where faith comes from

The Word for today:

Romans 9:30-10:21

mark this:

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  (Romans 10:17)

I used to write a column.  I called it "Be a Berean."

I took the name of the column from Acts 17:11--

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and searched the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

The reason you should be a Berean is right here:

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  (Romans 10:17)

Over on the left side is faith.  Over on the right side is the Bible.  The Berean is the connection between 'em.

So if you are of little faith, it's because you're hard of hearin'.  And if you're hard of hearin', it's because Berean you're not bein'.

I've known American Bereans and European Bereans and lots and lots of Korean Bereans.

In fact, there are so many Korean Bereans that Berea must be in Korea!

Herod was an Idumean, but never became a Berean--which in itself is reason to want to Be a Berean!

 

If I ever write another column, I'll call it Be a Berean II,

In hopes that all your kids will be Bereans, too.

 

So why be just a  human bein',

When you can be a Berean?

***

I know, I know--you can't take this any more.  But I felt the real need to think up new ways to say "Be a Berean"-- because we need to associate the health of our faith with our relationship to God's Word.

Going steady with God's Word yields a steady faith.  But a sometimes on-sometimes off relationship with the Bible will put the brakes on any spiritual momentum.

We can't pray our way to faith, or serve our way to faith, or hope our way to faith, or love our way to faith, or even believe our way to faith.

We can only listen our way to faith.  

You can either be a Berean, or you can be deaf and doubting.

So, (you fill in the rest!)

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