Date: August 9th 2010

REFLECTIONS BY THE POND
August 9, 2010


THE GIFT

When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and
glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been
appointed to eternal life believed.
Acts 13:48

The other evening we watched for the second time the film Angels
and Demons, based on the book of the same name by Dan Brown--yes,
that Dan Brown, of The Da Vinci Code fame. While it is true that
both films strain credulity and have more than their share of
absurdities, this second film requires far less eye-rolling than
the first, and can be enjoyed simply as escapist entertainment.
(Whereas the typical response after viewing The Da Vinci Code was
to grab Messrs. Brown and Howard by the lapels and shout, "Do you
really think we are that stupid?")

At this second viewing of Angels and Demons I caught a line that
had been missed before. Camerlengo Patrick McKenna, a Vatican
priest, poses a question to the protagonist, Robert Langdon,
before permitting the Harvard symbologist access to the Vatican
archives.

"Do you believe in God, sir?"

"I'm an academic. My mind tells me I will never
understand God."

"And your heart?"

"Tells me I'm not meant to. Faith is a gift that I have
yet to receive."

Bingo!


Born of God

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, even to those who believe in His
name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the
flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13

Faith--that is, trusting in the true God and believing what His
word says about Him and Christ Jesus--is a gift. And not everyone
has been given that gift. Indeed, the gift will not be extended
to all, much less accepted by all to whom it is proffered. Our
ability--our inclination--to believe is born not of man, but of
God.

Faith--especially saving faith--cannot be manufactured, nor can
it be forced into existence by sheer human will. To those who
possess it, faith is precious, priceless. To those who do not
possess it, faith is an absurdity, nonsense, a Chimera.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of
God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot
understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
1 Corinthians 2:14

We all have faith of a kind. Those who haven't faith in God have
placed their faith in something else--usually themselves.

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped
and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is
blessed forever. Amen.
Romans 1:25


The Evidence of Faith

Because faith is invisible, we cannot paint its picture, we
cannot photograph it. It is difficult even to describe. We can,
however, describe its effect, for the evidence of faith is there
for all to see.

"Behold, as for the proud one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his faith."
Habakkuk 2:4

Those who have received the gift of faith in God live by that
faith. It colors their outlook, changes their perspective from
worldly to other-worldly. One can usually spot them in a crowd.
When life gets hard, they do not despair, for their trust is in
the Lord. When a loved-one dies, even in their sorrow over the
loss they can rejoice that he or she--if a fellow believer--is
now in the presence of Jesus for all eternity. When tough
decisions must be made, they can be placed in the willing hands
of the One who guides their steps. When the heart is heavy for
any reason, they know they have a compassionate, loving Lord who
cares about them.

Likewise, the lives of those who have received the gift of faith
are imbued with an inexpressible joy. Faith in God through the
atonement of Christ Jesus quickens and amplifies the physical
senses so that even earth-bound life is experienced through the
filter of the indwelling Spirit. Sunrise brings a new day of
opportunities to rejoice in Him, and sunset draws the curtain of
satisfied repose, and the contented slumber of one whose life is
held in the hands of a loving, protecting heavenly Father. In
between morning and evening are happy hours spent in sweet
communion with Him.

And it is all a gift.


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Copyright 2010, David S. Lampel. All rights reserved.
Reflections: #0459
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is from the
New American Standard Bible (Updated Edition).
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