Monday · May 18
Jesus Sees Our Faith
What does Jesus say in Mark 4:40 about His followers’ faith? Compare that with the faith of the woman in Matthew 15:21–28 .
We may say that we are Jesus’ followers. But that doesn’t mean that our faith is strong. In Jesus’ day, some people said they believed in Him. But Jesus saw what really was in their hearts ( John 2:23–25 ).
Read the story in Luke 7:1–10 . What do we learn about faith from this story?
In Mark 9 , we read about the man who asked Jesus to command the demon to leave his son. But the man’s faith was weak. “He said with tears in his eyes, ‘Lord, I have faith. Help my weak faith to be stronger [grow more powerful]!’ ” ( Mark 9:24 , NLV).
In these stories, do you see how Jesus noticed people’s faith? Some people had strong faith. Some people had weak faith. Jesus did miracles because of their faith. Or He did miracles to make their faith grow strong.
The Holy Spirit helps us to believe. But the devil wants us to doubt. He wants us to think that God doesn’t care about what happens in our lives. “Doubt has an evil power over us. Doubt will continue to grow in hearts if we let it. So, we must remove every last bit of it. Do not act out your doubts. Do not talk about your doubts. Then your doubts will die because you are not giving them any control over your life. Faith and love must grow in the heart.”—Ellen G. White, Faith and Works, page 17, adapted.
What do you do with your doubts about God, the Bible, or His love? God invites us to talk with Him, the same way that He talked with Abraham, Moses, and Job. For sure, we may not always understand the reasons for everything God does. But God invites us to work with His plan. We must trust Him with what we don’t fully understand.
Think of all the reasons you have for faith. At the same time, when must you just accept what you can’t understand and live in faith?