Rock-Solid Conviction

Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. — Hebrews 11:1 NIV

I asked the young Vietnamese girl who does my nails what the word faith meant to her. At first she was unsure what I was asking. I told her that I was aware that the girls in the salon prepared a bowl of fruit and set it in front of a small effigy of Buddha. She said they did that for protection and out of respect, for good luck. I asked her if she talked to Buddha, and she gave me one of her big smiles and said something I have heard from her many times: “Miss Sheila, you crazy!”

When we study faith in the biblical context, it has both an active and a passive sense. In an active sense, faith is our loyalty and devotion to God; in a passive sense, faith is our resting confidence in God, in His Word, and in His promises.

Faith is not just what we believe, our doctrine or denominational creed but also and more importantly, a rock-solid conviction that what we believe and Whom we believe in are worth staking our lives on; they are real and living.

Christian faith is more than wishful thinking; it is a certainty, a constant assurance based on God’s track record in our lives and the lives of the faithful through the generations.

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Your Turn

How does Sheila’s definition of faith impact you? How would you define faith? Please leave a comment on our blog! We would love to hear from you!