Faith is a gift

[PelagiathePenit]

I do not see my faith in God as a gift. I now know I am held to higher standard than the rest of the world which annoys me. I know I should not judge others outside the church or even within, but why do Christ-followers suffer yet we are not better than those outside the church? Sometimes I do not really see the point. It seems unfair and a little stupid that God treats people differently.

 

[MichaelHowling]

This reminds me of the prodigal son and you are the “faithful son” who doesn’t understand why the father also loves the wayward son.

Long story short (Luke 15: 11-32)… one son takes all the inheritance of His father coming to him and runs away…blows it all and is starving and decides to come home. His father takes him back and restores him right away…his second faithful son who always obeys and loves his father hears a party being thrown for this wayward son and is very upset and refuses to come to the party:

28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Faith and living as we have that faith is a GREAT gift because God is “always with me” and “everything” He has is already ours! We’re blessed to be co-helpers in God’s plan to call our brothers and sisters to Him too!

God bless…p.s…don’t be that son…lol

 

[Took2Long]

I do not see my faith in God as a gift. I now know I am held to higher standard than the rest of the world which annoys me. I know I should not judge others outside the church or even within, but why do Christ-followers suffer yet we are not better than those outside the church? Sometimes I do not really see the point. It seems unfair and a little stupid that God treats people differently.

First, thank you for your honesty. It is important to be able to admit the feelings we have in order to find answers to our deepest held beliefs. So you should be commended for your honesty.

I believe the source of your feelings comes from being too tied to this life and this world. It is difficult to live a life of faith knowing that there is no reward to be found in this life. The reward for the faithful will await final judgment. What looks now like a reward to those without faith, might look different if we believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We all get down, and have moments of doubt. Prayer and the sacraments can keep us following our faith in this life. Following Christ faithfully will be its own reward in the next life, I believe. We must always resist the temptation to focus solely on this life to the exclusion of what is most important…our final judgment. God bless!

 

[JimR-OCDS]

What is faith ?

Faith is God’s revelation to the individual, however that may happen.

Being such, it is a gift.

Belief is not faith, even Satan believes in God.

Religion, is not faith, but the response a person has to the gift of faith.

Jim

 

[Emily2014]

What is faith ?

Faith is God’s revelation to the individual, however that may happen.
Being such, it is a gift.
Belief is not faith, even Satan believes in God.
Religion, is not faith, but the response a person has to the gift of faith.
Jim

This is a really beautiful post. Thank you. It presumably applies to all Faiths, not only Catholics?

 

[JimR-OCDS]

This is a really beautiful post. Thank you. It presumably applies to all Faiths, not only Catholics?

It applies to anyone God chooses to reveal himself to. regardless of religious affiliation.

Jim

 

[ready]

Faith is both a gift and a choice. We first receive it as a gift, and we keep it as we make the choice to. God rewards good and punishes evil, in this life, and always in the next life. There is nothing at all stupid or unfair about God. For someone to think that there is or could be something stupid and unfair about God is blasphemy.

 

[shanishani7]

I do not see my faith in God as a gift. I now know I am held to higher standard than the rest of the world which annoys me. I know I should not judge others outside the church or even within, but why do Christ-followers suffer yet we are not better than those outside the church? Sometimes I do not really see the point. It seems unfair and a little stupid that God treats people differently.

Many people think the same as yours because they only focus on this life, which is temporary. But God focus on our Eternal Life, God wants to save our souls.

 

[hemantM]

Our response in salvation is faith, but even that is not of ourselves [but is] the gift of God. Faith is nothing that we do in our own power or by our own resources. In the first place we do not have adequate power or resources. More than that, God would not want us to rely on them even if we had them. Otherwise salvation would be in part by our own works, and we would have some ground to boast in ourselves. Paul intends to emphasize that even faith is not from us apart from God’s giving it.

spiritvine.net/

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Our response to faith is the product of faith, but not faith itself which only can come from God.

It is why it’s a gift.

Our job is to be open to the Gift Giver.

Jim