Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief." Mark 9:24
The above words, spoken by a frantic father, speak to the conflict in which Christians often find themselves. It is the struggle between belief and unbelief, between faith and doubt. So long as a person is able to pray, confessing his faith to God and asking Him for help to overcome unbelief, he is still a Christian. His faith, though shaken, is maintaining the upper hand. The direction your life takes, whether toward greater faith or toward unbelief, depends in large measure on whom we want to serve: the true God or ourselves. When we allow God to be central, grow in the Word, set Christian service as the goal of living, and in all things seek first the kingdom of God, then we are going the way of faith. This often involves a struggle, for going God's way takes us in an entirely different direction than what our sinful nature would take.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, completely obedient to His Father, gave Himself for us. Thanks to His atoning work, our sins of unbelief are forgiven. When we stumble because our faith is unsteady and we are not ready to place God first in our life, we need to pray what the distraught father prayed. God hears such a prayer.
PRAYER: Lord, increase my faith through Your Word and Spirit; for Jesus' sake. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 87-88 1 Corinthians 12
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