Faith (Friday, Week 9, Year 1, 2021)

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The Jews understood the Christ as the “son of David”, and in that way they expressly made known their timeless expectation of a conquering messiah who would militarily liberate them from the shackles of the Romans. For all intents and purposes, such understanding exposes an image of Christ (the messiah) which is narrow, myopic and limited.


From what Jesus said in Mark 12:35-37, we may be right to make this submission: If David called Him “Lord” (cf. Psalm 110), then the Christ must have been greater than David: He is not just his son but his Lord; not just his Lord but His Savior; not just his Savior but his God.


Just like the Jews, some of us may have had a poor, shallow or limited understanding of who Jesus is. Such understanding might have come from our personal encounter with Him. But the point that we shouldn't forget is that Jesus is more than what we have known or think He is. Some of us only know Him as a healer, teacher or philanthropist. A true follower of Christ must understand that over and above all Christ is God. And if we truly understand and believe that He is God, what else could He not be or do for us? The key to such understanding is FAITH. And our faith must be elastic enough to accommodate other sides of Him.


We can learn from Tobit and his family (cf. Tobit 11:5-15). Tobit and his family faced trials but held fast to their faith. Their faith was too elastic: they remained open to life possibilities not forgetting that God will always be God no matter what happens. Their understanding or perception of God did not change because of the trials they faced. They did not give up or turn away from God, even when things became more difficult for them. 


Hard times are moments that test the elasticity of our faith. Sometimes, we wonder why God is allowing bad things to happen to us or why He is not answering our prayers. It is good to wonder; but may our faith be elastic enough to accommodate the fact that God is God and does whatever He wills. We can never understand Him completely. He is more than what or who we think He is.


Prayer:

Lord, increase my faith! Always help me understand why I must move on even when the darkness becomes thicker, Amen!


Have a blessed day!



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