It takes faith to have faith...

This week's memory verse:
"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." -- Joshua 1:5

It takes faith to have faith...kind of an absurd comment, but it's true. It takes a lot more than faith to have faith...it takes perseverance in that faith, and you constantly have to be renewing your faith or it gets weak, stale and cold. When you don't search and study and keep in constant contact with God, our earthly lives can bring us down and take away our faith.

The Bible has so many verses proclaiming God's faithfulness to us...

Lamentations 3:22-23 - God's compassion and love for us never fail...they are new every morning.

Psalm 37:25 - God takes care of his people...(I will explain how this verse troubles me later)

Psalm 37:28 - God loves the just and will not forsake the faithful

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 - we can have confidence in God because he is faithful and will do what he promises

1 Corinthians 1:8-9 - God will keep you firm until the end...he will not give up on you

So, if you are a believer, and read all these verses, your faith can be confirmed forever and you never have to worry again, right? It has been my experience that when I study God's word, my faith is strengthened...BUT...I come up with more and more questions! It's like the more I know...the more I want to know!

For example...the verse Psalm 37:25...It actually says (This is King David talking) that in all his years (he was old at the time) he has never seen the faithful believers begging for food. Ok...so does that mean that the poor and homeless are NOT believers? If you are a believer, you will never lose all your money, be homeless and on the street? God takes care of believers...I believe that, but i'm not sure I get that believers will never be broke...(I'm pretty close some days, and I am a believer!)

Also...I just finished reading Heaven is for Real...the book about the little boy who claims to have went to heaven when he was very ill. I WANT to believe all the little boy's pastor father says in his book, but there is some skepticism there...reading that book has made me question so many things I thought I believed.( I read a lot, so this experience happens to me quite often.) But it keeps me searching for answers.

I have questions about people who are not Christians, but have devout beliefs in other religions. In my heart, I believe that Christ is the only path to God...but my mind questions that because I wonder if God has other plans for those who believe other things. If I believe that God can communicate with me...isn't he powerful enough to communicate with others, even if they don't believe that Christ is their savior? There are MILLIONS of Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, etc...If they are God's children too, wouldn't he want to give them every chance to be with him in heaven too? 

BUT...my faith in God...that he exists and is with me every day...that never wavers. My questions make me want to know more, which has me searching God's word for answers...I think God is ok with that. My faith in my faith is still growing and will be until I go home to heaven and have ALL my questions answered!