The Christians I admire the most are those who have a strong faith. These are the ones who are in my inner circle... the ones I look to, the ones who encourage me in my own faith journey, and the ones who stand strong no matter what. In fact, God admires faith as well. He devoted a whole chapter in the Bible to faith. Hebrews 11 is a chapter we often refer to as the "Hall of Faith Museum." Paul mentions that faith is sometimes passed on down through the generational line, like the faith that was passed to Timothy from his grandmother and his mother (2 Timothy 1:5).
But you may be thinking... "I don't know anyone in my family who possessed a strong faith. In fact, there are not many Christians." Therefore, faith to you seems untouchable. And some think that having a strong faith is difficult. You're thinking that there must be a secret formula to faith... I mean, all those listed in Hebrews 11 seemed to stand out from the rest. But these words in Romans beg to differ. Paul says that faith comes from hearing the Good News about Christ. Other versions say that faith comes from hearing the Word of God.
So, if you feel like your faith in waning, then open up God's Word and read it, study it, meditate on it, and seek to do what it says. Let God's Word be the first thing you look at in the morning and the last thing you ponder at night. The psalmist writes: "I have hidden your word in my heart" (Psalm 119:11).
Faith in the Bible is a faith that stands out in the midst of bad circumstances, a faith that says yes to God even when you don't know where you're going, a faith that sees the good in people, a faith that refuses to be swayed by the crowd, a faith that runs from temptation, a faith that trusts rather than frets, a faith that turns to God first, a faith that stands strong in the midst of unbelief, a faith that believes even when it's hard to see.
This is biblical faith... faith that receives praise from God. I want this kind of faith. I want a faith that people see. I hope you do too. Let's do what Paul encourages us to do... listen to God's Word. Let's pray that God will develop a faith in us that reaches heaven. Hope these words encourage you today.