Today's encouragement comes from Mark 11:22, where we read these words:
"So Jesus answered and said to them, 'Have faith in God.' "Of all the blessed utterances that ever fell from our Savior's lips, this one (above) is among the sweetest. We fail, we are continually imperfect; and if we were to be scored on a performance-basis, we would all flunk. But Christ says, "Have faith in God." Nothing else really matters to the Lord, if faith is missing.
. . . But its presence is much-pleasing to God; and it brings us enormous benefits. Whereas our works or efforts could *never* make God love us; our faith—which is a gift from God—fetches Jesus Himself to our soul. Once we have Christ, we have everything. Let us not look to ourselves, but the our Re-deemer today—and be encouraged.
[Puritan quote of the day: "The Church is to be increased by the powerful preaching of the gospel. This preaching by all means is to be encouraged, for 'faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,' (Rom. 10:17).”
—Nathaniel Vincent, in, "A Discourse concerning Love"]
