"Critical Faith" -2

"Praise him with the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals." (Psalms 150:5)

  Whereas: "in contrast or comparison with the fact that." Just so you know, there is a reason to suffer, if that is what you want to call it; because in reality, blessings are measured in how they produce fruit; at least that is how it works in the life of God's children. Matthew Henry has some interesting things to say regarding this: "That in serving God we should spare no cost nor pains." Another way that we can see the meaning of, "Critical Faith," is, "that of having a decisive or crucial importance in the success, failure, or existence of something." In other words, if our faith is critical enough, then there is nothing that will take us away from or distract us from what we believe to be true; absolutely nothing, no matter how much it hurts or how much it might cost! I know it might be something that people will critic, saying, You don't know how it is until you caught in something tragic. Yes, I guess your right; I really have no idea. But I can say this, with no hesitation: I would much rather have been the one suffering the sickness and death, then the one that must live on dealing with it; because I know what happens next after all of this sickness and death: life eternal with Jesus! That said, I also know that it is good for me to be here, that I might somehow be a testimony to the hope that lives within me. If we cannot somehow deal with all that happens in this life, what does that say about our belief that there is a better life to come? Our faith must be sure! When Jesus spoke of counting the cost, He meant that we must be prepared for anything! Oddly enough, He used material things and life or death issues to bring it to life. (Luke 14:26-33) If you care to think of it that way, then it is easy to understand why; because most people place those things more important than the things that they cannot see. But you must know, faith is something that is visible also...

"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. "For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away." But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved. Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in the days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen." (Hebrews 10:35 - 11:3) NLT