Lord- Increase Our Faith

One day, the disciples made a commendable request of Jesus: “increase our faith” they said. I’m

not sure what prompted them to make that request. But Jesus answered them by telling them that

eastern religions promote- after all- our fallen nature was what got us into trouble in the first

place. Nor does faith come from exercising will power or positive thinking. Faith comes by

looking to Jesus and placing our trust in Him. Faith is a gift from God- and comes from trusting a

faithful God.

A toddler who is fearful, for instance, is fearful because they are lacking courage of their own,

But they know they can put their trust in their parent who are able and willing to take care of

them.

That is why the people cited in Hebrews 11 could have faith in God to do what he promised in

their weakness- even if they couldn’t see it with their eyes. They trusted God to be faithful.

that happen, it only needs to grow and develop.

Agronomists and geneticist tell us that seed corn in the bag has 100% potential for 300-500

bushel an acre. Once in a while, contest winners achieve those yields, but they are the exception,

not the rule. So why don’t we all raise 500 bu/acre corn all the time, every time? The reason is-

the moment you place it in the ground, that potential immediately begins to go down because of

the environment- weather, fertility, drainage, weeds, and insect challenges and the like.

We cannot make plants grow- only God can give plants life and the ability to grow. In the same

way, we cannot make our faith grow- and only God can give the growth of our faith. But it is our

responsibility to be care takers of what has been entrusted to us by placing plants and our faith in

the best possible environment to grow.

What might that be for our faith? You know the answer. The first thing is to turn to Jesus and

begin to know Him more and more each day. Immerse your heart and soul in God’s word-

commit it to heart- meditate on it, seek fellowship- share your faith with others.

Paul, writing to Timothy, was an encourager and mentor to him in his faith. Their relationship

was a model of what our relationship with Jesus is meant to be. His love for him was never

questioned. Their friendship and respect for each other was mutual. No matter where we are in

similar stories of growing up in Christian homes- of not only hearing the gospel- but seeing it

of horses pulling as one. Faith lived out faithfully in the trenches always speak louder than

words. The old adage that: “faith is more often caught than taught.” is true.

Paul goes on to tell Timothy: “Rekindle the gift that is within you. In other words, put it to

practice and use it. An athlete with great athletic ability will not excel or reach their full potential

if they do not develop it through practice. Paul used the analogy of a disciplined athlete many

times- running the race, being so committed to running toward the upward call that he was

willing to discard anything that would hinder him from doing his best.

Do you know what gifts God has given you? Knowing what your gifts are is not a prideful thing-

but a humble recognition that it is a gift from God. Whatever we have been given- whoever we

are- the gifts we have been entrusted with are for God’s glory and not ours.

“Do not be ashamed of the Lord- or me” Paul wrote from prison- “but join me in suffering for

actions of someone you know who have been persecuted because of their faith? Some of you

perhaps have heard Dave Ramsey on the radio or read one of his books. He teaches biblical

principles of how to manage your money. I have often heard him say the reason people get into

financial trouble is because: “too many people spend money they don’t have- to impress people

they don’t like.” Why would we do that?

Because we want to be accepted by people- even people we don’t know and have different

values than we do. Why would we ever be ashamed of Jesus or the gospel? Countless men and

women down through the ages have willingly died for Jesus and the gospel. It certainly was not

so that they would be accepted or popular. They died because they were not accepted or popular.

Most of the disciples died martyrs- willingly laying down their lives for Jesus and the gospel.

But on the day they watched their Lord dying in agony on the cross, I don’t think that made them

want to die in the same way. Later they would hide together behind closed doors, afraid the

authorities would drag them out and kill them because they were known to be followers of Jesus.

No- it was the empty tomb- it was the presence of the risen savior that gave them faith and

courage and boldness through the Holy Spirit living within them. That is what Thomas wanted-

We sing: “I surrender all” in the safety of a church building surrounded by friends and fellow

one is on the line due to illness- when all our earthly possessions have gone up in flames or been

swept away by floods-and if our very lives are at stake because of the witness of our faith-if what

we call faith is only positive thinking or personal will power- then it will surely crumble like a

house built upon the sand. But if our faith is built upon knowing the one who is king of kings and

Lord of Lords- then we can have peace in the midst of the storm, and the assurance to trust him

even if everything is take from us here on earth.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel” Paul wrote to the Romans: “it is the power of God that brings

Where are you today? May we ask Jesus to increase our faith.

Are you ashamed of the past? Lord, increase our faith.

Come awake and put your trust in the risen savior who has given us life and growth. In Jesus