Without Faith

 

I know it's summertime, but here's a multiple choice question for the day: 

Which of the following is impossible?

A)    A mountain being thrown into the sea

B)    Prisoners escaping from prison without the guards knowing

C)    A dead person rising to life again

D)    Fire falling from heaven and destroying a city

E)     Bread for over a million people coming from the sky every day for 40 years

F)     Pleasing God without faith

Here's a huge clue from Hebrews 11:6: 

“Without faith it is impossible to please God…”

And the correct answer is... F!

No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. Absolutely impossible to please God without faith. It’s an automatic zero on the test of life, and there’s no bribing the Teacher.

So there it is. We can hold our tongues when we want to get mad, we can give money to every homeless person we meet, we can be presidents of charity centers and relief organizations, recycle all our plastic, and help every old lady cross the street, but without faith it’s impossible to please God. No use at all. Sure, we may help people, but God will not be convinced.

We must believe today. Not just for the future, but now. Believe. It’s not an emotional high or some mystical experience. It’s not repeating back some creed or singing hymns. It’s believing a Person. It’s dependence on Him, faith moment by moment in the sufficiency of His grace, His sacrifice, His life, His love for today. Right now.

And you know what? How incredible is it that we--those made of dust and going back to dust--have a blip of life to actually please God. We can please God. But only by faith.