FAITH FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE
Denise Linton
Today’s Scripture: "For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.'" Romans 4:3, ESV
Theme: We can believe God when He speaks, even if l what He says seems impossible.
MERITOCRACY
Our society today is focused on the philosophy of meritocracy, “If you work hard, you will reach the highest level, and you will be successful.” It is interesting to note that we are not much different from 2,000 years ago. In Romans 4:1-3, Paul addresses the Church in Rome on this same thinking that Abraham worked hard and did good works. However, that is not what made him righteous in God’s eyes. Abraham was righteous because of his faith in God, that he believed God when He spoke, even when it seemed impossible.
Genesis 17 recounts the impossible story of Sarah’s pregnancy, when at the age of 90, Sarah would give birth to her first child, a son named Issac. Even though Abraham laughed when God spoke to him, he still knew that God could do the impossible. He had faith.
There have been many times in my life where I have worked very hard, put in many long hours of work, yet still feel like I am getting nowhere near being successful. My dreams of becoming a college professor seemed impossible; even meeting just my daily needs seemed impossible, no matter how much I worked. But when I stopped having faith in my own works and started to have faith that God could do the impossible, that is when He showed up.
WHAT IS FAITH
Faith is a decision to believe and trust in something, resulting in changed behavior or action. For most of my life, I hated to travel in planes. I was not sure that I could put my faith into a big steel cylinder with some stranger at the controls while 33,000 feet in the air. I had flown a handful of times in 50 years, and that was only in extreme circumstances. I had more faith in my own driving ability and would drive myself across the country instead of flying. In 2019, I was put in a situation where I had to fly every week. Because I learned to let go of control, now I love to fly around the country.
“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, NLT). I still do not have much faith in the big steel cylinder or the stranger at the controls, but I do have faith in God at the controls. Righteous faith is trusting in God; it is focused on Jesus Christ who makes people just before a Holy God. Faith requires action, a decision to truly believe in the impossible when God speaks.
IT’S NOT A GIFT IT YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR IT
Paul goes on, “When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners” (Romans 4:4-5, NLT).
Imagine if someone came to you with the keys to your dream home and said it was a gift. Your first thought might be, “What did I do to earn this?” or, “What is the catch?” We have a hard time wrapping our heads around the idea of receiving something we did not earn. It goes back to the philosophy of meritocracy. Have you ever wondered why there are so many religions in the world and different gods? These religions are manmade, based on the principle that we must earn our way to heaven. These religions are made in man’s image and not God’s image, because it is difficult to accept that God has given us a gift in Jesus Christ, and all we must do is have faith. We want to ask the question, “What's the catch?”
You know why it seems too good to be true? Because it’s impossible for us to do it on our own. Something supernatural must happen. God did something supernatural through the work of Jesus on the cross. A gift is not a gift if we must work for it.
Make it Personal: If you are waiting to get your life together or are trying to earn God’s grace, you will never be able to do enough. God offers you the ultimate gift in Jesus Christ that you can never earn or repay. All you need to do is have faith and ask Jesus to be your personal Savior and accept the gift being offered.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, do you truly believe that God is grace and that He will fulfill His promises to you, even when they seem impossible? Faith takes daily action. Whether getting on an airplane or trusting that God can show up in the most desperate times, we must act in faith.
There are an estimated 7,000 promises from God in Scripture to provide, heal, restore and bless His creation. Reading Scripture and learning about His promises will help build your faith in God, even when it seems impossible. “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, NLT).
Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You that my salvation does not depend on what I have done but on what I believe: that You have given me the ultimate gift through Your only Son, Jesus Christ. A gift that I did not or could not ever earn through my own works, but only through Your grace and love. May my life become a living testimony through my actions of faith to everyone I meet and to glorify You. Amen.
Read: Romans 4
Weekly Memory Verse: “But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.” Romans 2:29, ESV