Daily Devotion
Too
Much of a Good Thing
By
Steven Halter
Faith is a wonderful thing. We have been saved by grace through faith
(Eph. 2:8). By faith we have become children of God (John 1:12). With faith, it
is possible to please God (Heb. 11:6). When we believe God, impossible things
become possible. But can we believe too much? "Certainly not!" you may
say. But to really answer that question, we have to consider what and in Whom
we are believing. Too often, we as Christians believe in the wrong things, and
we are quick to believe in them, too! For example, sometimes we're quick
to believe in gossip about co-workers (2 Cor. 12:20). We may believe the latest
rumors about celebrities. We might believe misinformation and slander about politicians.
Bosses could believe a bad report about employees. By doing these things, we can
hurt others by believing (and sometimes acting on) something about them that is
not true. We misjudge them, and we make it worse by telling others the half-truths
and lies we've believed. Sometimes we hurt ourselves more directly by believing
whatever teaching we hear. Or we may believe a smooth talking con artist who is
utilizing the latest financial scheme. How can we protect ourselves and
keep from hurting others? There are a number of things we can do. One thing is
to not believe just one side of a story that is told about someone. We need to
hear both sides of a story, then we can understand the situation better (Prov.
18:17). In addition, we can protect ourselves from false doctrine by comparing
what we hear to the whole counsel of the Bible (Acts 17:10-12; Eph. 4:14). We
should test everything with the Bible and the guidance of the Spirit (1 John 4:1;
1 Th. 5:21).
Let us resolve to not hurt ourselves or others by believing
in things that we shouldn't. Let us ask the Lord to give us discernment about
what is true and wisdom about what is right. Jesus Himself once said to His disciples,
"be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matt. 10:16). James wrote, "If any
of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly,
and it will be given you" (James 1:5). Yes, faith is a wonderful thing!
But let's not have too much of a good thing. Let's keep God and His truth as the
focus of our faith. When we do that, we will be a brighter light to the world
around us (Mat. 5:14). And as God helps us to grow in these areas, we will become
more like our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus! We will be more conformed to image
of God's Son (Rom. 8:29). Thank God that His love is everlasting towards us as
we continue to grow in Him.
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