Fervent belief.
Fervent belief.
God’s attributes are equally as infinite as he is.
Midweek Bible clubs have begun at my church for kids and teens, from K-5 to 12th grade. Needless to say, Wednesdays at my church are chaotic — people going here, there, and everywhere, corralling kids of all ages to the right places, disciplining those who are too hopped on sugar, keeping their minds busy through stories and lessons and games, and hoping in the midst of all of this that the Word of God, his gospel, is able to shine forth and sink into these kids’ lives. And for the most part, I think we’re succeeding.
My wife and I currently assist with ministering to middle and high school students, and it’s a joy to engage these teens in the midst of their most formative years. As teenagers begin adolescence and the process of becoming adults, they’re bombarded more than ever to question things: question reality, question authority, question identity, etc. The pervading postmodern philosophy that there are no absolutes is inescapable, to the point that it’s seeping into families and churches. But instead of questioning, I’m urging for more fervent believing. Too often, we buy into this postmodern ideology and question even the things of God, some questioning his existence, his love, or his sovereignty — some even questioning him as the Creator, rejecting the biblical narrative of creation. Doing so not only voids the rest of Scripture but sets you up for failure.
Instead of doubting, let’s practice trusting and relying on God, taking him at his word, and holding on to that word with your left. The writer of the Hebrews urges his readers in a similar fashion, when he says, “Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering since he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). Our God is an eternally faithful God, unfailing and unflinching in everything he says, promises, or does. That’s why we never have to question him. He’s eternal and immutable. And so is everything about him. All the love, mercy, truth, holiness, forgiveness, justice, goodness, compassion, and kindness that can be found in God are equally as infinite as he is.
Grace is from eternity. It is like everything else in God, without a beginning . . . The story of grace has a beginning: but grace itself has none. (Bonar, 53)
So as you face today and tomorrow and the day after that, each with new challenges, obstacles, perplexities, and problems, be sure of God. Be sure of grace. Be sure that he’s faithful. You never have to question him. And even if (when) you do waver, he remains forever trustworthy. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful,” the apostle says (2 Tim. 2:13). Trust God. Rely on him. Remember his Word and his promises, and you’ll be furnished with firm, fervent belief.
Works cited:
Horatius Bonar, The Story of Grace (New York: Robert Carter & Bros., 1857).