Devotion: Faith Is A Choice

“Got Faith?”  When was the last time you evaluated your faith?  We know that sounds a little silly, but it is probably one of the most important things you can do.  You see, some people believe that others have more faith than they have.  But this is not the case and it is certainly not close to being true.  Believe it or not, no one has been given more faith than anyone else; we are all given the same amount of faith.  According to scripture, “God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).  Now there are some translations that say, “God has dealt to every man a measure of faith,” which implies that God has dealt to everyone “a random or varied amount of faith.”  It was Jesus who said, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20).  Do you really think that mustard seeds come in “random or varied” sizes?  If they do, then you cannot tell with the naked eye.

We know that this all sounds like we are playing on or with the wording, but we assure you that we are not.  It is important that you understand the difference between the two translations because the difference will help you to understand the correct amount of faith you have been given, which will in turn help you to honestly evaluate your faith.  If everyone gets “the measure of faith,” that mustard seed amount, then the problem is not with the amount but with what we do with what we are given.

Faith appears to be a measurable quantity, measured by amount, by degree, or by condition, because it has been given to us by measure.  This leads us to believe that one cannot get more than the measure that has been dealt by God.  However, we see this measure as something that you are born with like your muscles.  You cannot get more muscles than those that you are born with.  However, you can build up those muscles, which is the only way to increase your muscles.  You do not get more muscles; you just develop the ones that you have.  Faith works the same way; you can only increase yours through exercise.  You do not get more faith; you sort of develop your faith by building it up.

Everything in your Christian life depends on your faith.  You can develop your faith through knowledge by knowing and understanding the word of God.  The greatest hindrance to your faith is your own human reasoning.  The greatest limitation to your faith is you yourself.  By evaluating your faith, you can develop a snapshot of where you are with your faith.  From there, you can determine the course that you need to take to get you where you want to be with your faith.  We hope today’s message will change your thinking about faith.  Just because someone appears to have more faith than you does not mean that is the case, his or her faith is just more developed.  What you do with the faith that you have been given is entirely up to you, but it is you that must grow it, it is you that must develop it, and it is you that must exercise it, because “Faith Is A Choice.”  If this message is a blessing to you, please share it so that others may be blessed by it as well.  Blessings.

Enjoy your blessings - KW