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Cultivating the Plant of Faith, August 12
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Luke 17:5
.
Faith should be cultivated. If it has become weak it is like a sickly plant
that should be placed in the sunshine and carefully watered and tended.
The Lord would have every one who has had light and evidence cherish
that light and walk in its brightness. God has blessed us with reasoning
powers so that we may trace from cause to effect. If we would have light
we must come to the light. We must individually lay hold on the hope set
before us in the gospel.... How foolish it would be to go into a cellar, and
mourn because we were in the dark. If we want light we must come up
into a higher room. It is our privilege to come into the light, to come into
the presence of God....
We should grow daily in faith in order that we may grow up to the full
measure of the spiritual stature in Christ Jesus. We should believe that
God will answer our prayers, and not trust to feeling. We should say, My
gloomy feelings are no evidence that God has not heard me. I do not want
to give up on account of these sad emotions, for “faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (
Hebrews 11:1
). The
rainbow of promise encircles the throne of God. I come to the throne,
pointing to the sign of God’s faithfulness, and cherish the faith that works
by love and purifies the soul.
We are not to believe because we feel or see that God hears us. We are
to trust to the promise of God. We are to go about our business believing
that God will do just what He has said He would do, and that the blessings
we have prayed for will come to us when we most need them. Every
petition enters into the heart of God when we come believing. We have not
faith enough. We should look upon our heavenly Father as more willing to
help us than an earthly parent is to help his child. Why not trust Him?
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (
Romans 8:32
)
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17
Letter 97, 1895
.
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