Sunday Reflections - Belief and Faith

Clifford Calverly was born in 1870 in Thornbury, Ontario. He lived in Claksburg, Ontario where he worked as a steeplejack. In 1887, Calverly came to Niagara Falls to perform his tight rope act. During his successful crossing he set a speed record by crossing the gorge in two minutes and thirty-two seconds as compared to the usuall fifteen to twenty minutes required by most of his predecessors. During subsequent crossings, Calverly skipped rope, hung by one arm, hung by one foot, sat on a chair, and even walked across the falls pushing a wheelbarrow.

If you look closely at the picture you can see the bridge above the falls and there are lots of people watching as he risks his life crossing the falls pushing a wheelbarrow. It would be interesting to ask all those people, "Do you believe that he can walk across a tightrope across Niagara falls pushing a wheelbarrow?" I suspect some would say, "Yes, I believe he can walk across Niagara Falls pushing a wheelbarrow."

Then it would be interesting to ask them, "Do any of you have faith in him that you would ride in the wheelbarrow as he pushes it across the falls?" I suspect very few would say, "Yes, I have the faith to ride in the wheelbarrow with my life in his hands."

In a nutshell, that's the difference between belief and faith. Many people believe in God - there are studies that say over 80% of Americans believe in God. I wonder how many have the faith to put their life in his hands?

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder. (James 2:19)

Belief in something is relatively easy. Even the demons believe there is one God and they shudder. Belief is an act of the mind. When I go to the airport for a trip, I usually believe that the pilot and co-pilot have the necessary skills and experience to fly the plane.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)

It's easy for my mind to tell me the pilots are capable, but it takes an act on my part to physically walk onto the plane and put my life into their hands. The same will be true next Thursday. I believe my surgeon knows what he's doing, but it will take an act of my will to walk into that hospital and put my life and body into his hands.

Faith is an act of the will. It is doing something based on belief.

We often tell people in counseling that faith is believing and trusting in God when there is absolutely no reason to do so or evidence to support doing it. Faith is an act of our will to put our lives, bodies and souls into God's hands.

For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance. (2 Corinthians 5:7 Amplified Bible)

May God bring us all to the point where we can walk by faith and not by sight.

Happy Ides of March!

Today is March 15 and if today is your Birthday then you share your day with: Sean Biggerstaff (actor, "Harry Potter"), Eva Longoria (actress, "Desperate Housewives"), Fabio (male supermodel), Sly Stone (singer, The Family Stone), Phil Lesch (bass player for The Grateful Dead), Judd Hirsch (actor, "Numbers"), Harry James (jazz trumpeter), Joe E. Ross (actor, "Car 54 Where Are You?"), MacDonald Carey (actor, "Days of Our Lives"), and Andrew Jackson (7th US President).

On this day in 44 BC Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated ("Et tu Brute?"). In 1820 Maine became the 23rd state. In 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team in America, defeated Antioch 41-7. Later they changed their name to the Cincinnati Red Legs and then to the Cincinnati Reds. In 1913 President Woodrow Wilson held the first open presidential news conference after being in office for only 11 days. The questions had to be submitted in advance. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson sent 12,000 U.S. troops under General Pershing into Mexico to capture revolutionary leader Pancho Villa, who had staged several cross-border raids. The two-year expedition was unsuccessful. In 1937 the first blood bank was established in Chicago, Illinois, at the Cook County Hospital. And in 1977 the US House of Representatives began a 90-day test to determine the feasibility of showing its sessions on television (and they have been posturing for the camera ever since).