"O Ye of Little Faith"--Jesus

[opuntia]

The possibility of seeing beyond the plane of our existence is real, as it is written:

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust [us], that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

“By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

“Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” (1 Peter 3:18-20; KJV).

The spirit world we call the afterlife awaits those who die or are separated from their bodies. This world Jesus visited according to Peter, where He gave instructions to the likes of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, and other numerous spirits who were faithful. Jesus, it is written, was “the firstfruits of them that slept.” (1 Corinthians 15:20). The resurrection was the direct result of Christ’s offering for sins, where the souls who waited for the return of their bodies could joyfully enjoy the vigor and perfection of a glorious body.

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

“Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21).

Many debate the validity of a bodily resurrection, but the record states:

“Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?” (Acts 26:8).

The angel Gabriel announced to Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus, “with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37). Isaiah recorded God’s word thus, “Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver?” (Isaiah 50:2).

Jesus chastised His disciples whenever they questioned the power of God by saying, “O ye of little faith.” (Matthew 6:30). Are we guilty of showing insufficient faith at times?

 

[Jaymes]

Given that I have absolutely none, I'd say I'm guilty as charged.

 

[CaptainXeroid]

I have yet to meet someone who never had a moment when his faith was weak. When I face a moment like that, I pause, reflect, and pray to God for strengthen and renew my faith.:162:

 

[Buttercup]

Heck, I've had longer than mere moments of loss of faith.....I've had months or even years of loss of faith, especially in my youthful years of Christianity.

I am grateful and amazed that the Lord brings me back to him....and accepts me!

 

[evearael]

For me, moments of dispair are moments of "little faith," because I'm implicitly ignoring God and all the good people and things in the world and guilty of not rising to the test.

 

[joeboonda]

Of course I have had insufficient faith at times. Now the faith that brings salvation, is from God, and not from ourselves, (see verse below,for we hear the word, and believe it and are saved. But faith for living, trusting God with things, that can be insufficient. We rely on ourselves too much. I will say, we are weak humans, we will all have doubts and weak faith a lot. But, God loves us and holds us in His hands, no fear!

2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
(King James Bible, Ephesians)

Saving faith is a one-time faith, a done deal, a gift from God. Faith is not something we work up, or try to gain more of, it just IS. It is more a matter of trusting God that all things will work together for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 

[Maxist]

You must understand that, well, we cannot perceive things beyond our plane. We cannot becasue we are only made to be able to perceive things in this demention, and what we know. If we do not know what somthing looks like, then we cannot see it. The Native Americans, for instance, were not able to see the ship from which Columbas Sailed, they never beleived that anything so large could be created by man, so they simply could not see it. A shaman saw ripples that came closer everyday until he was forced to beleive that there was a ship, he saw it. Then he told others of it, and they saw it. Infact, if he had told the rest of them that there was a ship, when there was not one in all reality, then they would have seen it. The law also works Visa Versa, if we beleive that somthing is there then we can percieve it.