Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
There is just no way to get around this. At the very root of our Christian belief stands the issue of faith. I have been weighing and writing about this matter for weeks now. I have been challenged by the reality that in the future, at the return of Christ, faith will be turned to sight. There has to be a purpose in all of this. I think that in some measure it can be found in the idea that God is in the market for those who will love and serve Him out of a heart-felt trust and devotion that is not driven by some type of physical constraint.
John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
This is a quiet humble submission to God driven by nothing other than trust and admiration. Some would say that I am dancing close to Armenian doctrine when I propose such an idea. However, the only other option seems to suggest that God has created a bunch of robots to play with. At the depth of all that man is seems to be the idea that God has created a self-directed species with whom He can have meaningful and satisfying fellowship. This seems to agree with the greatest of all laws:
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
And in the last analysis; it is great to be in love!
