Lord, Increase Our Faith

Posted on January 16, 2010
Filed Under Christian Living

Lord, Increase Our Faith
by Sam Livingston
Total Package Ministries

Ever wondered where your faith would measure on a faith scale? No seriously what would it measure on a God faith scale? Most of us would probably rate ourselves much higher than the actual reading. The truth of the matter is that we boast faith but when we are tested we often fail.

One day in a teaching session with his disciples Jesus began talking about forgiving. “Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!” (Lk 17:1). Jesus said that offences will come. I don’t care how isolated we live from society there will always be opportunity to sin because people and the adversary will put stumbling blocks before you. Somebody is going to offend you, somebody is going to cross your path plus the will to sin is always present. This is why we must terminate the old sin nature daily.

In the next four verses Jesus continued talking about what happens to the one who orchestrated the offense. Her said “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” (Lk 17:2). Often times we overlook the person causing one to sin but Jesus made it clear what happens to the offender. But wait a minute; He said that we are to forgive them if they repent. Can we really forgive them or is the forgiveness momentary?

Verse three however said to “…If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him…” The kind of rebuking that Jesus had in mind is surely not what runs through our mind when we get angry. This is not the time to give them a piece of your mind or to sneak in what you really want to say to him or her. The correct way to rebuke a brother can be found in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. This is a clean and accurate way to correct a wrong; “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Gal 6:1). The first think that we must possess in trying to help one that has been overtaken in a fault is a sound spiritual mind. Good intensions help but it is not the key here you must be in a Christ frame of mind because the conversation could easily go south otherwise. We should be Godly enough to identify the issue, and rebuke the person in the spirit of meekness considering that it could have easily been us. Jesus said if they repent forgive them.

Forgiveness can be a very difficult thing for so many of us which can lead into so many other things. You are not the only one who has problems with this. In Luke 17:4-5 we find this; "And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith”. This is powerful because here we have the apostles who had spent all of their time with Jesus. They gave up their occupations to follow him but this teaching stomped them on forgiveness because they said “Lord increase our faith”. In plain and simple terms they were saying we have a problem with this because there are still some folks that we don’t know how to forgive or else they just did not want to forgive.

Where do you stand today are there some folks that you need to forgive so that you can move on with you spiritual growth? We cannot be promoted to the next spiritual grade if we are still flunking Forgiveness 101! The apostles were flunking and they were walking with him in the flesh. Confront your offender forgive them and move on.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pastor Sam Livingston is a seasoned pastor, lecturer, teacher and Author of “The Essentials of Fellowship”. He is married to Meraldine Hicks Livingston and blessed to have two children, Sammy K Livingston Jr. and Candace I Livingston. Pastor Livingston is a graduate of NC A&T State University; B.S., Webster University; Business Administration, MA and he is a student at Luther Rice Seminary’s Master of Divinity program. Total Package Ministry airs via television bi-weekly throughout Coastal South Carolina. He thanks God for the opportunity to carry the healing ministry to a hurting nation.