2 minute read.
Daily Reading: 1 Chronicles 17-18 GW; Luke 17 GW
Questioning faith is common.
Life situations will happen that cause you to doubt. Wavering in your faith is normal. Everyone does; if they say they don’t, you may want to question their integrity. Everyone has thought or uttered the words, “God, what are you doing?” Jesus says we will have situations in our lives that will cause us to lose faith. But God always comes through. Somehow, someway, God shows up.
On the other hand, if you’re what causes someone to lose faith, not cool. Jesus was most likely referring to the Jewish leaders, called Pharisees. These religious leaders concerned themselves with keeping the law more than listening to Jesus. As a result, they caused people to question their faith.
Unfortunately, Pharisees still exist. If you talk to people about church, you will find out quickly; most people have a horror story. Something happened; members handled a situation poorly, people got hurt. As a result, they question their faith. Sadly, I’ve experienced this myself from people who loved Jesus.
Imperfect people love Jesus.
If we weren’t imperfect, we wouldn’t need Jesus. God’s love for us, warts, and all are what draw us to Him. When we confess our sins and submit to Him, we’re admitting our imperfections. Every morning, as we start a new day, we begin again—the sins of the past day forgiven as we confess them to God and each other.
If you’ve caused someone to stumble in their faith, confess it to God. Then seek forgiveness from whoever you wronged. Admit your failure to represent Jesus well, then ask for grace. Instead of causing someone to falter, you’ll help them to grow. And you’ll grow too!
Situations and people will make you question your faith. Ask God the hard questions, He’ll answer. If you’ve made someone stumble in their walk with God, own it. Faith is fluid, changing every day as we grow closer to our Creator.
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Lord, thank You for loving imperfect people like us. Forgive us if we’ve caused someone to stray. Show us the error of our ways and help us to repair the damage. As we submit to You, let our faith grow. Today, allow us to draw people to You by our words and actions. In You, we can do all things. IJNIP. Amen
Question for reflection
Have you caused someone to stumble in their walk with the Lord?
