From The Crucible (by Pastor Linda Pugsley)

FAITH—funny word. To some, it means wishing or hoping; to some, it means your belief system or what your religious affiliation may be. But the original meaning is “binding”. So “faith” in Jesus Christ doesn’t just mean you acknowledge His existence—it means you should be “bound” to Him. It means you walk as He walked, talk as He talked, think, act, do, as He did. Big difference!

Jesus eagerly served God, to the death even. He obeyed, totally, and He knew there was a joy unspeakable and full of glory that was awaiting Him with Father in heaven.

Do you have that joy as crises assail you? Why in the world do we respond with fear and anxiety if we know the “good news” and how the story ends, so to speak?

Hindsight is 20/20, as we have so often heard. But it is what we often see when we realize that God worked out our dilemma after all! Well, isn’t that what faith is all about—believing God (bound to Him) ahead of time for what will only make sense as we look back on it?

In Revelation, Jesus says, “I am coming soon”—well, a couple of thousand years have passed since He said that. So, will you have faith in front of that, knowing it will make sense as we look back after it has happened and He has come? I think I’ll work on that because He is faithful. How about you? Endure the fire—it’s producing pure gold!

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