August 4 Active Faith<\/p>\n
“If thou canst believe, all things are possible. to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23).<\/p>\n
Seldom have we heard a better definition of faith than was given once in one of our meetings, by a dear old colored woman, as she answered the question of a young man how to take the Lord for needed help.<\/p>\n
In her characteristic way, pointing her finger toward him, she said with great emphasis: “You’ve just got to believe that He’s done it and it’s done.” The great danger with most of us is that, after we ask Him to do it, we do not believe that it is done, but we keep on helping Him, and getting others to help Him; and waiting to see how He is going to do it.<\/p>\n
Faith adds its “Amen” to God’s “Yea,” and then takes its hands off, and leaves God to finish His work. Its language is, “Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him; and he worketh.’ –Days of Heaven upon Earth<\/p>\n
“I simply take Him at His word,
\nI praise Him that my prayer is heard,
\nAnd claim my answer from the Lord;
\nI take, He undertakes.”<\/p>\n
An active faith can give thanks for a promise,
\nthough it be not as yet performed; knowing that
\nGod’s bonds are as good as ready money.
\n–Matthew Henry<\/p>\n
Passive faith accepts the word as true
\nBut never moves.
\nActive faith begins the work to do,
\nAnd thereby proves.<\/p>\n
Passive faith says, “I believe it! every word of God is true.
\nWell I know He hath not spoken what He cannot, will not, do.
\nHe hath bidden me, ‘Go forward!’ but a closed-up way I see,
\nWhen the waters are divided, soon in Canaan’s land I’ll be.
\nLo! I hear His voice commanding, ‘Rise and walk: take up thy bed’;
\nAnd, ‘Stretch forth thy withered member!’ which for so long has been dead.
\nWhen I am a little stronger, then, I know I’ll surely stand:
\nWhen there comes a thrill of heating, I will use with ease My other hand.
\nYes, I know that ‘God is able’ and full willing all to do:
\nI believe that every promise, sometime, will tome come true.”<\/p>\n
Active faith says, “I believe it! and the promise now I take,
\nKnowing well, as I receive it, God, each promise, real will make.
\nSo I step into the waters, finding there an open way;
\nOnward press, the land possessing; nothing can my progress stay.
\nYea, I rise at His commanding, walk straightway, and joyfully:
\nThis, my hand, so sadly shrivelled, as I reach, restored shall be.
\nWhat beyond His faithful promise, would I wish or do I need?
\nLooking not for ‘signs or wonders,’ I’ll no contradiction heed.
\nWell I know that ‘God is able,’ and full willing all to do:
\nI believe that every promise, at this moment can come true.”<\/p>\n
Passive faith but praises in the light,
\nWhen sun doth shine.
\nActive faith will praise in darkest night–
\nWhich faith is thine?
\n–Selected<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
August 4 Active Faith<\/p>\n
“If thou canst believe, all things are possible. to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23).<\/p>\n
Seldom have we heard a better definition of faith than was given once in one of our meetings, by a dear old colored woman, as she answered the question of a young man how to take the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-44015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-streams","tag-streams-in-the-desert","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44015\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}