But without Hope there really is no reason to go on, without a reason life becomes a drudgery that must be endured rather than lived. And where does Hope come from? From FAITH. Faith is "the realization of what is hoped for, the evidence of things unseen." So with Hope and Faith we move forward. But what is Faith?
Consider these thoughts by George Morrison:
November 2
The Shield of Faith
Withal taking up the shield of faith— Eph_6:16 (R.V.)
The Power That Protects Us
The armor of the ancients was of two different kinds, and both kinds were absolutely necessary. It was partly armor for attack and partly armor for protection. Now very generally, in the New Testament, faith is one of the weapons of attack (1Jo_5:4). We see that magnificently illustrated in the pageant of the eleventh of Hebrews. But here, and it may be only here, Paul looks on faith in quite another light, for he sets it among the armor of protection.
Faith is not here the power that leads to victory; it is the power that protects us in the battle. It keeps us unembittered and serene amid the mysteries and buffetings of life. To believe that love is on the throne and that through everything there runs a loving purpose, is in the deepest of all senses to be shielded.
How effectual that shielding is, is shown by the apostle's choice of words. An exquisite and unfailing niceness of selection is the real meaning of verbal inspiration. There are two words in the Greek tongue for shield; the one is common and the other rare. The one connotes a little shield or target; the other a frame that covered the whole man. And it is notable that only here—nowhere else, I mean, in the New Testament—is the latter word employed. Faith is not a partial protection; it casts its defense over the whole of life. It is a means of safety for the intellect, as surely as for the passions of the heart. It guards the feet when they are prone to wander, and the hands when they are growing weary, and the eyes when they are drawn to what is wrong. The shield of faith is an all-embracing shelter. It is coextensive with our being. Faith in God through our Lord Jesus Christ is nothing less than a universal safeguard. All was choicely shown to the Ephesians by the word which the apostle used when he bade them take up the shield of faith.
Faith Is Given to Guard Life in Everything;
Not from Everything
But if faith be a protecting shield, what then of the apostle's own experience? So far from being defended from life's ills, he knew them all in an abounding measure. He was not protected from cold or heat or hunger, nor from shipwreck, nor from the hand of robbers (2Co_11:1-33). He was not protected from bodily infirmity, for he suffered from his lacerating thorn (2Co_12:1-21). Everything that makes life bitter was mingled in the cup of the apostle, and yet he dares to speak of faith's protection. I think there are many who have still to learn that faith was never intended for exemption. Faith is not given to guard the life from anything; it is given to guard the life in everything. It empowers one to bear, and to bear cheerfully, what otherwise would break the heart and darken the loving ordering of God.
To pass through the very worst that life can bring, undismayed in soul, and unembittered; to tread the darkest mile and sing in it; never to lose heart, or hope, or love; that is what faith achieved for the apostle and can achieve for everyone of us, and that is the shielding power of faith.
So was it with our blessed Lord. When He came here, He was offered no exemption. He was a man of sorrows, and He suffered, and He was tempted in all points like as we are. Yet to the end, in a faith that never faltered, He was loving, tranquil, and forgiving and under the cross spoke about His peace.
This Protecting Faith Has to Be Taken Up
One should notice, too, that this protecting faith is one that we require to make our own. In the apostle's words, we have to take it up, in the same way as we take up our cross. There is a faith that is part and parcel of our being. It is ours without any conscious effort. We believe quite naturally when the sower sows his seed that there will be a harvest in the autumn.
But to believe, when life is stem and sorrowful, that God is with us and loves us as a Father, that is not natural to sinful man. We have to take it up, in the apostle's words. We have to summon up the resources of the soul. We have to use our will in a deliberate effort, if such a faith is to be part of life. And it is just there that the Lord Jesus makes all the difference to us in our weakness, for God commendeth His love to us in this, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
Where does this Faith come from?
James Ryle gives us the source:
November 2
The Unchained Word
"It is the Gospel for which I have to suffer imprisonment — as if I were a criminal. But there is no prison for the word of God." (2 Timothy 2:9, Moffatt NT).
There is great irony in the fact that when the powers of darkness orchestrated the imprisonment of Paul through the efforts of religious fanatics — his imprisonment became the occasion for the unleashing of the Word of God. Had Paul NOT been locked up, there is good evidence to conclude that we would not have much of the New Testament as we know it today.
Though Paul was bound in chains when he wrote it, there are no prison bars strong enough to hold back God's Word from anyone anywhere.
In the front of an old Family Bible, I found these words — "This Book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and it decisions are immutable.
"Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.
It contains light to direct you,
food to support you,
and comfort to cheer you.
It is the traveler's map,
the pilgrim's staff,
the pilot's compass,
the soldier's sword,
and the Christian's charter.
Here Paradise is restored,
Heaven opened,
and the Gates of Hell disclosed.
"Christ is its Grand Subject,
our good its design,
and the Glory of God its end.
It should fill the memory,
rule the heart,
and guide the feet.
"Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and condemns all who trifle with its holy contents.
This volume is the Word of GOD."
The Word of God cannot be chained — and it will therefore break every chain that holds you back from fully, freely and faithfully following God.
Yes, it is THE BIBLE!
God bless you with His Grace to find Faith and Hope in His Word.
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