Interesting Green: Reflection - Number Our Days

Source (book): "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Chapter 45, "On Yaks", Page 206.
By David Roper, Pastor, and regular and popular writer for Our Daily Bread.

PHOTO: We have been talking about faith ever since the

Lord came. It is not exhausted yet, and God
forbid that I should think that I know yet what
faith is; although I know a little what it is.

- George MacDonald

There's a yak (long-haired domesticated cattle)," Carolyn said nonchalantly (casually) as we sped down the highway last summer. "Yeah, sure," I replied, with more irony in my voice than I intended.

"It was a yak!" Carolyn harrumphed (expressed dissatisfaction). "I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!" Then she lapsed into ominous (threatening) silence.

"Well, there's one way to settle this matter," I muttered, and turned the car around and drove back to the place where she claimed to have seen the beast.

"There," she pointed, and exclaimed as the animal came into sight, "See? Now do you believe me?"

It was indeed a yak. I was chastened (humbled) in my unbelief.

This exchange set me to thinking about faith and its properties. Like George MacDonald, I do not think that I know yet what faith is, but I learned a little what it is through that exchange. It occurs to me now that faith means believing something. But it is more. Faith is believing someone. Let me explain.

Faith, by biblical definition, is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) Faith is unrestricted, unreserved, unconditional certainty. "It is part of the concept of belief itself that a man is certain of that in which he believes."

But that conviction is based on "things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV) Faith's certainty does not rest on empirical (seen), first-hand evidence, but on someone else's observations. When we have seen something for ourselves, we no longer believe; we "know." A "believer," then, in the strictest sense of the word, accepts a matter as real and true on the testimony of someone else.

I know, for example, that there was a yak on the road that day because I saw it with my own eyes. But if Carolyn tells me these days that she has seen another yak, while I may not know it, I will believe it (the fact of a yak); or, more exactly, I will believe her, for she has proved herself to be a credible witness.

Which brings me to the point of this chapter: I believe the stories about Jesus because I believe His apostles, who were eyewitnesses of the things He did and said; I believe that their firsthand reports are true. As the apostle John put it: "That . . . which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched . . . [we] proclaim to you." (1 John 1:1-3)

I believe something (the words and works of Jesus), but I also believe someone (those who were eyewitnesses of Jesus' words and works). John concludes his gospel on this note: "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." (John 20:30-31) This is biblical faith: believing what John and the other apostles saw and then said about Jesus.

And therein lies the difficulty, because most of us are for Missouri (owners of big canoes); you have to show us. Seeing is believing. Like Thomas, we want to see the angry prints of the nails in Jesus' hands; we want to touch the terrible wound in His side. We want to see for ourselves. (John 20:24-29) We feel the rebuke of Jesus' words: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed." (John 20:29) And we hear ourselves say, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24 NKJV)

First, let me say that our Lord is not angry with us because we find it hard to believe. He shared our human limitations and struggles when He was made flesh. Jesus himself had moments of uncertainty and doubt and needed His Father's reassurance. (Mark 15:34)

Angry? No. But He does want us to believe, for our faith pleases Him more than anything else we can do. How, then, can we know with complete assurance that what Jesus said and did is true?

By obeying Him. Jesus made this clear: "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." He also said, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God." (John 14:21; 7:16-17)

How does Jesus show himself to us (make himself real)? How do we know that He is real? By acting on His word. George MacDonald writes: "I ask you, have you been trying the things not seen? Have you been proving them? This is what God puts in your hands. He says, "I tell you I Am, you act upon that; for I knew that your conscience moves you to it; you act upon that and you will find whether I Am or not, and what I Am."

Do you see? Faith in its true sense does not belong to the intellect alone, nor to the intellect first, but to the conscience and to the will. The faithful person says, "I cannot prove that there is a God, but, O God, if you hear me anywhere, help me do your will."

Faith is the turning of the eye to the light; it is the sending of the feet into the path that is required; it is the putting of the hands to the task that the conscience says ought to be done. It is "the proving of things not seen" and of which we cannot, at first, be sure of it. It is putting Jesus' words to the test, doing the very thing that you suppose to be the will of God.

So whatever your uncertainties, act upon what Jesus is asking you to do today. Don't wait for assurance. Just do it. Has He asked you to love a difficult and demanding child or spouse, to bear patiently with a painful disability, to be brave in the face of harsh criticism and misunderstanding? Do it! "What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step," C. S. Lewis said.

You will not be able to obey perfectly, of course - that is something only One has been able to do. But if you choose the right thing and try to do it, God will give you all the help you need to carry on. Then, in time (I cannot say how or when) you will "see" and you will "know" for yourself. Then, your whole being will be caught up in the sheer delight of loving and being loved by our Lord.

And this is that for which we were made.

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https://imgur.com/RxcSnx4

We have been talking about faith ever since the
Lord came. It is not exhausted yet, and God
forbid that I should think that I know yet what
faith is; although I know a little what it is. [228]

- George MacDonald

PHOTO: We have been talking about faith ever since the Lord came. It is not exhausted yet, and God forbid that I should think that I know yet what faith is; although I know a little what it is. - George MacDonald
Picture posted by Church of Jesus Christ
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https://assets.ldscdn.org/f8/51/f851b88dbc26e838c2cd2dfc304998b406f68cbc/bogota_colombia_temple_christ_lds.jpeg
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-17?lang=eng

There's a yak (long-haired domesticated cattle)," Carolyn said nonchalantly (casually) as we sped down the highway last summer. "Yeah, sure," I replied, with more irony in my voice than I intended.

"It was a yak!" Carolyn harrumphed (expressed dissatisfaction). "I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!" Then she lapsed into ominous (threatening) silence.

"Well, there's one way to settle this matter," I muttered, and turned the car around and drove back to the place where she claimed to have seen the beast.

"There," she pointed, and exclaimed as the animal came into sight, "See? Now do you believe me?"

PHOTO: A yak (long-haired domesticated cattle)
Picture posted by fineartamerica on 20 September 2017.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjOsFI9cSLtBTnBMYVWL8N8v2ActraZceM6XQL8SO598iloE8yWvsfMKVizoc5O4f_LHput9jFJJuqTqfQwGiyaCay5bhVfxnJ933sWMQOf0Hv3evGuA4LikFEXUy72rxUydfEVfAU6QoO49KmAItzXHTHMX1PFm4cQ57ZNMBpo4PuCmUNH4hXp2mb=s900
https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/scottish-highland-cattle-cow-painterly-20170920-wingsdomain-art-and-photography.jpg
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/scottish-highland-cattle-cow-painterly-20170920-wingsdomain-art-and-photography.html

It was indeed a yak. I was chastened (humbled) in my unbelief.

This exchange set me to thinking about faith and its properties. Like George MacDonald, I do not think that I know yet what faith is, but I learned a little what it is through that exchange. It occurs to me now that faith means believing something. But it is more. Faith is believing someone. Let me explain.

Faith, by biblical definition, is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) [229] Faith is unrestricted, unreserved, unconditional certainty. "It is part of the concept of belief itself that a man is certain of that in which he believes." [230]

PHOTO: Faith, by biblical definition, is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) Faith is unrestricted, unreserved, unconditional certainty. "It is part of the concept of belief itself that a man is certain of that in which he believes."
Picture posted by Darren Shearer, hbu.edu on 19 January 2017
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https://hbu.edu/center-for-christianity-in-business/2017/01/19/four-qualities-christ-centered-business-christ-centered-business-not/

But that conviction is based on "things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV) [231] Faith's certainty does not rest on empirical (seen), first-hand evidence, but on someone else's observations. When we have seen something for ourselves, we no longer believe; we "know." A "believer," then, in the strictest sense of the word, accepts a matter as real and true on the testimony of someone else.

I know, for example, that there was a yak on the road that day because I saw it with my own eyes. But if Carolyn tells me these days that she has seen another yak, while I may not know it, I will believe it (the fact of a yak); or, more exactly, I will believe her, for she has proved herself to be a credible witness.

PHOTO: Faith's certainty does not rest on empirical, first-hand evidence, but on someone else's observations. When we have seen something for ourselves, we no longer believe; we "know." A "believer," then, in the strictest sense of the word, accepts a matter as real and true on the testimony of someone else.
Picture posted by Richard J. Foster, Renovaré
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https://renovare.imgix.net/articles/casting-vision-article-header.jpg
https://renovare.org/messages/casting-a-vision-the-future-of-spiritual-formation

Which brings me to the point of this chapter: I believe the stories about Jesus because I believe His apostles, who were eyewitnesses of the things He did and said; I believe that their firsthand reports are true. As the apostle John put it: "That . . . which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched . . . [we] proclaim to you." (1 John 1:1-3) [232]

I believe something (the words and works of Jesus), but I also believe someone (those who were eyewitnesses of Jesus' words and works). John concludes his gospel on this note: "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." (John 20:30-31) [233] This is biblical faith: believing what John and the other apostles saw and then said about Jesus.

PHOTO: I believe the stories about Jesus because I believe His apostles, who were eyewitnesses of the things He did and said; I believe that their firsthand reports are true. This is biblical faith: believing what John and the other apostles saw and then said about Jesus.
Painting by Charles Poërson (France, Vic-sur-Seille, 1609-1667) - St. Peter Preaching in Jerusalem
Picture from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWVTxVPMDljyLG5MeZ9NL_SlnkQTtbtq-zMea0bewzCFkfzJWi_0ADtx7F68y93l_HDA90ROlulZiZX89P6NyOtyou7mMOice90-8eRwxTnD2h6DFZMfwfIJkzmYb9DVtPdZ9PC8Dz9ep3bOac_CND-cnq6VM7alRlajtJrNwS80SW4VbGW9J3rgFw=s2048
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/St._Peter_Preaching_in_Jerusalem_LACMA_M.81.73.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Peter_Preaching_in_Jerusalem_LACMA_M.81.73.jpg

And therein lies the difficulty, because most of us are for Missouri (owners of big canoes); you have to show us. Seeing is believing. Like Thomas, we want to see the angry prints of the nails in Jesus' hands; we want to touch the terrible wound in His side. We want to see for ourselves. (John 20:24-29) [234] We feel the rebuke of Jesus' words: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed." (John 20:29) [235] And we hear ourselves say, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24 NKJV) [236]

First, let me say that our Lord is not angry with us because we find it hard to believe. He shared our human limitations and struggles when He was made flesh. Jesus himself had moments of uncertainty and doubt and needed His Father's reassurance. (Mark 15:34) [237]

PHOTO: You have to show us. Seeing is believing. Like Thomas, we want to see the angry prints of the nails in Jesus' hands; we want to touch the terrible wound in His side. We want to see for ourselves. (John 20:29)
Painting by by Caravaggio, Bildergalerie, Potsdam, Germany. - "The Incredulity of Saint Thomas" (1600-1601)
Picture posted by ResearchGate
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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326872161/figure/fig3/AS:658245978972161@1533949479434/The-Incredulity-of-Saint-Thomas-1600-1601-detail-by-Caravaggio-Bildergalerie.png
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Incredulity-of-Saint-Thomas-1600-1601-detail-by-Caravaggio-Bildergalerie_fig3_326872161
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/06/reflection-intimacy-with-christ.html

Angry? No. But He does want us to believe, for our faith pleases Him more than anything else we can do. How, then, can we know with complete assurance that what Jesus said and did is true?

By obeying Him. Jesus made this clear: "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." He also said, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God." (John 14:21; 7:16-17) [238]

PHOTO: How, then, can we know with complete assurance that what Jesus said and did is true?
By obeying Him. Jesus said, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God." (John 14:21; 7:16-17)
Picture posted by KingVin on 08 November 2020
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How does Jesus show himself to us (make himself real)? How do we know that He is real? By acting on His word. George MacDonald writes: "I ask you, have you been trying the things not seen? Have you been proving them? This is what God puts in your hands. He says, "I tell you I Am, you act upon that; for I knew that your conscience moves you to it; you act upon that and you will find whether I Am or not, and what I Am." [239]

Do you see? Faith in its true sense does not belong to the intellect alone, nor to the intellect first, but to the conscience and to the will. The faithful person says, "I cannot prove that there is a God, but, O God, if you hear me anywhere, help me do your will."

PHOTO: How do we know that Jesus is real?
By acting on His word. This is what God puts in your hands. He says, 'I tell you I Am, you act upon that; for I knew that your conscience moves you to it; you act upon that and you will find whether I Am or not, and what I Am.'
Picture posted by Valery Novikov, © Ekaterina Komarova on 16 November 2014 at 09:35:06

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Faith is the turning of the eye to the light; it is the sending of the feet into the path that is required; it is the putting of the hands to the task that the conscience says ought to be done. It is "the proving of things not seen" and of which we cannot, at first, be sure of it. It is putting Jesus' words to the test, doing the very thing that you suppose to be the will of God. [240]

So whatever your uncertainties, act upon what Jesus is asking you to do today. Don't wait for assurance. Just do it. Has He asked you to love a difficult and demanding child or spouse, to bear patiently with a painful disability, to be brave in the face of harsh criticism and misunderstanding? Do it! "What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step," C. S. Lewis said.

PHOTO: Faith is the turning of the eye to the light; it is the sending of the feet into the path that is required; it is the putting of the hands to the task that the conscience says ought to be done. It is "the proving of things not seen" and of which we cannot, at first, be sure of it. It is putting Jesus' words to the test, doing the very thing that you suppose to be the will of God.

Artwork by Joseph Brickey - Moses Seeing Jehovah, 1998
Picture posted by Celebrations Cake Decorating
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/06/reflection-intimacy-with-christ.html

You will not be able to obey perfectly, of course - that is something only One has been able to do. But if you choose the right thing and try to do it, God will give you all the help you need to carry on. Then, in time (I cannot say how or when) you will "see" and you will "know" for yourself. Then, your whole being will be caught up in the sheer delight of loving and being loved by our Lord.

And this is that for which we were made.

PHOTO: If you choose the right thing and try to do it, God will give you all the help you need to carry on. Then, in time (I cannot say how or when) you will "see" and you will "know" for yourself. Then, your whole being will be caught up in the sheer delight of loving and being loved by our Lord.
Picture saved by Iracy Marcedo to Animação
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/06/reflection-intimacy-with-christ.html

PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we learn that we do not think that we know yet what faith is, but we learned a little what it is. It occurs to us that faith means believing something. But it is more. Faith is believing someone.

Faith, by biblical definition, is ‘being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’ Faith is unrestricted, unreserved, unconditional certainty. ‘It is part of the concept of belief itself that a man is certain of that in which he believes.’

We learn that faith is based on things not seen. Faith's certainty does not rest on empirical, first-hand evidence, but on someone else's observations. A ‘believer’ accepts a matter as real and true on the testimony of someone else. We believe that someone else who has proved himself to be a credible witness.

We believe the stories about Jesus because we believe His apostles, who were eyewitnesses of the things He did and said; we believe that their first-hand reports are true. They have heard, seen with their eyes, and their hand have touched what they proclaim to us. This is biblical faith: believing what John and the other apostles saw and then said about Jesus.

However we have difficulty, we need to be shown what the apostles said. Seeing is believing. Like Thomas, we want to see the angry prints of the nails in Jesus' hands; we want to touch the terrible wound in His side. We want to see for ourselves. We feel the rebuke of Jesus' words: ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.’ And we hear ourselves say, ‘Lord, I believe; help our unbelief!’

Lord, thank You for not been angry with us while we find it hard to believe. Because Jesus shared our human limitations and struggles when He was made flesh. Jesus himself had moments of uncertainty and doubt and needed His Father's reassurance. Help us to believe, for our faith pleases Him more than anything else we can do.

Lord, help us to obey Him so that we can know with complete assurance that what Jesus said and did is true. Jesus made this clear: ‘Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.’ He also said, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God.’

Help us too, to act on His word. May we try the things not seen. May we prove them. May our conscience move us to it. May we act upon that and find whether ‘I Am or not, and what I Am’.

Since faith in its true sense does not belong to the intellect alone, nor to the intellect first, but to the conscience and to the will. May we follow the faithful and say ‘I cannot prove that there is a God, but, O God, if you hear me anywhere, help me do your will.’

May we learn that faith is the turning of the eye to the light; it is the sending of the feet into the path that is required; it is the putting of the hands to the task that the conscience says ought to be done. It is ‘he proving of things not seen’ and of which we cannot, at first, be sure of it. It is putting Jesus' words to the test, doing the very thing that we supposed to be the will of God.

Lord, help us to act upon what Jesus is asking us to do today without waiting for assurance, but to just do it. May we be able to love a difficult and demanding child or spouse, to bear patiently with a painful disability, to be brave in the face of harsh criticism and misunderstanding. Help us to take a step, and then another step, and be saved.

Lord, we will not be able to obey perfectly because that is something only One has been able to do. May we choose the right thing and try to do it. We pray for all the help we need to carry on. May we in time able to ‘see’ and ‘know’ for ourselves. May we wholly being caught up in the sheer delight of loving and being loved by our Lord.

For this is that for which we were made.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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Reflection - Number Our Days - On Yaks
Source (book): "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Chapter 45, "On Yaks", Page 206.
By David Roper, Pastor, and regular and popular writer for Our Daily Bread.

Other Books

"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html

"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html

"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html

"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html

"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html

"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part.html

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part_9.html

"Teach Us to Number Our Days", © 2008 by David Roper

Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 1 - 40 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-1-40.html

Reference

[1] From "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Copyright © 2008 by David Roper, ISBN 978-981-11-7184-0, Chapter 45, "On Yaks", Page 206-211.

[228] George MacDonald, "Faith, the Proof of the Unseen" (sermon preached June 1882)

[229] Hebrews 11:1

[230] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II, II, 112, 5.

[231] Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

[232] See 1 John 1:1-3

[233] John 20:30-31, emphasis added

[234] See John 20:24-29.

[235] John 20:29

[236] Mark 9:24 NKJV

[237] See Mark 15:34.

[238] John 14:21; 7:16-17

[239] George MacDonald, "Faith, the Proof of the Unseen" (sermon preached June 1882)

[240] Ibid.

Links

Other Books - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/reflection-books-links.html

1 John 1:1-3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+1%3A1-3&version=NIV

Hebrews 11:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+11%3A1&version=NIV

Hebrews 11:1 NKJV - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+11%3A1&version=NKJV

John 14:21; 7:16-17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A21%3B+7%3A16-17&version=NIV

John 20:24-29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20%3A24-29&version=NIV

John 20:29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20%3A29&version=NIV

John 20:30-31 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=+John+20%3A30-31&version=NIV

Mark 9:24 NKJV - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+9%3A24&version=NKJV

Mark 15:34 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+15%3A34&version=NIV

Matthew 11:28-29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A28-29&version=NIV