Faith is the greatest gift we possess
"The righteous will live by faith."
- Romans 1:17 (NIV)
It's almost Christmas! Is your faith alive this Christmas?
We can get so bogged down in the cares of this life that our faith feels as if it has dwindled from a flame to a burning ember. We think faith is based on our feelings. If I don't feel faith, I must not have any. Did you know God has given each one of us a measure of faith? It's the greatest gift we possess.
God has equipped us with everything we need to live a successful and prosperous life. Faith is one of those basic elements. Romans 12:3 says we are to think with the measure of faith we have been given.
What does faith do? Faith believes in the power of God to help us. It believes God is good and that He sends wisdom and answers to our prayers.
It expects the impossible to take place and releases the dreams hidden away in our hearts. Jesus tells us a tiny mustard seed of faith can move the mountains in our lives.
When we feel we are running low on faith, what can we do? We must remember faith is not based on our feelings, but that we possess the ability to stir up and strengthen our belief from within. The faith-filled Bible passages are another gift we've been given to strengthen our faith. "Faith comes by hearing the message," Romans 10:17 (NIV).
Christmastime can be a great time to build our faith. We can meditate on the first Christmas, as told in the Bible book of Luke. Imagine the faith of the Virgin Mary as she believed God could change her life with the unborn child she was carrying.
Ponder how the wise men cast their human knowledge aside and dared to follow the star shining brightly in the sky that led them to Christ.
Think how dull our life would be if we never believed in anything. However, since God placed a measure of faith inside each of our hearts and gave us the ability to believe, when we feel our faith is running low, let's ask Him to help us rekindle our faith.
Then, reaching deep within our hearts, not just hope for something good to happen, but believe some of our dreams can come true.
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.