Jesus made some very interesting comments about faith whenever He healed someone. These statements got me thinking recently. Three of these are recorded in Matthew 9:22, Mark 10:52, and Luke 17:19: "Your faith has made you whole". Another way of saying this is: "According to your faith be it unto you". (Matthew 9:29) In Matthew 13:58 we are told He could not do much "because of their unbelief".
Is Jesus saying that we really don't need Him, that if we wish hard enough, or believe firmly enough, that we will get what we want? Is it just up to me and my "positive thinking"?
Let me illustrate what Jesus means by using an example we may rarely think of. When we sit down to eat, and we "say grace", or "ask the blessing", what are we doing? Do we think our body will have a normal "physiological" reaction to our food and so the "blessing" is just a formality? Are we asking God to bless the food in some vague generic sense? Or do we really think, believe, that our body is kept in operation by the power of God? Do we really believe that the digestion of our food is dependent on God's sustaining power at work in our body? There is no reason to ask for the blessing of our Creator unless we truly believe the best operation of our body will only take place if He is actively involved.
God must be actively at work in sustaining us every day of our life. Therefore what Jesus says about faith being a necessary ingredient would mean that my attitude has a lot to do with how much God is able to do for me.
Let's apply this to the subject of living healthfully. If I do what He says, but groan and complain and wish instead I could eat the "junk" I used to eat, then I will not derive even half the benefit I should. I may ask God to bless the food, but if I don't believe it is good, then He will not be able to use it to nourish me as He would like. But if I will turn away from my former indulgences and cheerfully accept by faith the blessing my Creator has in store, then I will reap a lot more benefit from the food than I would ordinarily.
Here is to living by "the faith of Jesus".
