Day 22: A faith that works – Part 7d
The proof of the pudding is in the eating
Bible References (NIV)
11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’
8 “ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. “ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.
9 My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.
10 “ ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’
11 My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
12 “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.
13 He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.
14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.
15 You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.
8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Devotional
Have you ever been in a situation where you were expected to believe something just because that was the expectation? This is the nature of ‘culture’. This dynamic can be as true of a Christian (church) culture as of atheism, any other religion, or even any other club. Beliefs become a part of a culture – and it follows that participants are expected to conform.
A question the Bible affirms is, ‘What is true?’ Whatever our current culture believes about religion doesn’t matter as much as what is true. Additionally, if a belief is true we should expect that it works in experience – not just in theory. Rational evidence should line up with experiential evidence. Today we’re looking at this ‘personal experiential’ dynamic within the Christian faith.
It would not be an exaggeration to say there are hundreds of millions of amazing personal testimonies to be found in Christian churches across our planet. While this faith is sadly sometimes reduced to lifeless traditions, where the faith is kept alive and authentic, the amazing evidence of personal testimony is no further away than a good question!
Today’s video clip summarises some examples. Its stories intentionally look to the extremes of human behaviour to illustrate the life-changing power of this faith.
If a loving God does exist and can be known, how could we test the truth of that? The answer is in those hundreds of millions of testimonies! When a person becomes a Christian a pattern follows. Their behaviour, character, and attitudes mysteriously begin to change for the better!
One of my friends has been an alcoholic for decades. He was often lost in the drink for days at a time without memory of it. He was also a devout atheist, and would sometimes visit me when he’d been drinking just to argue his case. Then a family crisis just over a year ago led him to depression. Feeling without hope, he made a decision. While he said at the time that the Christian faith still made no sense, he also knew he couldn’t overcome the drink without God’s help. Choosing faith, he has now gone for more than 12 months without a drink. This is after over 40 years of alcoholism and many prior attempts to ‘beat the bottle’. When I asked what enabled this change his reply was clear. ‘Your fella!’ (God – as revealed through Jesus). What’s interesting to me is that his manner has also become more gentle. Swearwords that were a part of nearly every sentence are fading away – and all without anyone suggesting this. He was always a fun and caring kind of person – and maybe now he is more so. There is also hope that the family circumstance might be resolved – for which I thank God and continue to pray.
This is the kind of change Christianity makes. The Christian faith doesn’t only work in theory and logic – but also in practice. When people seek God with a humility of heart, he can be found!
Video clip: A faith that works – Part 7d — 3:40mins
Reflection questions
- How important is the evidence of personal experience, and why?
- What stories do you know of in which a person connected with God through faith and changed?
- What difference has knowing God made in your own life?
For prayer
“Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the miraculous way you work in our lives as we open our hearts to you. The stories of your goodness are truly encouraging. We are so grateful. Thank you.”
related topics
coming up in our next devotion
Day 23: A faith that works – Part 7e
Data showing that those who embraced this faith experienced improved marriage strength, marital satisfaction, life satisfaction, an increased sense of meaning in life, higher educational levels, volunteer more, become more generous to charitable causes, have more civic engagement, improved financial stability, more stable long-term family dynamics, improved long-term physical health and increased longevity in life.