JON ALLEN

I have been meditating a lot recently on faith and what it truly means in my life. I think for a long time I, and many of you, have been misguided in what faith really is. I have always heard the scripture, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)", but I think I misunderstood it. The message in this passage is that if we have faith in God he can remove obstacles in our way to help us do incredible things. Too often, I have used this as a justification to ask God for things, then get upset at Him when He doesn't "come through". "God, I don't understand, you said I could move mountains, why didn't this happen?" A major change in my life and relationship with God happened when I realized how wrong this was.

Faith is not believing with our whole heart that God will give us what we want, it is whole-heartedly wanting and accepting what God gives us. "...yet not my will, but yours be done. (Luke 22:42)" I have faith that if God plans for me to move mountains in my life, I will... I also have faith that if the mountain doesn't move, God has a plan.

God has a plan for me and for you and for our church. I don't know what that plan is. But I do know that it is perfect whether I like it or not.