Only Say the Word

for Dec. 4
New life comes to those who have Faith, even Faith the size of a mustard seed.
Matt. 8:5-11

Faith brings us new life even if it is minute. This is one of those words which has lost its true meaning throughout time. It is used so often in so many ways, but what does Faith really mean? The verbal root for Faith in Hebrew is 'aman' and is translated as Faith, faithful, believe, assurance, and nursing. It is also the root for 'emet', which means Truth, true, and right. This root first appears in the Word as Moses is complaining to God about the assignment he has been given. Num. 11:12 "Have I conceived all this people?...Carry them in your bosom, as a 'nursing' father carries the sucking child, to the land which You swore to their fathers?" Here the word is used to describe the dependence and trust that a helpless child has in his/her nourishing parents. So, Faith is not simply believing in what we cannot see, but a trust and reliance upon. It is a complete trust in God; in His Word and in all that He ask of us. Faith is approaching God with every need and trusting in Him to know what He is doing. Hatch, who is the author of "Concordance to LXX", says, "The object which I have in view in this lecture is to show the transition by which, under the contemporary Greek thought, the word Faith came to be transformed from simple trust in God to mean the acceptance of a series of propositions, and these propositions, propositions in abstract metaphysics." This simply means people will give reasons why they trust God, instead of trusting because He is God.
Man was created by God to have an everlasting relationship of trust and love. Faith is man rightfully giving God our trust. Jer. 5:3 "Surely the Lord looks for faithfulness. He struck you, but you paid no attention: he crushed you, but you refused to learn. You were stubborn and would not turn from your sins." A trust in God to take care of all our needs every moment of our lives is walking in Faith. Matt. 6:30 "It is God who clothes the wild grass---grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven. Won't He be more sure to clothe you? What little Faith you have!" We are all children of God are we not? Children who are not able to properly care for ourselves, but we have our Heavenly Father to take care of us too. Matt. 18:2-4 "So Jesus called a child to come and stand in front of them and said, "I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is one who humbles himself and becomes like this child." A new life begins with Faith as we become a child once again by relying on God for everything and recognizing the Truth of how helpless each of us are. It is in this Truth that eternal life is given. Joh. 20:31 "But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through Faith in Him you may have eternal life." Rom. 1:17 "For the Gospel reveals how God puts people right with Himself; it is through Faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says,"The person who is put right with God through Faith shall live." Rom. 3:21-23 But now God's way of putting people right with Himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with Law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it. God puts people right through their Faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all: everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence."
We are given new life through our Faith in Jesus Christ. It is through Faith that we are born again of Heaven to this new life. It is Faith that gives us peace in the midst of a storm, it is Faith that gives us the Hope in which we live, and it is Faith that causes us to look upward in the smallest of situations for the Lords help. Faith is walking with God the rest of our days knowing that He is for us and if He be for us then who can be against us.

through Me for our Lord and Savior
May God bless you all.