by Rose Petals

Created on: April 05, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

Faith is not opinion it is a way of life. It is an opportunity to look outside of yourself and accept the fact that you will never have all the answers, and that life itself is a great wondrous mystery. The faith Christians have does not have anything to do with their opinions about life but their belief in God. The belief that a man named Jesus did walk this earth, a belief that this man sacrificed Himself for our iniquities and still loved us enough to be the bridge between us and All Mighty God. Faith is the belief in these occurrences without a way to physically prove them to others.

Jesus saith unto him, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe." John 21:29

It is pure and utter nonsense that Christians love God because they have to. Christians love God because they want to. Most of us started out loving God before we ever took an active interest in the Bible. The will to want to love the Father has to be in place before the doctrine that shows how to love can ever be practiced.

I know this may seem weird, but I choose to love God, I choose to follow Jesus and I choose to study the Holy Word. I do this willingly, because of all the gifts the Father has given my free will is one. And I use it! It is a choice not a command. God does not want us under duress. He wants us to willingly love Him. To willingly choose Him. He will never make us do anything for Him. It is our will to do for Him. It is my choice to have total faith in God, just as it is my choice to have very little if any faith in man.

I live by faith, not by my opinions. If I lived by my opinions I wouldn't have the presence of mind or the know how to get out of bed each morning. For there would be no reason to. There would be no hope in living by my opinion. But there is tremendous hope in my faith.

The sad truth is Jesus reaches out to each of us. How sad and tragic it is that some of us not only turn away from His grace but feel the need to persecute Him over and over again. And why? Because some of us don't no the difference between a belief and an opinion.

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