Christmas is the foundation of Christendom. It is where the “Christ” in Christmas originated.
“Faith involves reliance and trust, and it endures in the face of doubts, whereas belief is simply something we take to be true.” (Google).
‘And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
A child, under their parents’ influence, will be taught or impressed by their parents’ “belief”. Depending on the confidence earned by this parent, or these parents, the child will, perhaps almost by default, take on the belief of their childhood influence. With few exceptions, as a child matures into adulthood, they will analyze, test, and determine if they are in agreement with their childhood impressions. This is known as becoming accountable. During this metamorphosis, a person becomes responsible for their own choices and decisions.
In simple terms, people are made up of two components – tangible and intangible, body and spirit. The body is here for the time of this person’s life only. The spirit lives on through eternity. That’s why when we approach the age of accountability, we either “buy in” to spiritual faith, or reject the spiritual as unfounded and questionable, or perhaps even as untrue.
“…the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 (KJV) This journey of the Son of man, Jesus, to seek us, is different for every person. For some, it is a “wow” moment when a child finds Jesus, which is most common when a child has had strong foundational teaching. As stated before, it will come in various ways, with differing speed and momentum. Sometimes it is an on and off fluctuation, between acceptance and rejection; but in the end everyone will have had a chance to find Jesus, and accept him. In surrendering to Jesus’ call and trusting their heart to him, they begin a journey that is brand new!
It is similar to receiving a brand-new vehicle. We can keep it in a garage to protect it from damage. Or we can misuse it and damage it, and even destroy it in a collision. If we damage it by negligence we will need to restore and repair it. Many times, the car is never quite the same. However, we can learn from our hasty misjudgement. Even so with our Christian life. Although scratched and scarred, we can refurbish the damages and decide not to be careless again.
Consider an example of a living faith. We use the car. We enjoy where it takes us. We open the doors and allow passengers to ride with us. This is abundant faith.
Or we can hide our car under cover or protect it in a garage. We can sit in it and make motor noises with our mouth. We can get so energetic that we need to wipe the saliva from the windshield inside as we “bruum-zoom” along, all the while selfishly protecting our car.
When Christ returns…will he find faith? Or will our faith be parked in a garage?
Merry Christmas.
