Being in the field I am (ICU nurse) I get to experience people at their worst, I know that, I know that when you are with a family member and they are sick and often faced with their own mortality that you may become so frightened, so stressed that you would act in a way that you usually wouldn't...but oh my goodness...today, oohh today.
Without too much info, there is a family that has been on our unit over a month hanging on when they should let go...hanging on and hanging on and hanging on and being extremely rude and mean to everyone they can get their hands on...which is fine, it happens, BUT they also claim christianity. They have crosses and bible verses on the walls and it makes my heart break. We have non-believers that are seeing this and saying "yeah, that's what Christians are like.."
My reason for this post is that one of their posters says "Faith that is not tried cannot be trusted"...and I'm wondering what you guys think of that? Do you think that is true, that if your faith is not tried it is not true? I can't think of where it says this in the bible, so if it is please let me know if it is. So think it over..."faith that is not tried cannot be trusted" and give me your input. (yes, that means some of you are going to have to break down and sign up to blogger so you can leave your thoughts!!!)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Jesus help us...
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6 comments:
I researching this now; I'll let you know what I find, though I already have ideas, I'm going straight to the source, the Bible...
Faith that is not tried, is not trusted... I totally beleive in this. I don't know if I will be able to get my point across because I've worked two straight days and am extremely exhausted. But I'll try :).
Faith (trusting in the Lord) that is not tried (tested, stepped on, smashed, demolished, beaten to a pulp), is not trusted because you can't say your Faith will stand up to something unless it has been tested. For example, when someone gets married, they vow to always be faithful to their spouse. This is easy to say, if you never been put in a tempting situation where you had to say no.
So, one could say, vows that are not tested, cannot be trusted. Too true!
That's my only insight. My faith is being tested right now and I can only hope that when this pans out, my faith will stand true and be sincerely trustworthy.
-Jodi
Oh, Sarah...I'm sorry that this family is not letting go and making your job harder. Faith is faith. I can't think of anywhere in the Bible that says your faith has to be tested to be true. In James 2 :14 "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?" This is referring to faith without works...but is not saying that our faith has to be "tested" to truly be faith, it is saying that because we have faith then we should also live in a way that shows our faith by what we do and how we act. Something that is not so easy to do all of the time. Thank goodness for grace and forgiveness. The hard reality is that we all fall short, we are imperfect beings. A good example of what I am trying to get at is Job. This is a man that had everything taken away and basically God told Satan do whatever you want to him, except kill him. Job's faith endured, but would his faith be any less had those things not happened to him? No, because he had faith in God regardless of good times or bad.
I have to agree that faith is faith, whether tested or not. Maybe the degree of your faith shines through during tribulation, but I think living a life in a fallen world is "test" enough. To proclaim that your faith is true is to boast yourself, to always procliam Christ and only boast of Him is what I believe Christ would have of us.
I think we are all tested in our faith, at one time or another, or many times. God tested many of his people throughout the Bible (Abraham for example). When you are tested, you know for sure if your faith is ‘real’. It is easy to say you have a deep faith in God if you’ve never gone through any suffering. But I don’t think that’s the only way your faith is proven. It is also proven by the way one conducts themselves on a day-to-day basis; to have the strength in God to carry out his commandments every day, no matter what, to back up your words with actions. You shouldn’t have to proclaim your faith aloud; the way you lead your life should proclaim your faith in Jesus to the world.
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