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Wednesday, September 21, 2016

ITS HARD TO BELIEVE



IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE!

Mark 9:23-24
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

           Belief is the “assent of the mind to the truth of any proposition.” (McClintock and Strong). Belief does not need any means or arguments but may simply be a response to our senses. What makes one witness credible while another witness is discredited?

           In Mark 9, the father of the demonized son relates the failure of other means to release his son from this torture. The father then pleads with Jesus saying “but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.” This was almost a statement of doubt and not a statement of faith. The father was willing to try this one more thing but you can hear the doubt in his plea.

           Jesus answered that belief is crucial to the cure. The father then admits the weakness of his faith and asks for help in believing. So it is with us. We believe with the weakest faith at our disposal. Without evidence, we place our trust in an invisible God.

           God always allows for doubt because doubt and belief exist together. Cures, miracles, and turn-a-rounds can almost always be ascribed to natural means. Only the believer assigns the cure to God. Doubters go on doubting, even in the face of miracles, while believers go on believing.

           Only when the doubter is willing to ask for help in believing does he move from one realm to another. When the doubter acknowledges his doubt, and agrees to the possibility of belief, faith is born.

           Belief grows as we exercise faith. Stephen, in Acts 5 and 6, was said to be a man “full of faith” or “covered over with persuasion.” He maintained his faith even while being stoned to death and saw, by faith, Jesus standing at the Father’s right hand ready to welcome him home.

Dear Lord, we beg with the disciples, increase our faith! AMEN

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