Without faith, why would any of us persevere in the face of opposition or refuse to give in to temptation? Why would we do the right thing when the wrong thing may be handsomely rewarded? The outlook of the faithless is "Get Rich or Die Trying!" The biblical counter response is: "What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life" (Matt 16:26).

With faith, Martha and Mary could have reason to hope even though their brother had been dead for the better part of a week! With faith, instead of seeing the crucifixion as a dismal failure, Christ's followers recognize it as the grain of wheat that "falls to the earth and dies" in order to "produce much fruit."

Are you a believer? If you are, then you know that true faith is courageous ~ is not afraid to take a stand for what is right; it is weather-resistant ~ believes in the sun even when it is not shining; it is specific ~ rejects the doctrine-doesn't-matter world view; it is required ~ like "American Express" you can't afford to leave home without it!

Finally, faith is a gift that should be cherished, nurtured, defended and shared. Because with faith, you will spend far less prayer time telling God how big your problems are and more time telling your problems how big your God is!