He did not understand why so much evil was happening to him. The suffering inflicted by Satan shook Job’s confidence and faith. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.” Job 4:3, 4. “Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. He was rooted in the truth by practicing every part of it. One marvelous example in the Bible is the experience of faithful Job. “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matthew 25:21. Faithfulness in the little duties helps us to hear the voice of God and be ready for great er tests. We need to begin cooperating with Him in our small daily endeavors. ![]() The Spirit may be working gradually in the life of the believer. “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and with joy receiveth it Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.” Matthew 13:20, 21. Jesus explained the meaning of this to His disciples. ![]() “And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched and because it had no root, it withered away.” Mark 4:5, 6. Thinking about roots, Christ’s par able about the seeds falling into different types of soil is rich with meaning. Oh, how sad the end will be for people living in an illusion of faith! We read about the Jewish nation, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” Hebrews 4:2. The apostle James warned the followers of Christ that “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” James 1:26. God’s definition of faith and religious experience is different from that of man. Jesus told His disciples: “Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven …” “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.” Matthew 7:21 20:16. The illusion of the mind may be so convincing that many imagine that they have faith when, in reality, they are far from its real nature. However, in our perception of faith, we find a difference between living faith and dead faith. Faith is a wonderful, mysterious gift that God gives through the presence of His Holy Spirit. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do ap pear.” Hebrews 11:3. How does one move from the abstract to reality, from knowledge to understanding, from theory to action? He wrote God’s command: “Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” Acts 28:26, 27. The prophet Isaiah also observed this religious phenomenon. Is religion really just a theory or imagination? Where is the end of imagination and the beginning of the real experience? The apostle Paul writes: “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:13, 14. Our minds are so bound about with narrow ideas, that we catch but limited views of the experience it is our privilege to have.” -Re view and Herald, November 17, 1891.Īccording to the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), religion is merely a figment of the human mind and imagination. “Faith and prayer are necessary in order that we may behold the deep things of God. ![]() The implication is that otherwise one’s comprehension will be limited, incomplete, or partial. In this Bible verse, being rooted is presented as the condition for comprehending the truth in its three dimensions. ” … That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height … ” Ephesians 3:17, 18. Roots are the underground part of plants that provide the stability, nutrition, and water needed by the plant to survive and grow. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, several times He used the phrase “rooted and grounded” as an illustration. Petkov “ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE” – Ephesians 3:17, 18
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