Friday, January 11, 2019

"Hard Wired For Faith"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…


"Hard Wired For Faith"


     The capacity for faith exists in every human heart.  Moreover, every human being lives by trusting in something or someone.  "The word of faith is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart the just shall live by faith He shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted?" (Romans 10:8; 1:17; Deuteronomy 32:37).

    Of course, the object of our trust determines whether we live in the light of Truth or the darkness of falsehood.

    "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another...  If the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" (I John 1:7; Matthew 6:23).

    I think of this when pondering unbelieving materialists and their contention that a universe wherein exists consciousness - human consciousness - somehow came into being through a completely unconscious process of natural occurences.  Many atheists and agnostics respond that what we refer to as consciousness is actually a natural phenomenon no less composed of physical and material substance than a rock or a tree.  We think that we think, they would say, and acknowledge that in a naturalistic manner, we do.  However, they deny the non-material origin and substance of what we all perceive as consciousness.  Materialists propose that our thoughts are the products of processes rather than an unseen, unheard, and untouched personhood.  Thus, what we perceive as personal consciousness actually exists as a very complex composition of physical, chemical, and electrical substances and forces created through eons of time and chance (resulting, by the way, in our presence consideration of consciousness!).

   I know what you are thinking, and I agree.  Materialistic unbelievers are people of great faith!  The notion that consciousness, whatever it may be, arose from non-consciousness requires far more confidence in the unknown and the unseen than most ardent believers can muster.  This leads us back to our topic: everybody lives by faith.  

    "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses.  But we will remember the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 20:7).  

    We cannot help it.  God hard-wired us for faith when He created us.  Human beings possess the innate capacity to think in terms of who and what we will trust, to speak in such terms, and then to act in accordance with who and whatever we have chosen to believe.  Again, "the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that is, the word of faith."  Unbelievers trust in everything from themselves to Satan, with millions of other voices between these extremes claiming to be reliable shepherds.  Believers, in response to God's working in our hearts, trust the Good Shepherd because of His character.  We trust the Great Shepherd because of His ability.  We trust the Chief Shepherd because He is our rightful Lord (John 10:11; Hebrews 13:20; I Peter 5:4).  Our confidence elicits reality and its accompanying peace.  The faith of the unbeliever gives only temporary assurance in this life, if that, and sadly, no hope for an eternity of peace with God.  

   Let us pray for those who do not believe in the Lord Jesus.  May they see that they all believe in someone or something.  And may they realize that only one Shepherd is worthy of our faith and trust.  Everybody lives by faith.  But only those who trust the Lord Jesus find safe harbor for our hearts, both now and evermore…

"I lay in Zion a chief Cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded."
(I Peter 2:6)


Weekly Memory Verse
   Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen."
(I Timothy 1:17)



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