Sunday, October 24, 2010

Difference between faith and trust

I was doing some study for a sermon the other day and I came to a startling conclusion. Faith and Trust are not the same thing.
I used to believe that Faith and Trust is the same concept, interchangable one with the other. But in studying I have found out that they are entirely different and that Trust believe it or not is actually a step up the spiritual ladder than Faith.
I know, I know, I am in major danger of going off the deep end here, getting a call from the head of our denomination for speaking heresy but hear me out on this.
Faith, the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things unseen. Sound familiar? Paul wrote those words and I have lived by them. I have faith that GOD is going to bless me, he is going to keep me safe, he is going to keep me and my family well. I have faith that he is going to bless the flock he has entrusted me with. I have faith that the Broncos will pull out a win against the hated Raiders even though they are down 21 points... well I kind of hope they do... but really don't think they will. So my faith is not so well with the Broncos...
So that is really what faith is, the hopes that all those things we hope for and the unseen workings will work out for our good.
Well I came to realize this... I can be standing at the top of a 1000 foot cliff looking down at the rocks below. And as I stand there I can have faith that GOD will send an angel to catch me should I jump. I can have faith that should I fall that there would be a soft landing at the end of the fall and I would survive and be OK. I can have faith that halfway down I would grab a branch and it would swing me into a sea cave where thousands upon thousands of dollars of Pirate gold was stashed...sorry there I go hoping again.
Faith is one thing standing at the top of a cliff and declaring that GOD will catch you. Trust is a whole other ballgame. Trust is actually taking that leap from faith into action.
I realized that Trust is really when we put Faith into action. We can have Faith without action, but Trust kicks in when we begin to act on our Faith.
It is Trust that the three amigos stood down Kind Nebekenezer when he threatened to throw them into the firey furnace. They trusted that GOD would deliver them out of the King's hand either by being burned up or saved from the fire.
Oh GOD that I would have Trust to feed the fire of my Faith!!

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