Day 4

FAITH

What is the craziest thing you've ever done? Scuba-diving? Bungee jumping? Maybe skydiving? If you look at this list long enough, you’ll probably see a common thread -- they’re all pretty risky.

The most exciting things in life usually contain an element of high risk. If you seriously sat down and thought about the crazy, insane risk factor in each of these exciting things, do you think you’d still actually go through with them? A few thoughts you might come across: I am immersing myself into a completely different environment, where I physically cannot breathe, with creatures that I am unfamiliar with. I am going to jump off this ledge with a harness and rubber stretchy cord attached to my ankles, grasping the fate of my life. I am going to get into a plane, fly up several thousand feet, and jump out into a complete free fall in hopes that, at the right moment, this fabric canopy will catch the air and reduce my speed so that I don’t slam into Earth.

The reason these very fun activities are plagued with extreme risk is because you simply don’t know the outcome. There is no guarantee that the oxygen tank will work perfectly or that a shark won’t be hungry. There is no guarantee that the cord or harness won’t snap. There is no guarantee that the parachute will open.

The concept of faith can be seen in a similar light. There is a sense of risk in putting your trust into something you cannot physically see. There is a sense of risk in believing in a man who lived here on Earth thousands of years ago and trusting that he really did die and was brought back to life. But faith is more than just wishful thinking. Faith is the hopeful expectation in what is true. We normally think of hope as a thing without a confirmed finish line, but Scripture clearly shows us that the hope we have through our faith is something we can have full assurance of. We can actually have confidence in what Jesus did for us. With faith, we can ultimately know the outcome and trust it wholeheartedly. Unlike the feeling of uncertainty while being surrounded by water and constantly checking your pressure gauge, you can be confident that God knows your current situation well. Unlike the anxiety of looking up at your ankles praying that the cord is the correct length, you can look at the cross and know with certainty that what took place was real. Unlike the white-knuckle grip onto the parachute handles of the cords above, you can firmly plant your feet on the foundation of your faith with confidence. You can actually be sure that Jesus saved you from being separated from God the Father and that you have an eternal future in Him. What a beautiful thing.

Take a minute and pray to God. Pray that you would wholeheartedly trust in Jesus. Pray that the Holy Spirit in you will help realign your heart to hope in God with confidence. Pray that your faith will be reestablished, and that you would find the peaceful assurance of Jesus’ love for you -- that Jesus did what you couldn’t, so that you can have life to the fullest.