October 30

Faith
By Oswald Chambers

Without faith it is impossible to please Him Hebrews 11:6


Faith in active opposition to common sense is mistaken enthusiasm and narrow-mindedness, and common sense in opposition to faith demonstrates a mistaken reliance on reason as the basis for truth. The life of faith brings the two of these into the proper relationship. Common sense and faith are as different from each other as the natural life is from the spiritual, and as impulsiveness is from inspiration. Nothing that Jesus Christ ever said is common sense, but is revelation sense, and is complete, whereas common sense falls short. Yet faith must be tested and tried before it becomes real in your life. "We know that all things work together for good" (Romans 8:28) so that no matter what happens, the transforming power of God's providence transforms perfect faith into reality. Faith always works in a personal way, because the purpose of God is to see that perfect faith is made real in His children.
For every detail of common sense in life, there is a truth God has revealed by which we can prove in our practical experience what we believe God to be. Faith is a tremendously active principle that always puts Jesus Christ first. The life of faith says, "Lord, You have said it, it appears to be irrational, but I'm going to step out boldly, trusting in Your Word" (for example, see Matthew 6:33). Turning intellectual faith into our personal possession is always a fight, not just sometimes. God brings us into particular circumstances to educate our faith, because the nature of faith is to make the object of our faith very real to us. Until we know Jesus, God is merely a concept, and we can't have faith in Him. But once we hear Jesus say, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9) we immediately have something that is real, and our faith is limitless. Faith is the entire person in the right relationship with God through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.


Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The Christian Church should not be a secret society of specialists, but a public manifestation of believers in Jesus. Facing Reality, 34 R

October 31

The Trial of Faith
By Oswald Chambers

If you have faith as small as a mustard seednothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20


We have the idea that God rewards us for our faith, and it may be so in the initial stages. But we do not earn anything through faith faith brings us into the right relationship with God and gives Him His opportunity to work. Yet God frequently has to knock the bottom out of your experience as His saint to get you in direct contact with Himself. God wants you to understand that it is a life of faith, not a life of emotional enjoyment of His blessings. The beginning of your life of faith was very narrow and intense, centered around a small amount of experience that had as much emotion as faith in it, and it was full of light and sweetness. Then God withdrew His conscious blessings to teach you to "walk by faith" (2 Corinthians 5:7). And you are worth much more to Him now than you were in your days of conscious delight with your thrilling testimony.
Faith by its very nature must be tested and tried. And the real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that God's character must be proven as trustworthy in our own minds. Faith being worked out into reality must experience times of unbroken isolation. Never confuse the trial of faith with the ordinary discipline of life, because a great deal of what we call the trial of faith is the inevitable result of being alive. Faith, as the Bible teaches it, is faith in God coming against everything that contradicts Him a faith that says, "I will remain true to God's character whatever He may do." The highest and the greatest expression of faith in the whole Bible is "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15).

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

An intellectual conception of God may be found in a bad vicious character. The knowledge and vision of God is dependent entirely on a pure heart. Character determines the revelation of God to the individual. The pure in heart see God.
Biblical Ethics, 125 R

Pale Rider said:

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October 31 The Trial of Faith

If you have faith as small as a mustard seed nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20

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Hi Brother Pale Rider,
One of my most treasured gifts was a mustard seed necklace given to me by my mother. She gave it to me when I left home for Baylor. It was the same necklace that was given to her by her grandmother when my Mom left for college. Many years later, I still wear it during challenging times. Matthew 17:20 is so inspirational ... thank you for posting. Sincerely, sister slimecap

That is truly a beautiful testimony. Thanks sis for sharing.