Tuesday, September 6, 2011

#22 Faith is a Grace from God



September 6- Day 6, Chapter 6 in The Book of Mark 


Faith - is “belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof.”; also defined as “belief in and devotion to God.”

Mark 6 (excerpts)
A Prophet Without Honor 
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve 
7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.
8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

John the Baptist Beheaded 
16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”
17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand 
32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
36 Send the people away so that they can go...buy themselves something to eat.”
37 But he (Jesus) answered, “You give them something to eat.”
38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”
When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”
41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Jesus Walks on the Water 
46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
48 ...he (Jesus) went out to them, walking on the lake. 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and said,“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
53 ...they landed at Gennesaret... 54 ...people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.


note: please read the complete text (Chapter 6 in the Book of Mark) at this link--
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%206&version=NIV


Thanks be to God for the light on His words (".)


Aren't we glad we are not born during Jesus' time? We are not there to size Him up. We are so blessed we have been given faith, one of the innumerable grace He bestowed upon us, not discounting the fact that we are undeserving of all His gifts. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us "all the way" in our walk with Him. Thank You so much Loving Lord! 


"Faith can move mountains"- ...Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”- Matthew 17:20. If we have faith in God, an unrelenting faith, nothing is impossible. It is an unquestionable grace from God. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God"-- Ephesians 2:8. It is so humbling to be called by Him, to be adopted as His children. But more so, it is overwhelming that when we let Him move into our lives, take-over our whole being, He is making us into a new creation- a creation not of this world, but of His Kingdom- "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"- 2 Corinthians 5:17


As shared by Charles Stanley, faith is the cornerstone of our Christianity. We believe in God’s existence by faith. Faith can fail us at times, but because it is the gift of God, given to His children, He provides times of trial and testing in order to prove that our faith is real and to sharpen and strengthen it.- "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."- James 1:2-4

Our Loving God gave us His Book- The Bible, so that we are continually reminded that His guidance and instructions are all in there and if we abide by it, we will never be lost in our walk with Him. "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."- Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Remember: Everything comes from Him. Faith is a grace from Him; He will overcome all unbelief; He will grow our faith; He will nurture and strengthen it....but we have to start believing in Him, even as small as a "mustard seed".  

"Don't be afraid; just believed"- Mark 5:36

Jesus said: "Eveything is possible for one who believes"..."I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"- Mark 9:23-24

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.- Hebrews 11:1



...Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. ”- Matthew 17:20


Inspirational Prayer:
Loving Jesus, how we love your words! Praise your beautiful name! Thank you for the beautiful message you have imparted on us today. Thank you for being our Shepherd. May you continue to grow our faith in you. May you help others find their way to you too. May you also give the unbelievers your grace of faith. Help us continue our walk with you with vigor and enthusiasm everyday. Glory to you everyday, every moment, every breath. In your mighty name, Amen.


A blessed day to all (".)







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