Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 NIV
One of my first teenage jobs was working in a camera store. We had some seasoned photographers who knew precisely what they wanted when they came in. For those sales, I was an order taker and cashier. But the thrill came in helping the newbies, the first-ever casual user and budding hobbyists, find the right equipment within their budget. I soon discovered that once the person had the camera in their hands, the sale was all done except for ringing up the purchases. In holding that physical object, the psychologically had already been committed.
We all like tangible items, the things that appeal to our five senses, even if it's something we don't fully comprehend, like cell phones. We identify with the object because we can interact directly with the item. Faith, though is intangible, we often obtain tangible evidence as a result of having faith, but in itself, it's without form; we can't see, touch, hear, smell, or taste faith. Yet, we live in the hope of those things we can't see. We have hope in many things in our secular lives. For example, New England football fans hope the Patriots will win their remaining games, nabbing a playoff spot; however, there is no assurance (or probability) that this will happen. But, it is only in spiritual faith that we can have confidence. The fully divine Jesus took earthly form, suffered, died, and rose again, all historically documented events. For our "Doubting Thomas" moments, if we need a tangible reminder of our intangible hope, this is it. Because Jesus came, we have assurance in our hope, and we experience God's manifest blessings through our faith.
Lord, we confess sometimes we find faith hard. We find it far easier to trust the tangible over what is unseen. At times we've even made those physical items our gods. Forgive us; we pray and help our unbelief. Help us to recall the assurance of your promise found in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
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