It was Mark Twain, the famous American writer, who said, “Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” Mark Twain had a lot of other funny sayings such as, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt”, or, “Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often”.
Twain’s definition of faith is amusing yet sadly it is what many people think faith in God really is about. Some people believe that faith is something that has nothing to do with the facts of science, history, or anything else. They have a vague hope in a God being out there somewhere. They hope that He will somehow get the world sorted out sooner or later. They wish to believe that God is pleased with them but some doubts often remain.
The Bible does call on us to trust in a God Who is not physically visible. Scripture makes it clear that the full vision of God physically is far too much for humans to receive (Exodus 33:20). Thus we read in Scripture that God has come to us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Christmas was the unveiling of God Himself in the person of Jesus.
God assumed human form so that we might see Him, hear Him, and learn to love and serve Him. We are told in various places in Scripture that for Jesus to come to earth and take on human form was a very humbling experience for Him (Philippians 2:5-11).
On one occasion Jesus told the disciples that when they saw Him they saw God the Father (John 14:9). So, the God Who is invisible, is seen in Jesus Christ. This is a truly remarkable idea that many people miss. If you really want to know what God is like look at Jesus and you will see Him. If you want to know God’s message for our world today listen to Jesus.
Another remarkable reason for looking at Jesus and studying His life is found in Hebrews 12:2-3 where it says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…Consider him…so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (NIV)
When we read the story of Jesus’ time on earth we are looking at Someone Who suffered greatly. He did not deserve the dreadful treatment He received at the hands of sinners. This is what the writer to the Hebrew Christians meant by urging us to “consider Jesus”.
No one has been as badly abused, lied about, scorned, wrongly punished, and betrayed, as Jesus. His situation exceeds that of any one of us and He went through with all of that so that we sinners might be rescued from the guilt and shame of our sins. No love story has ever exceeded that of Jesus’ love for us.
Whatever your sorrows, read about all of the trials and suffering of Jesus and recognize that He understands your hurt and pain. Today you should come to Him and pour out your complaint and believe He has an ear to hear you (Psalm 10:17). He sees and feels your pain. He will not only hear you but will answer your cry for help (Hebrews 4:14-16). Come to Him and come today.