Quote from Forum Archives on September 10, 2003, 10:30 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I believe that one of the things that distinguish human beings
from any other beings are that we have choices to make and
because of that, we've also been given the privilege to make
choices. Now choices have their benefits and their costs, like
anything else. It's great to have the freedom of choice.

In terms of faith, and specifically faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ as our PERSONAL Lord and Savior, we have a choice. God's
Word tells us that Jesus Christ is THE way, the truth, and the
life, and no person can successfully come to God the Father
except through the grace and provision of His Son.

Clearly there are people who lived before Jesus was ever born,
there are others who have never even heard of Jesus, but the
statement stands. God created people as fallible beings, knowing
full well that He'd have to "rescue" them, forgive them, make
them whole, and make them suitable in His eyes. I believe that
He did that through the sacrifice of His one and only human son,
Jesus Christ.

I choose to believe in Jesus Christ for my own personal
salvation, and I also believe that it is the work of Christ that
has saved the world. Just exactly how He accomplishes that,
though there are many words in scripture, still is debated by
many. I don't get into those debates too much, except to assert
that Christ is the One who has shown me the very nature of God,
Christ is the sinless one who has done what I can never do, He
paid the debt that I cannot pay, for I cannot pay the price for
my own sin, but He can (and has done so). Do you believe this?

How DO we BEST shine our lights for Jesus Christ?

Yours in Christ,
Brian

____________________________________________________________

NEIL ANDERSON'S DAILY IN CHRIST
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

September 10

BELIEVING TRUTH IS A CHOICE

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to
God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those
who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Faith is the biblical response to the truth, and believing truth
is a choice. Faith is something you decide to do, not something
you feel like doing. Believing the truth doesn't make it true;
it's true, so we believe it. The New Age Movement and the "name
it and claim it" adherents are distorting the truth by saying
that we create reality through what we believe. We can't create
reality; we can only respond to reality.

Faith must have an object. It's not the idea that you merely
"believe" that counts; it's what or who you believe in that
counts. Everybody believes in something, and everybody walks by
faith according to what he or she believes. But if what you
believe isn't true, then how you live won't be right. Thus,
"Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ"
(Romans 10:17).

Your faith is only as great as your knowledge of the object of
your faith. If you have little knowledge of God and His Word, you
will have little faith. That's why faith can't be pumped up. Any
attempt to live by faith beyond what you absolutely know to be
true is presumption. If you only believe what you feel, you will
be led through life by one emotional impulse after another. The
path of truth begins with the truth of God's Word. Believe the
truth and walk by faith according what you believe, and then your
feelings will line up with what you think and how you behave.

We can't decide for ourselves what we would like to believe and
then believe it, expecting God to respond to our faith. God is
under no obligation to man. There is no way we can cleverly word
a prayer in such a way that God must answer it. He is under
obligation only to Himself. He will always stay true to Himself
and keep His Word and His covenants with mankind. It is not our
place to determine what is true or try to persuade God to
capitulate to our will. He is the truth. We are to ask according
to His will and desire His will above all else.

Lord, I believe in You and Your Word. Help my faith grow as I
enlarge my knowledge of You as my faith-object.

-----------
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=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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