Got faith?

Read Ahead: Hebrews 11:3-6 

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6,

HCSB 

One thing that keeps many people from coming to know Christ is--(are you ready for this?)--they're too nice. They live moral lives. They give to charity. They treat others well. They may even go to church

and read the Bible on occasion. They assume that God must be pleased with them because they're good people. 

Yet they lack the one thing they need to please God--faith. 

The Bible says you can live the

cleanest life possible, you can do all sorts of good deeds, you can even memorize the Bible from cover to cover... but without faith you will not please God. 

What does it mean to have faith? According to the last part

of this verse, faith means not only believing that God exists but also seeking after him earnestly. It's not enough to be a good person or even to acknowledge that God is there. The Pharisees in Jesus' day did all of these things, yet Jesus was anything but pleased with

them! Even the demons in hell believe God exists! (James 2:19). 

The good news is this: God promises to reward those who earnestly seek him. If you trust God, he'll provide for your needs. If you seek his plan for

you, he'll guide you into his perfect will. He'll pour out love on you unlike anything you've ever experienced. 

You hold the key that unlocks everything God has for you. That key is your faith. 

What would you say to someone who doubts that God "rewards those who seek him"? 

Read Up: Romans 1:16-17, Galatians 3:10-14   

Daily Smile:

A man was walking along a

California beach and stumbled across an old lamp. He picked it up and rubbed it and out popped a genie. The genie said, "OK. You released me from the lamp, blah blah blah. This is the fourth time this month and I'm getting a little sick of these wishes so you can

forget about three. You only get one wish!" 

The man sat and thought about it for a while and said, "I've always wanted to go to Hawaii but I'm scared to fly and I get very seasick. Could you build me a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive over there to visit?" 

The genie laughed and said, "That's impossible. Think of the logistics of that! How would the supports ever reach the bottom of the Pacific? Think of how much concrete...how much steel!! No, think of another
wish." 

The man said OK and tried to think of a really good wish. Finally,

he said, "I've been married and divorced four times. My wives always said that I don't care and that I'm insensitive. So, I wish that I could understand women....know how they feel inside and what they're thinking when they give me the silent treatment....know why they're crying, know what they really want when they say 'nothing'....know how to make them truly happy...."

The genie asked, "Do you want that bridge two lanes or four?"