Think!

I am in the unenviable position of having people around me who care very much about what I think about them. With a singular comment I can make them feel good about themselves and they will be walking on air all day, or be devastated. Unfortunately I do not always think about this and do not always convey my true feelings accurately. Perhaps I am in a surly mood, dont give it adequate thought, or improperly convey my true feelings on the matter, or perhaps my warped sense of humor is in full throttle, and I say something that I think is amusing and the person on the other end is deeply hurt. Ouch! I do not want to hurt anyones feelings and would prefer to be around people with thick hides that appreciate my perverted sense of humor. When you think about it, those around you are affected the same as those around me.



I can relate however, because in my early life no one had any confidence in me and consequently it often made me doubt myself too. I will never forget when I decided to go into business for myself. I quit a well-paying job as plant manager of a good company with benefits and launched a business with no start-up capital. I was young, excited, and wildly optimistic and was ready to set the world on fire. My wife did not share my enthusiasm however, nor did she even speak to me for three weeks. My father and brother told me I was crazy as did my friends. One person had faith in me and that was my Mother-in-law. She had total faith that I would succeed and I can picture her telling me in a strong voice that if I wanted to do something, By golly if Bob says it is going to happen then that is all there is to it, it is GOING to happen! Her complete faith in me is deeply burned into my soul. Bless her heart, she has since gone to be with the Lord; I love her very much to this day and look forward to being united with her one day. Since those early days I have proven that I can succeed and my wife and others have grown to have complete faith in me and have respect for my ideas, (perhaps too much now). Seeing and believing is easy compared to having faith in someone even before you see. That is spectacular, and means much to those involved, particularly your children.



Christians must have faith in God. The Bible states in Romans 1:17 that God is revealed from faith. If you are a thinking person and the least bit objective, there will be things that you see that reveal and verify Gods existence, but it is unlikely you will have a face to face encounter with God or even a burning bush. We must accept Him by faith. My experience in life in relation to how much it did mean to me to have my mother-in-law believe in me even though she had not seen anything yet, gives me a semblance of how God must appreciate those who have faith in Him even though we cannot meet face to face as Moses did. The Bible tells us that Jesus stands at the door and knocks. He wants to come into our lives, but through faith we must allow Him to take over our thoughts and lives. He does not want robots, and that is why we have a free will. Your faith in God will be rewarded. God completely and miraculously changed my life for the better and not a day goes by that I do not feel His comforting presence. He gives me peace and purpose.



How can you enhance your faith? The Bible states by hearing the Word of God. Study the Bible, attend church and Sunday school, associate with other Christians and study with them and have an active prayer life.



Romans 10:17

So then faith comes by hearing,

and hearing by the word of God.

How well do you know the Bible?

Jesus said of a Roman centurion: I say to you, I have not found such great faith,

not even in Israel! What did the man do to receive such a wonderful compliment from the Son of God?

Luke 7:1-10

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