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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Word Wednesday by KM Wilsher

First of all, I must give God thanks for AVILY JEROME and her husband, GNH. (If you have read "How I met your Father" by Avily Jerome you'll remember GNH) Avily's GNH graciously looked at that laptop I dropped and recovered ALL the files! They are a beautiful family who serve the Lord! Here is a shout out to you :)

On to Word Wednesday!
No crossword puzzles, vocabulary or word games, I don't really have a word game mind. (love Scrabble!) On Word Wednesday let's talk about what we are reading in the bible this week. It’s not a Bible study, sermon or deep devotional, just a place to reflect on a verse or passage that may have touched us recently.

Hebrews 3
16Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed[c]? 19So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
Hebrews 4
1Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.

Faith and Belief. What weird words. Sometimes I think I know more about the meanings of the words 'Calorie', 'Emo' and 'Brangelina' than I do about the words Faith and Believe. I mean, how many times have you heard, "Just have Faith." or been asked, "Do you really believe that?"

Believe - To have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something.
Faith - Confidence or trust in a person or thing. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.

Okay, defining the words helped. Praise Jesus, the Way, Truth, and Light. I loved looking at their definitions. But how does one HAVE belief? Or how do you DO faith? I HAVE a job, a car, friends, and family. I DO sit-ups, an assignment, a chore. Is faith a thought? An action? Is belief feeling? I know, all of the above, right?

According to the Hebrew verses, I can hear the Word, but I need to "combine it with faith." And I see the Isrealites "were not able to enter, because of their unbelief." So I must pray to receive this Faith and Belief. I must not neglect it. I guess that's where the phrase, "practice faith" comes from. I guess its a little bit of thought, action, feeling, and lots of prayer!

What are you reading this week?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ohhh, great words today, girl! Faith and Believe.

Wow, are they actions or just thoughts. Hmmmm, can I be annoying and say BOTH? I think they start with thoughts then turn into actions.

I have faith God called me to write, so I step out and learn about it, go to conferences, enter contests, etc. I believe God puts people in my life, so I meet with them, go to writer's retreats with them (smile), etc.

Just like when I came to faith so long ago, I prayed the prayer and had faith God would change me. I stepped away from drinking, hell-raising, etc....those are actions that stemmed from an internal thing.

But hey, that's just my thought.

Billy Coffey said...

What a great post, KM. I don't think I've ever paused to consider the true meaning of those two words, and it's a pretty stark difference, isn't it?

The Israelites believed in God, absolutely. But did they have faith that the God they believed in would prosper them? Nope. Sounds strange, doesn't it? And yet I do it all the time...

Billy Coffey said...

BTW, I'm so glad you got all your files recovered. I'd been thinking about that a lot lately, but I've been too afraid to ask!

Kathryn Hupp-Harris said...

To me, faith is allowing yourself to fall backward and trusting that someone will catch you.

If you really want to feel what a leap of faith is all about, have a near-death experience. (Or at least truly believe you are about to die.) It is amazing how much peace faith can bring.

KM Wilsher said...

Lynn~Good thoughts. I agree a mixture of both. Loved what you wrote.

Billy~Thanks for the nice note about the computer! And your comments were great. "God they believed in would prosper them? Nope. " I do it too :)

Kat~Lovely and poetic. A near death experience? wow!