An Extra Measure

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV

Have you ever tried to define your faith? For instance, when people say, "Keep the faith" or "I have faith in you", how does that compare to the gift of faith God has given each of us? The world wants to believe in something, so often they'll take that gift of faith and put it in their own "golden calf" - be it intelligence, medicine, science, themselves... 

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 NLT, ...it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. He gives us faith to believe in HIM! That measure of faith saves us by grace when placed in Jesus and what He's done for us. 

Have you ever known someone who was healed before they received salvation - before they believed? By the mercy and grace of God, it has happened. The best opportunity is that they'll come to salvation because of their healing. Not always, but it has happened.

However, I keep thinking about 3 instances in the King James Bible that read, thy faith hath made thee whole.  Mark 10:52 when blind Bartimaeus wouldn't give up in calling out to Jesus even though the crowd was trying to hush him. Then in Matthew 9:21-22, the woman with the issue of blood for 12 years, had faith that she would be made whole if she could just touch the tzitzit of Christ's prayer shawl. Even though to be in public without declaring herself to be unclean could have landed her in jail, and yet she pushed through the crowd. I see these as extra measures of growing their faith.

The one that most strikes me, though, is the story found in Luke 17 about the ten lepers. Leprosy is awful. Parts of the extremities can rot off the body. Starting in verse 12. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. When one of the men realized the leprosy was gone, he came back and fell face down at His feet to praise the Lord. Jesus asked, "Weren't there ten men and only one has come back to glorify God?" Jesus told the man to get up and go, that his faith had made him whole. I believe that Jesus not only healed him, but because he came back, He restored whatever the man might have lost to leprosy - he was made whole again. All of his parts. The extra measure. 

Is our faith pleasing God?

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for gifting us with a measure of faith! Show us how to best use it to serve others and to please You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen