Romans 12:3
For I say through the grace given into me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Every human being has been given some amount of faith. Otherwise, no one could be saved. This is the “measure” of which the above passage refers. Faith must be developed and development of one’s faith is a process. Our faith mistakes are often times really a result of not being fully committed to the process. Our faith committment can be measured on different levels.
Think of faith as the ocean. The first level is that of a baby. A baby must be taken to the ocean by someone else. The child will only go so far, basically getting its feet wet. You won’t find the baby near the ocean without a parent or guardian, neither will a baby be out inclement weather.
The next level is that of a surfer. The surfer rides the waves. He is out for the thrill and the excitement of faith victories. He will brave inclement weather in search of the big one. Although he has limited success, eventually he takes his surfboard and goes home; to surf another day.
Then there is the deep sea fisherman. He makes his living on the ocean. He will brave inclement weather, stormy seas, and more for his catch. His life depends on it. His family is counting on him. Sounds like the level we want to be, except for the fact that he is not always successful. Sometimes he goes home empty handed. Now what does he do? He has to have a plan B. Maybe he taps into his savings to make ends meet. Or gets a part time job between voyages.
For I say through the grace given into me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Every human being has been given some amount of faith. Otherwise, no one could be saved. This is the “measure” of which the above passage refers. Faith must be developed and development of one’s faith is a process. Our faith mistakes are often times really a result of not being fully committed to the process. Our faith committment can be measured on different levels.
Think of faith as the ocean. The first level is that of a baby. A baby must be taken to the ocean by someone else. The child will only go so far, basically getting its feet wet. You won’t find the baby near the ocean without a parent or guardian, neither will a baby be out inclement weather.
The next level is that of a surfer. The surfer rides the waves. He is out for the thrill and the excitement of faith victories. He will brave inclement weather in search of the big one. Although he has limited success, eventually he takes his surfboard and goes home; to surf another day.
Then there is the deep sea fisherman. He makes his living on the ocean. He will brave inclement weather, stormy seas, and more for his catch. His life depends on it. His family is counting on him. Sounds like the level we want to be, except for the fact that he is not always successful. Sometimes he goes home empty handed. Now what does he do? He has to have a plan B. Maybe he taps into his savings to make ends meet. Or gets a part time job between voyages.
Perhaps we should consider the one whose habitation is the ocean (of faith)–the fish. There is no other alternative for the fish. Remove him from the ocean–he dies. The ocean of faith provides everything he needs. He inhales it. He exhales it. It flows in and around him. He is fully committed to the process. He sees both victories and struggles but he never opts out of his dwelling place.
Find a concordance and see how many times this phrase appears: “the just shall live by faith”. If it was worth repeating it just might be testable material. A lesson not learned is a lesson repeated…For the baby, surfer, and the deep sea fisherman.