing it.