Faith

Jury Duty cancelled!

I'm really happy about this... I really didn't want to have to be on a jury and get something horrible like a death penalty trial... I've had enough to deal with this year.

So, growing up in the church, there aren't often Bible/church things that I've never really heard of. Yesterday I encountered one. The spiritual gift of faith. Not to be confused with faith in God that all Christians have to have, but something more than that... So I went looking for information and discovered that there isn't a ton of information out there about the gift of faith because it's really only overtly mentioned in 1st Corinthians. (Some argument could be made for the faith "hall of fame" in Hebrews, but they aren't referred to explicitly as having the gift of faith and I don't really want to overstep my bounds on this one.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

 Most of the definitions that I came across described the gift of faith as believing God will come through even in "impossible" situations and continuing to believe even when confronted with obstacles or challenges... And that was something I identified with... So I went and found a Spiritual gifts survey. Cause that's how I roll... and low and behold which spiritual gift did I rank highest in? Faith. (Wisdom was next, 6 points lower. Then leadership, encouragement, and helps were 2 lower than that.) The test I took describes the gift of faith like this:

Faith - The special conviction God gives to some to be firmly persuaded of God's power and promises to accomplish His will and purpose and to display such a confidence in Him and His Word that circumstances and obstacles do not shake that conviction.

The divine enablement to act on God's promises with confidence and unwavering belief in God's ability to fulfill his purposes.

People with this gift:
- believe the promises of God and inspire others to do the same
- act in complete confidence of God's ability to overcome obstacles
- demonstrate an attitude of trust in God's will and his promises
- advance the cause of Christ because they go forward when others will not
- ask God for what is needed and trust him for his provision. 

 I have to admit I feel a bit silly for never really thinking about it as a gift before, but it really is. How else could I have gotten through all of this in as good of shape as I have? I have never in all of this doubted God's existence... I've never even doubted that He loved me. I never had that crisis of faith that people seem to have in college... I just believe. I believe even when I don't understand. I believe even when I think it might be easier to not believe. I don't know if it's a gift that is built into my being or if it's just for a time to get me through this, but I'm going to be happy about it, for as long as I have it. It's just one more way that God's holding me up as He leads me through this valley with the shadow of death.

and so I leave you with this gem