Faith

PASTOR’S CORNER, Pat Mann, President of Good Samaritan Auxiliary

All during the Christmas season, people look for great gifts, and after Christmas there are surely some great bargains to be found. I want to tell you about an Old Testament character who was offered a great bargain. His name was Mephibosheth. He was the grandson of King Saul, the son of Jonathan, young David’s close friend.  Both Saul and Jonathan deceased. David ascends the throne of God’s people, the Israelites.  Most of King Saul’s descendants, heirs to his throne, were slain in battle.  The new King, David, went looking for any remaining descendants of King Saul.  It would be expected that any remaining threat to the throne of a new king would be slain. David commanded that Mephibosheth be brought to him. 

PASTOR'S CORNER, Pat Mann, President of Good Samaritan Auxiliary

How good is good? How good would you have to be to be received into heaven when you die? I once spoke to a man who thought he was “good enough.” He said he was always faithful in marriage,  he never cheated in business deals, he provided for his family. He said, “I’m as good as any of those people down at the church – better than most.” He believed he was on the “Good Enough” list.   Yet another man told me that he was such a bad sinner, God could never forgive him. He was on the “Too Bad” list.  Both of these men were wrong.

Look at what the Bible says about the condition of mankind: “For there is no one truly righteous person on the earth who does good and never sins”  (Eccles. 7:20). Another text says, “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”  What you think about how good you are may depend upon with whom you are comparing yourself. Almost everyone can find someone deemed more evil than he/she. 

PASTOR’S CORNER, Pat Mann, President of Good Samaritan Auxiliary

Did you ever hear someone say, “Never pray for patience.?” Then they say, “If you ask God for patience, He will send circumstances that will try your patience.” Did you ever think that comment is actually biblical, or did you think it was just a phrase someone coined? This is nothing less than God the Father training His children, bringing them to maturity in the faith.

So, we have a second reason God will test His people. He will push us into a situation that will help our weak faith to grow and add patience. There was a time that the Israelites’ faith was tested, and they didn’t do very well.

PASTOR’S CORNER, Pat Mann, President of Good Samaritan Auxiliary

James 1:2-4 (KJV): “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

Do you think God will test your faith? He will. God does not need to test our faith so that He can learn something. He already knows everything. He tests our faith so WE can learn something about ourselves.