It Really Is That Simple

“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” (Mr 11:22 AV)

Pretty simple, huh?  The incident was a minor one.  Jesus was heading into Jerusalem to cleanse the temple for a second time.  As he was traveling, He passed a fig tree with no figs on it.  It was out of season and the fig tree would naturally not have fruit.  Yet, Christ cursed the tree for not producing fruit.  As they passed the tree on their return trip, the tree withered away.  The disciples were amazed at the miracle of cursing that the LORD performed.  Jesus then gives his discourse regarding the moving of a mountain by faith.  The mountain to which he referred was the temple mount.  What the LORD is attempting to do is encourage his disciples that with faith, the old testament system represented by the Temple mount will become obsolete.  The bluntness and the assuredness of the command are what strike me.  Have faith in God!  Like, what other option do we have and why wouldn’t we?  It really is that simple.

The holiday time is a time when faith is a major theme.  Movie after movie, special after special, series after series all encourage the viewer to believe in something that is not real.  No, Santa does not exist.  But you wouldn’t know it from all these programs.  One would think the unbelievers are the problem.  Trust me, I wish he were real.  Do realize how much money that would have saved me through the years?  I would have a mansion by now.  One such movie is Miracle on 34^th Street.  The story goes that Kris Kringle is arrested for assault and put away in an institution for the insane.  He has lost hope in humanity.  He doesn’t care to defend himself.  A charming lawyer takes up his cause and argues for Kris’ freedom.  As the story gathers steam, “I Believe” appears everywhere.  The phrase is on billboards, buses, and written on dirty back windows.  There are t-shirts, hats, and even lapel buttons.  Support for Kris grows so much that the company that hired him has turned their rivals into supporters.  As it turned out, there wasn’t an unbeliever among the entire populace of New York City.  The entire world does not have a problem with faith.  Just faith in God.

The impossible is where God does His best work.  What seems like a mountain we cannot move is easily swept away if all we do is believe God can do it.  A situation that is out of our control can be managed if we learn to have faith in God.  These four little words are the difference between living in victory or living in defeat.  “Have faith in God” is the call to those who will dare to do great things for God.  “Have faith in God” is the theme of those facing life-changing circumstances but have vowed to not allow them to defeat them.  “Have faith in God” is the motto of those who courageously face an ever-increasing hostile world with the gospel of Christ. “Have faith in God” is the song of those who do not quit!  They carry on because they know God is greater than anything they will ever face.  “Have faith in God” is the repetitious phrase for those who have learned to gain victory over an undisciplined heart, mind, or body.  “Have faith in God” is on the t-shirt, hat, or button of those who desire to make a difference in the world. “Have faith in God” is always on the lips of those who are concerned their testimony may affect all with whom they come in contact.  Yes, “have faith in God” sounds easy and is hard to do.  But it must be done!  We really have no other choice.