God Speaks to Women: Stronger Faith

50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7: 50

My pondering of this passage of Scripture takes me to a question:  Do I have the kind of faith that moves mountains?

Sigh...

I believe that...in my case, most of my issues derive from... my lack of solid faith.  There, I said it...

I am seeking to be humble this year, so, I humbly admit that I lack the faith that could move mountains.  

What does the Bible say about gaining faith?  "...faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." Romans 10: 17  

Hearing the message?  What message?  Well, the message of salvation!  And how is that message heard?  Where is it found?  in the Word!  The message of salvation and hope and love of Christ is found in Scripture.  But, why would knowing about Christ help us make our faith stronger?  In my opinion, an important element of faith is trust.  And, who do we trust?  We tend to trust those we know, those who have a tangible record of trustworthiness.  So, if it works like that among humanity, chances are, it works the same way in our relationship with Our Heavenly Father.  The more we know about Him, the more we begin to trust Him, for even if we are unfaithful and faithless, He is Faithful Forever!  But, how would we know He is worthy of all our trust if we don't know Him?  Hence, the importance of hearing the message contained in the Bible.

Therefore, we see why the author of Romans insists in staying in the Word:  that's the way to a life of faith, to a life where sight is irrelevant, for we walk by the assurance of things not seen.  

Once God has bestowed upon us the gift of Grace and Faith, reading Scripture becomes part of our walk, because the more we read it, the more we know Him.  And the more we know Him, the more we trust Him and the stronger our faith becomes.

And this has nothing to do with ourselves and who we are.  It is all about Jesus!  He touches our hearts and softens them to receive His Grace as a gift, and with that comes faith.  This sinful woman did nothing to deserve forgiveness.  She didn't have the Gospel either, to read about Christ.  But I believe God called her to Christ, and she said yes, even if it meant going into the Pharisee's house and making a fool out of herself in all of her shame.  That's when she had the encounter that transformed her and saved her.  Salvation doesn't depend on us.  It is a gift of Grace.  But once we receive it, our wheels turn into motion and it is impossible to resist the calling to get closer and closer to the One who paid our debt.  For this woman, it was the daring act of walking into the Pharisee's house...for us, it is to pick up our Bible and eat it like our daily bread.

May the Almighty God who calls us His own give us what we need to pursue a life of faith, inspired by the Word and resting upon the power of Christ Our Lord!  Amen!