What does genuine faith look like? Is it an emotional feeling? A religious experience? A theological understanding? While faith might involve all of these things, at its core, faith is much simpler than we often make it.
John 4:50 "Jesus said to him, 'Go, your son lives.' The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off."
Here's the beautiful simplicity of genuine faith: taking Jesus at His word. This desperate father had traveled hours to find Jesus, begging Him to come back to his house to heal his dying son. But Jesus doesn't go with him. Instead, He simply says, "Go, your son lives."
Now watch what happens. The man doesn't ask for proof. He doesn't say, "Well, if that's really true, can you turn that rock into bread so I know you really have the power?" He doesn't demand a deposit or a sign. The text simply says, "The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off."
This is the mark of all true faith – taking Jesus at His word. We can use big words and complex theological language, but at the end of the day, faith can be consolidated for a believer into this: trusting and taking Jesus at His word.
But here's what really gets me about this story. This man had come to Jesus desperate, agitated, urgent, and despairing. But after Jesus spoke, he went about his business as if he didn't have a care in the world. He could have rushed home in four hours and been there by 5 PM that same day, but instead he stayed overnight and came home the next day. Why? Because his trust in the promises of God was so sure that his anxiety was gone, his burden was removed.
In our physical world, we live by the proverb "seeing is believing." But according to Jesus, the opposite is true. The way we see who God is is by believing in Him, and once we believe in God, we begin to see the breadth of His goodness, love, and power.
Friends, Jesus is still speaking today through His word. He's making promises about forgiveness, about eternal life, about His presence with us, about His provision for us. The question is: will you take Him at His word?
1. In what areas of your life do you struggle to simply take Jesus at His word?
2. How would your anxiety levels change if you truly trusted God's promises?
3. What specific promise from God's word do you need to believe more fully today?
Stay dialed in.