FAITH

 

“There are two kinds of faith. One of them functions ordinarily in the life of every soul. It is the kind of faith born of experience; it gives us certainty that a new day will dawn, that spring will come, that growth will take place. It is the kind of faith that relates us with confidence to that which is scheduled to happen.

“There is another kind of faith, rare indeed. This is the kind of faith that CAUSES things to happen. It is the kind of faith that is worthy and prepared and unyielding, and it calls forth things that otherwise would not be. It is the kind of faith that moves people. It is the kind of faith that sometimes moves things…..It is a marvellous, even a transcendent power, a power as real and as invisible as electricity. Directed and channeled, it has great effect….” 

-          Elder Boyd K. Packer, “What Is Faith” (1983) p 42

Sometimes I wonder if we profess to have faith in Jesus Christ without ever putting His promises to the test. Often, we profess to have faith in Him yet we negate it with our fears and our words. For instance, sometimes we pay tithing and then go about our days complaining that we never have enough money or that we can never earn enough. Here is an example of faith that proves the opposite:

“Consider President George Q. Cannon’s approach to tithing when he was an impoverished young man. When his bishop commented on the large amount of tithing poor young George was paying, George said something like: “Oh Bishop, I’m not paying tithing on what I MAKE. I’m paying tithing on what I WANT to make.” And the very next year George earned exactly the amount he had paid tithing on the year before!”  (Wendy Watson Nelson, “Becoming the Person You Were Born To Be” , Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, January 10, 2016, BYU Hawaii)

When I read Elder Packer’s quote, I immediately thought of the Brother of Jared. I have for a long time tried to comprehend what goes into developing a faith that manifests before your eyes that which you see in your mind. This is not a faith of empty words but a faith of inner power of belief. A faith without any semblance of doubt. A faith that brings great reward. And the Brother of Jared’s reward was great. There is no greater reward in this life than to see the Christ.

The manifesting power of the Saviour’s faith brought worlds into being by His word (John 1:1-3). If you want a glimpse of this power read the incident of the fig tree which withered at His word before the eyes of the disciples (Matthew 21:19-21). We have no greater example of the power of faith than that of Christ, the Son of God.

If we will be gods one day, we need to follow in the footsteps of the Master and believe that this power is within us too. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Creation by Yongsung Kim)