An Intelligent Faith is a Practical Faith, by Samuel L. Madison

Having now been a Christian for nearly thirty years, it is still disturbing to me to realize that I lingered for quite a while before making a conscious decision about becoming a Christian because I had perceived Christianity as a religion which was not based upon practicality. I wish that I could say that such a negative perception was based upon some illusion of my own personal experience, which I had conjured up in my own imagination, but that was certainly not the case. The case was, however, that I had allowed the experiences of some other so-called Christians to distort my view of the God of the Bible.

As I think back upon those years, I know now that my perception of the God of the Bible was not based upon any research or my own investigation of the Holy Scripture. It saddens me to say that during this time, I had not even so much as attempted to read the Bible for myself, and yet I allowed the experiences and the opinions of others to form my views concerning the God of the Bible.

Today, as I encounter many people in my walk through life, I often come across those persons who are misguided in their thinking and thus, have formed a negative view of the God of the Bible. Their view of God is wholly based upon the opinions of other people. These inferences are always faulty, and to say the least, most ridiculous. Yet, many of these dear people would rather hold to their false beliefs than read the Bible and search out these things to see if they are true. 

Let us serve notice here, that whenever Jesus Christ came upon such persons with false doctrines and those who embraced a faith that was unintelligent and impractical, He challenged them to search the Scriptures, to see for themselves, if those things were true in which they were believing. He said: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39). Furthermore, Acts 17:11 states: "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." It is a tragedy that over the years, many dear souls have ended up in hell because they refused to search the Scriptures for themselves and change their views of the true and living God.

We started out by saying that the reason I lingered in becoming a Christian was because I did not relate to Christians as being practical. That is to say, from what I had observed, from the experiences of other so-called Christians, I did not see any practical value of being a Christian in this life. Although as an unsaved person, I had no problem with accepting the fact that there would be a better life for the Christian when he passed into eternity, yet, it was disturbing to me to believe that being a Christian in this life was not something that I could look forward to becoming because it seemed not to offer any hope, any help, any relief, any protection, nor any joy.

Let me hasten to say here, oh, how wrong I was. Since I have become a Christian, I know now that the Christian faith is alive and well, and yes, very practical. How wonderful it is to be set free from the ignorant devices of Satan's lies. Please allow me in the remainder of this writing to share with you just a few ways in which being a Christian is practical:

1. As a Christian, I can relate to God as my Heavenly Father. In today's society, not many of us can boast of having an earthly father whom we think well of, and know that he is always with us and will never leave us in times of distress, or in times of grief. You name it, and our Heavenly Father is right there for us. In His own words, He says, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5b). Just how many Christians do you know today who can testify concerning these truths in regard to their Heavenly Father?

2. As a Christian, I can relate to God as my Provider. As we come to know the God of the Bible, we cannot but get to know Him as our Jehovah-Jireh--the God Who provides. It is God's nature, it is God's essence, it is God's name and reputation to provide for His people. I cannot begin to tell you just how many times I have had to look to God to provide the essential things in this life. I relish in the promise: "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

3. As a Christian, I can relate to God as my Friend. In the kind of self-serving society we live in today, you and I must be careful in choosing a friend. If our TV talk shows are any kind of representation of what goes on in real life, then we are all doomed when it comes to having a true friend. What we see on many of the popular TV shows are friends betraying each other, friends taking the mates of their best friends, and friends, whose ulterior motive is just to exploit their own personal gains. It behooves one to take notice of the lyrics of the hymn sung in many of our churches today: "There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus/No not one, No not one." 

Yes, beloved, my favorite hymn which I often sing when I feel the need of a close friend to share my inner most thoughts and feelings is the song, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." I know that in Jesus there is someone that sticketh closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Oh, yes! being a Christian is not just a hope for the future, but it is a living faith that has much practical value for this life as well.