Faith and Life
Faith plays an important role in the life of humans. First of all it is necessary to understand the concept of faith and how it is interpreted by different people. According to the dictionary explanation faith is a confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing; it is a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. It could be loyalty to a person or thing or a commitment to something or someone. However primary meaning of faith came to us from Christianity and is defined as theological virtue and a secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will, it is a set of principles or beliefs associated with religious issues. One has to understand though that faith and religion are different things, although closely interrelated especially in a modern world.
The word faith mainly originated in Biblical times and is the ultimate source of understanding of the issue of faith. It is important to understand why it has been an essential part of people's life for centuries and continues to be that, in order to grasp the meaning of faith and its magnetic power of attracting so many people all over the world. Faith is not merely adopting a set of beliefs that a person finds in religious books, but it is rather a way of life or adherence to that which leads to life. Faith however is not only a mental state of "believing" the holder of faith has to have relationships with God, truly love him and adapt his/her life to the ways of God. Many questions rise when we speak of faith and its meaning, for instance why should a person believe in eternity and in life after death if one does not prepare for it by repentance, spiritual vigil, and loving God? What good does this fake faith do in such person's life? Also what benefit does believing in virtues bring if one does not live them and truly experience? Thus it becomes clear that there is a huge gap between theoretical faith which does not save the soul, and practical faith, the results of which are evident in one's life.
In Matthew 7:16 it is written "You will know them by their fruits", this sentence explains the whole notion of having faith. If a person does really have faith in the heart this faith will be producing visible results in persons life, although they may not be as evident to the outside world, the individual will feel the difference. The life of faith is linked with peace, tranquility and lack or absence of fear, for when the believer, thus the holder of faith, begins to fear he will sense the presence of God. For such people, whose hearts are occupied with God there is no place for trouble, they are usually very optimistic and have a greater sense of life then their surroundings. Those people are typically more joyful and people loving, they accept all the things life prepares for them in a more tolerant way. Faith gives them such power and motivation to overcome their difficulties that they can see more beauty in every day routine, which is sometimes very hard for ordinary people. Often life of a person of faith is also related with purity of behavior, because the believer feels the presence of God, who sees, hears and records all that he does. For this very reason the believer feels ashamed and afraid of wrong doing in front of God who is omnipresent. Having faith makes us submit to God's will and become calmer if something goes not according to our plan. If we have faith we know, that there is a reason for everything and this very reason keeps us from something bad. Accepting life in such a way gives us more satisfaction and pure happiness with what life and God has granted us.
"Faith is not what is seen by the human eye" (2 Cor. 5:7), which is true for the human senses that can only detect a physical object or movement; faith in this instance is almost invisible. I wrote almost because, for a true believer faith is a way of life, thus he knows exactly what faith means to him. The intellectual capabilities may easily lead a human to the beginning of the road on which one finds happiness, but it can never continue on to the end of the way. The mind cannot comprehend God mainly because it has definite limits on the other hand God has no limits. Besides God has numerous qualities and can come in life of a person in different forms, and creatures; people often do not recognize God's presence if they only concentrate on the power of mind in comprehending all things. Again we turn to the subject of necessity to have faith, so that to accept things without fully understanding the origin of them or the meaning of them. Taking for instance a microwave, which works on the principle rarely recognized by people using it, however this still does let them use it every day. They accept that there is a microwave and it is a convenient device for heating food. The same situation occurs when miracles happen. People do not even get close to comprehending their true nature. But the mind accepts it happening with faith, with its infinite power, greater than that of the mind, which can perform things the mind fails to understand. Most of people agree and believe that this power comes from God, that's the ultimate source of their faith.
The most vivid example of faith is brought to us by children. They are more open- minded and happy than adults are. They are able to see the genuine beauty around them and capture the essence of all things, although they might not know how to explain them. Children do not carry negative emotional baggage, unless they have some psychological problems, like most of adults do. This very feature makes kids peace loving and world accepting, they believe that things as they are, are just perfect. This is the precious attribute that many adults lack and thus suffer immensely in their lives. They get too preoccupied with all possible problems in the world and forget to relax for a minute in order to feel life and all the virtues it has to offer.
Those who forget God or simply people without faith in their hearts are lost in this life, or in any other life they will obtain. The Bible says "People who seek God, find God" (Matthew 7:7-8). I believe that this search can only be successful if a person honestly has faith not originated from mental activities but from the deepest corner of the heart. The one, who is looking for God, will find Him as God is the ultimate reward in people's life. It follows that they believe in God being the source of good and protection, otherwise why should conduct such a search? For humans, though, faith in God is still something that has to be connected with the earthly matters. With faith people receive a sense of hope, which is what so pleasing for humans. Having hope for a better future, for a long life and other virtues life has in store for them is a motivator and a reason for faith. It is often viewed as a psychological necessity, a need to feel that you are protected and cared for by someone who is more superior and all mighty. Although such concerns cause people to turn their faces to God, there are other issues that make people live a righteous life with faith in heart.
One of the major anxieties of modern humans is the need to find their self identity, to discover their true nature. The Bible says that God has created people on his own image. This is the ultimate truth that should guide people in finding God and establishing strong faith in their souls. Everyone nowadays is experiencing certain unpleasant discomfort, as most of the time they do not know who they are and what they are seeking in life. Belonging to various social groups and finding an interesting profession is not enough for an individual to experience happiness from realizing the true self. Faith in such cases often leads people to positive results as they understand what their heart desires and how to live life, to be satisfied and happy. Those people become like children, who are able to enjoy every ray of light and each drop of rain. Faith thus is of tremendous importance for humans, as it establishes peace in their hearts and allows enjoying life as it is, accepting all of its positive and negative
occurrences.
Finding peace with the self gives a person a light feeling of life and an acceptance of death. Such people are not afraid of neither of them. They are aware that life is just for a short period of time and they will have to become something else after it ends. Most people's in the world greatest fear is death, but not for those who know what it is to be with God and to feel it's omnipresent light everywhere. Assured of God's help wherever they are makes them fearless and allows them to see things clearly without the dark shades of fear or shame or lust, feelings that are common for those who are lost. Faith is not simply an important part of our lives, it is crucial for our happiness and well being. We have to feel that we are not put here to suffer but to enjoy life and such sensation comes with faith.
The word faith mainly originated in Biblical times and is the ultimate source of understanding of the issue of faith. It is important to understand why it has been an essential part of people's life for centuries and continues to be that, in order to grasp the meaning of faith and its magnetic power of attracting so many people all over the world. Faith is not merely adopting a set of beliefs that a person finds in religious books, but it is rather a way of life or adherence to that which leads to life. Faith however is not only a mental state of "believing" the holder of faith has to have relationships with God, truly love him and adapt his/her life to the ways of God. Many questions rise when we speak of faith and its meaning, for instance why should a person believe in eternity and in life after death if one does not prepare for it by repentance, spiritual vigil, and loving God? What good does this fake faith do in such person's life? Also what benefit does believing in virtues bring if one does not live them and truly experience? Thus it becomes clear that there is a huge gap between theoretical faith which does not save the soul, and practical faith, the results of which are evident in one's life.
In Matthew 7:16 it is written "You will know them by their fruits", this sentence explains the whole notion of having faith. If a person does really have faith in the heart this faith will be producing visible results in persons life, although they may not be as evident to the outside world, the individual will feel the difference. The life of faith is linked with peace, tranquility and lack or absence of fear, for when the believer, thus the holder of faith, begins to fear he will sense the presence of God. For such people, whose hearts are occupied with God there is no place for trouble, they are usually very optimistic and have a greater sense of life then their surroundings. Those people are typically more joyful and people loving, they accept all the things life prepares for them in a more tolerant way. Faith gives them such power and motivation to overcome their difficulties that they can see more beauty in every day routine, which is sometimes very hard for ordinary people. Often life of a person of faith is also related with purity of behavior, because the believer feels the presence of God, who sees, hears and records all that he does. For this very reason the believer feels ashamed and afraid of wrong doing in front of God who is omnipresent. Having faith makes us submit to God's will and become calmer if something goes not according to our plan. If we have faith we know, that there is a reason for everything and this very reason keeps us from something bad. Accepting life in such a way gives us more satisfaction and pure happiness with what life and God has granted us.
"Faith is not what is seen by the human eye" (2 Cor. 5:7), which is true for the human senses that can only detect a physical object or movement; faith in this instance is almost invisible. I wrote almost because, for a true believer faith is a way of life, thus he knows exactly what faith means to him. The intellectual capabilities may easily lead a human to the beginning of the road on which one finds happiness, but it can never continue on to the end of the way. The mind cannot comprehend God mainly because it has definite limits on the other hand God has no limits. Besides God has numerous qualities and can come in life of a person in different forms, and creatures; people often do not recognize God's presence if they only concentrate on the power of mind in comprehending all things. Again we turn to the subject of necessity to have faith, so that to accept things without fully understanding the origin of them or the meaning of them. Taking for instance a microwave, which works on the principle rarely recognized by people using it, however this still does let them use it every day. They accept that there is a microwave and it is a convenient device for heating food. The same situation occurs when miracles happen. People do not even get close to comprehending their true nature. But the mind accepts it happening with faith, with its infinite power, greater than that of the mind, which can perform things the mind fails to understand. Most of people agree and believe that this power comes from God, that's the ultimate source of their faith.
The most vivid example of faith is brought to us by children. They are more open- minded and happy than adults are. They are able to see the genuine beauty around them and capture the essence of all things, although they might not know how to explain them. Children do not carry negative emotional baggage, unless they have some psychological problems, like most of adults do. This very feature makes kids peace loving and world accepting, they believe that things as they are, are just perfect. This is the precious attribute that many adults lack and thus suffer immensely in their lives. They get too preoccupied with all possible problems in the world and forget to relax for a minute in order to feel life and all the virtues it has to offer.
Those who forget God or simply people without faith in their hearts are lost in this life, or in any other life they will obtain. The Bible says "People who seek God, find God" (Matthew 7:7-8). I believe that this search can only be successful if a person honestly has faith not originated from mental activities but from the deepest corner of the heart. The one, who is looking for God, will find Him as God is the ultimate reward in people's life. It follows that they believe in God being the source of good and protection, otherwise why should conduct such a search? For humans, though, faith in God is still something that has to be connected with the earthly matters. With faith people receive a sense of hope, which is what so pleasing for humans. Having hope for a better future, for a long life and other virtues life has in store for them is a motivator and a reason for faith. It is often viewed as a psychological necessity, a need to feel that you are protected and cared for by someone who is more superior and all mighty. Although such concerns cause people to turn their faces to God, there are other issues that make people live a righteous life with faith in heart.
One of the major anxieties of modern humans is the need to find their self identity, to discover their true nature. The Bible says that God has created people on his own image. This is the ultimate truth that should guide people in finding God and establishing strong faith in their souls. Everyone nowadays is experiencing certain unpleasant discomfort, as most of the time they do not know who they are and what they are seeking in life. Belonging to various social groups and finding an interesting profession is not enough for an individual to experience happiness from realizing the true self. Faith in such cases often leads people to positive results as they understand what their heart desires and how to live life, to be satisfied and happy. Those people become like children, who are able to enjoy every ray of light and each drop of rain. Faith thus is of tremendous importance for humans, as it establishes peace in their hearts and allows enjoying life as it is, accepting all of its positive and negative
occurrences.
Finding peace with the self gives a person a light feeling of life and an acceptance of death. Such people are not afraid of neither of them. They are aware that life is just for a short period of time and they will have to become something else after it ends. Most people's in the world greatest fear is death, but not for those who know what it is to be with God and to feel it's omnipresent light everywhere. Assured of God's help wherever they are makes them fearless and allows them to see things clearly without the dark shades of fear or shame or lust, feelings that are common for those who are lost. Faith is not simply an important part of our lives, it is crucial for our happiness and well being. We have to feel that we are not put here to suffer but to enjoy life and such sensation comes with faith.
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