Faith sees God’s face
in every human face.
– Catherine Doherty
Tag Archives: Faith
Faith and forgiveness help deputy recover
Brandon Moore attributes his quick recovery and return to active duty 20-months after a life-threatening shooting to faith and forgiveness. Moore had nightmares weeks after being shot several times, including in the chest and “pulverizing” his leg. Many thought he would never return to activity duty again, but a great weight lifted and the nightmares stopped when he forgave the shooter. Now he speaks nationally to other officers about being vigilant, even in sleepy small towns like Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Read the full Deputy attributes life, recovery to faith story and see pictures from the Columbus Dispatch.
Forgiveness is much more important to the forgiver than receiver. This story shows its healing powers.
Woman finds wedding ring in tornado rubble
A tornado blew through Woodward, Oklahoma last Sunday and Emilee Neagle had 26 minutes to get her family out of the house. In the rush, they left her wedding ring on the bathroom counter and the family dog in the house. After eight hours with a metal detector and help from her third-grade class, Emilee found her wedding ring. And, the dog was fine too. Learn more in the Oklahoma woman finds dog, wedding ring amid tornado rubble story from CNN.
This story emphasizes that when it comes down to what is truly important in life, it is all about your family and not your possessions, which can be replaced (or found). Enjoy your family while you can.
Jesus heals those with faith (Matthew 9:18-26)
Bible Summary:
A Jewish official kneels before Jesus and pleads for him to place his hands on his daughter who just died. Jesus and his disciples follow the official. Along the way, a woman who suffered from bleeding for 12 years touches Jesus’ cloak. Jesus tells her to have courage and her faith makes her immediately well. At the official’s house, he tells the funeral group to leave since the little girl is not dead but only sleeping. They make fun of him as they leave. Jesus goes to the girl, holds her hand, and then she gets up. The news of this spreads everywhere.
My Thoughts:
Faith: Jesus rewards people who have the faith that they can be healed. Faith is believing in something when there is no proof it can happen. It can carry you through taunts of others who do not understand. Faith is believing so much that you push a bit harder and with a little help from above everything comes to be.
Jesus heals paralyzed man (Matthew 9: 1-8)
Bible Summary:
Jesus returns to his home town across the lake by boat where some people bring him a paralyzed man. They have such faith, so he forgives the man’s sins. Teachers of the Law whisper about this blasphemy. Jesus asks them why they are thinking such evil, and then proves his authority as the “Son of Man” by telling the man to “get up and walk” and he does.
My Thoughts:
Faith: it is amazing how faith can change anyone’s life. If you believe things will get better, they will.
You can do nothing without faith
You can do very little with faith,
but you can do nothing without it.
– Samuel Butler
Jesus calms the storm (Matthew 8: 23-27)
Bible Summary:
Jesus and the disciples enter a boat. A storm hits and the disciples wake him to save them. Jesus says they have little faith and then calms the storm to their amazement.
My Thoughts:
Miracles: We cannot scientifically verify Jesus’ miracles and none have been repeated in 2000 years since his death. He has not returned. Is this all just a hoax by the church?
Faith: You may have these questions, but the real message of this passage is faith, even when the storms of your life are swirling around you. Believe in God and he will help calm your storms. Hang in there!
Faith, the Pierless Bridge
Faith – is the Pierless Bridge
Supporting what We see
Unto the Scene that We do not
– Emily Dickinson
Roman officer’s great faith in Jesus (Matthew 8: 5-13)
Bible Summary:
A Roman officer meets Jesus on the way into Capernaum and begs him to help his terribly sick servant in bad at home. Jesus agrees to go see him, but the officer asks him to give the order from there and his servant will get well. Jesus tells his followers he has never found anyone in Israel with such faith and that many will come to the feast in heaven but others will be thrown into darkness crying and gnashing their teeth. He tells the officer what he believes will be done and the servant is healed that very moment.
My Thoughts:
Faith: Very few today have the same faith as the Roman officer. Many are just going through the motions at church and in life. We talk about God, pray to God, but do we truly believe in Him? Maybe we should and perhaps the outcome will be the same.
Exodus Summary
Bible Summary:
A new King of Egypt is even harder on the Hebrew slaves. A compassionate King’s daughter takes in baby Hebrew Moses and raises him. Moses grows up, fights against an injustice, and flees the city. God sends him back to free the Hebrews with multiple plagues on the Egyptians, finally killing all their first-born sons while saving the Hebrews during Passover. The grieving King releases all the Hebrews in the morning, and they are given all of Egypt’s valuables. Later, the King changes his mind and sends his army after them. Moses parts the Red Sea, leads the Hebrews to safety, and destroys the Egyptian army with the water. The Hebrews celebrate until they run out of water crossing the desert. They complain and God provides water and manna. The Amalekites attack the Hebrews, but Joshua’s army prevails with God’s help through Moses’ staff.
With 2.4 million people, the Hebrews are the size of metro Pittsburgh, the 22nd largest city in the United States. With his father-in-law’s advice, Moses appoints judges to handle disputes. God reminds them He freed them from the Egyptians and lays down The Ten Commandments plus many of the civic laws we live by today, like how to handle destruction of someone else’s property. Moses spends forty days with God on Mount Sinai and comes down with the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets, but returns to find the people worshiping a gold calf. He smashes the tablets and has the Levites kill 3,000 people.
Later, Moses convinces God, despite the Hebrews behavior, to come with them on their journey. God has Moses set up the priesthood, first synagogue, Ark of the Covenant to hold the new tablets, a menorah, anointing oils and incense.
My Thoughts:
Jacob’s descendants grow to 2.4 million slaves in Egypt after 430 years causing a concerned King to try to reduce their numbers. The harsh treatment leads to Moses’ rise and God’s wrath against the Egyptians until they release the Hebrews. After a while, the Hebrews forget the miracles God did for them and begin to complain. God provides for them, but they lose faith after Moses is gone forty days to carve the Ten Commandments in stone, and then begin to worship a gold calf. God wants to kill them all and restart with Moses’ descendants, but Moses convinces Him to give them another chance. They build the first worship center and establish the priesthood to honor Him. God is pleased.
God calls Moses to help release the Hebrews. Moses reluctantly agrees. Sometimes God calls people to do great things. We need to be ready to take that call.
God did amazing miracles to release the Hebrews from slavery, but, having grown up believing in a loving God, I had a very hard time relating to a vengeful God that wiped out so many Egyptians and was ready to kill all the Hebrews and start again with Moses. Maybe this was man’s interpretation of an incredible natural disaster that freed the Hebrews.
The Hebrews lose faith in God even though he continues to provide for them. Think how hard it is for us to believe when times are tough, then try to imagine what it was like to be a slave, chased by the greatest army of the time, and almost dying of starvation and thirst. The best mantra to pull the Hebrews out of their slave-mentality was telling them they were the “chosen ones.”
It is also amazing that Moses created the priesthood and many of the laws we live by today, 3500 years later.