In my quiet time this morning, I ran across two illustrations about faith that I wanted to share.
The first illustration is from pastor Tim Keller:
"Three men are running through a snowy forest. It’s very cold, below freezing. They’re being chased by a hungry tiger. But up in front of them there’s a steep bank and below that is a lake.
The first man has done some quick calculations in his head. He’s almost 100 percent confident the lake will be frozen over with ice—three feet thick—easily enough to support his weight, and the weight of his two friends.
The second man hasn’t done the math, and he’s worried. “Sure, it’s below freezing now, but I don’t know…” Let’s say he’s 50 percent confident.
The third man is a pessimist by nature. He always expects that things are going to end badly. He’s 10 percent confident the ice will support his weight. “But, he thinks, “what do I have to lose at this point?”
So all three men, with different degrees of faith that the ice will support them, jump on to the ice to escape the hungry tiger.
Are the second and third man, who had much less faith than the first, any less saved than the first man, whose faith was much stronger?
Of course not… They’re all equally saved.
What matters is not how strong their faith is; what matters is what they’re placing their faith in."
The second illustration comes from Pastor Rusty George. Rusty was on a bus with students headed home from camp when they pulled into a McDonald’s. By the time all of the kids deboarded, the ordering line was longer than his weary body could tolerate. He reached over to a kid named Ryan and said, “Here’s $20. Will you get me a Number 5? And keep the change for your lunch.” Ryan gave him a strange look, and Rusty found a seat where he waited for his lunch.
On the bus a few hours later, Rusty learned that Ryan’s stunned response wasn’t because of Rusty’s generosity; Ryan was overwhelmed by something entirely different.
At camp the night before, Ryan sensed God inviting him to put all of his money in the offering for missions, so he gave everything, including his money for lunch on the way home. Then, while standing in line at McDonald’s, God provided.
Rusty was overwhelmed by the faith of a student who would stand in line to order lunch with nothing left in his pockets to pay for it. Has your faith put you in a line like that lately? [After Amen, Rusty George, 2020]
Faith is arguably the most important aspect of our relationship with Christ. As shown in these two illustrations, it is the object of our faith that is more important than the amount of faith we possess.
The lesson here is to trust and believe with what amount of faith you currently have because you know the One in whom you have believed and trust that He is more than capable of saving you and acting on your behalf.
Whether we only have faith the size of a mustard seed or the faith to stand in a line at McDonalds to order without any money in our pocket, God will respond to what we have and will meet us there, for it's not about us. It's about Him.
