06/01/2025
I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. Neither death nor life; neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries for tomorrow - not even the power of hell can separate us from the love of God. No power, in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed nothing in creation will ever be able to separate from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:38-39)
Nothing that St. Paul tells us in Romans 8:38-39 is possible for him to say or for us to hear, without extraordinary faith. FATHER GOD IN HEAVEN; WE BESEECH THEE; OPEN OUR EARS TO LISTEN, OUR HEARTS TO HEAR. SPEAK INTO THE MOMENTS OF OUR LIFE”. Amen Hallelujah.
In 2 Corinthians 5:7 Paul tells us:
We walk by faith not by sight.
Meaning that believers live their life guided by God’s promise and truth rather than what they perceive Or the see in the present.
The Oxford dictionary defines faith in this way:
“Strong belief in God, or in the doctrine of a religion, or a spiritual apprehension rather than proof. Other authoritative resources say that faith is a matter of discernment that what we know is true is true despite the lack of evidence that proves that it is true.
In his Prayer for Guidance, St. Francis speaks to us about both FAITH and DISCERNMENT.
“Most High and Glorious God. Give light to the darkness of my heart. Give me right FAITH, certain hope, and perfect charity. Lord give me insight and wisdom, that I may always DISCERN Your Holy and True Will.
Faith isn’t as difficult as many seem to make it. Of course there are the deniers, those who think faith in God is folly because the don’t believe in God. We know who they are; the ones with a perpetual scowl on their face. The ones who are only happy when they are making others unhappy. We all have at least one in our lives. And isn’t it obvious who they are. They’re the first to fall apart when even the slightest adversity arrives. I feel so sorry for them, perhaps you do too. Not only will they never know Perfect Joy, because of their disbelief and lack of faith, they will never be truly happy. We should thank God always for the gift of faith He has gifted us. At God’s direction our lives have been imbuded with an understanding that, not only God exists, but He is a loving God who created us in His image and wishes us to return to Him in glory when our earthly journey ends. It matters; what we do think and say during our lives increases our belief in God and therefore our faith in God as a loving and benevolent Creator.
The age-old argument comes to mind; what came first? The chicken or the egg. Faith in God is like that too; do we love God because we have faith? Or do we have faith because we love God? Hmmm; that a tough one for which no clear answer exists. I suppose it’s a little of each; or at least it should be precisely because we have been blessed with the gift of faith.
It is important to our mission as Pentacostal Evangelicals that we under stand that like the love that God gives us to not hold on to our faith like the treasure that it is. God intends that we receive His love as a gift, but also give it to those in need. It’s like that with the Faith with which God blesses us. Consider a variation on the theme of love; A BELL ISNT A BELL UNTIL YOU RING IT. A SONG ISN’T A SONG UNTIL YOU SING IT. THE LOVE IN YOUR HEART WASN’T PUT THERE TO STAY. LOVE ISN’T LOVE ‘TIL YOU GIVE IT AWAY. Now repeat; only substitute faith instead of, or to complement love. Our love for God, and for others increases everytime we act or speak with the faith that identifies us as Christians. It is this very faith that is necessary to find Perfect Joy. It’s been said that every journey begins with an important first step. My friends; faith IS that first step on our a journey to find Perfect Joy.
If you recall, Perfect Joy is that degree of happiness that exceeds even the greatest despair we have ever experienced in life. Well…..
we get that happy by having found hope for our future, which is necessary to have Joy and know how to give and receive Love. And hope for our future just isn’t posdible without faith. And the stronger our faith the greater is our hope for the future.
I hope I have given you, not only a better understanding of what Faith is, but also an understanding of the role faith has in our life; and our life to come. So my friends, when you leave our beautiful gathering today, don’t leave our discussion of faith behind. Take it with you in your heart. Ponder its meaning and role in discovering a fuller life, a happier life, both of which come from a Gospel-driven life in Perfect Joy.
Amen Hallelujah ✝️✝️✝️
May the Lord hold you always in the plan of his hand and give you peace; and Perfect Joy
