A toss of a coin decides who starts. Players take turns to move a single peg of their own colour. In one turn a peg may either be simply moved into an adjacent hole OR it may make one or more hops over other pegs. Where a hopping move is made, each hop must be over an adjacent peg and into a the vacant hole directly beyond it. Each hop may be over any coloured peg including the player's own and can proceed in any one of the six directions. After each hop, the player may either finish or, if possible and desired, continue by hopping over another peg. Occasionally, a player will be able to move a peg all the way from the starting triangle across the board and into the opposite triangle in one turn! Easy enough, let's play.
Crazy as it may sound, mastering a game of colored marbles and triangles is allot easier than understanding faith. Depending on the translation faith is mentioned roughly 500 times in the bible so it must be pretty important. The bible defines faith like this, Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." I guess to put it simply, faith is putting hope and belief in something you can't see. Faith is the base in Christian belief and understanding. In Romans it tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of God. So, the more we know and understand God's word the more faith we'll have. Gee, it doesn't sound that hard when you put it that way. Here's a stupid question for you. When was the last time you moved a mountain with your mind? In the book of Matthew Jesus was teaching His disciples a lesson on faith. A young boy was brought to the disciples because he was possessed with a demon; but they weren't able to get it out. Jesus then rebuked the demon and made it leave. He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Because of the little faith of the disciples they weren't able to perform a miracle. Mustard seed faith isn't very much. If you're not familiar with the mustard seed, it's the smallest plant producing seed in the world. I must not have squat for faith then.
The book of Hebrews has one whole chapter devoted to faith, chapter 11. One chapter but so many great examples of how people were able to do extraordinary things through faith. There would not be a Jewish nation today if there forefathers didn't have faith. We can say the same thing about our country. Jamestown Virginia was founded by people trying to seek religious freedom. Their faith in God told them that He would lead them to a place where they could worship freely. Please take the time and read Hebrews chapter 11. Link to Hebrews 11.
I guess the most important thing to me is this. God created the heavens and the earth. He created man and women and all the creatures great and small. Man screwed up (sinned) and now needed forgiveness through sacrifice. God sent His son. Jesus came to earth as a baby and lived a perfect life. Throughout Jesus' life He performed great miracles. Jesus was wrongfully arrested and put on trial for crimes He did not commit. He died on a cross. Taking the weight of the world's sins with Him Jesus went to Hell and defeated Satan. On the third day He rose from the dead. Jesus now sits victoriuosly at the right hand of God. God is preparing a place. A place so beautiful it's beyond comprehension. One day He will come back to judge us. On that day He will decide if I/you go with Him to Heaven or spend eternity without Him...Hell. Faith tells me that all this really happened and will happen one day. Faith tells me if I call upon His name He will hear me and answer my prayers according to His will. Faith tells me that He will never leave me or forsake me.
The other day we were enjoying our backyard deck when Tina heard a noise by the house. She went over to check it out and found a baby bluejay stuck in a hole. I got some gloves and picked it up. The whole time this little guy wouldn't stop squawking and pecking at my fingers. Jenna thought it was hilarious. I carefully carried it to the back part of our yard and placed it in the grass. In about a minute mom and dad bluejay came down and rescued their baby. It made me think of this, Matthew 6 25-33 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Don't worry, God will take care of you...that's faith.
Peace...
totalheel
Crazy as it may sound, mastering a game of colored marbles and triangles is allot easier than understanding faith. Depending on the translation faith is mentioned roughly 500 times in the bible so it must be pretty important. The bible defines faith like this, Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." I guess to put it simply, faith is putting hope and belief in something you can't see. Faith is the base in Christian belief and understanding. In Romans it tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of God. So, the more we know and understand God's word the more faith we'll have. Gee, it doesn't sound that hard when you put it that way. Here's a stupid question for you. When was the last time you moved a mountain with your mind? In the book of Matthew Jesus was teaching His disciples a lesson on faith. A young boy was brought to the disciples because he was possessed with a demon; but they weren't able to get it out. Jesus then rebuked the demon and made it leave. He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Because of the little faith of the disciples they weren't able to perform a miracle. Mustard seed faith isn't very much. If you're not familiar with the mustard seed, it's the smallest plant producing seed in the world. I must not have squat for faith then.
The book of Hebrews has one whole chapter devoted to faith, chapter 11. One chapter but so many great examples of how people were able to do extraordinary things through faith. There would not be a Jewish nation today if there forefathers didn't have faith. We can say the same thing about our country. Jamestown Virginia was founded by people trying to seek religious freedom. Their faith in God told them that He would lead them to a place where they could worship freely. Please take the time and read Hebrews chapter 11. Link to Hebrews 11.
I guess the most important thing to me is this. God created the heavens and the earth. He created man and women and all the creatures great and small. Man screwed up (sinned) and now needed forgiveness through sacrifice. God sent His son. Jesus came to earth as a baby and lived a perfect life. Throughout Jesus' life He performed great miracles. Jesus was wrongfully arrested and put on trial for crimes He did not commit. He died on a cross. Taking the weight of the world's sins with Him Jesus went to Hell and defeated Satan. On the third day He rose from the dead. Jesus now sits victoriuosly at the right hand of God. God is preparing a place. A place so beautiful it's beyond comprehension. One day He will come back to judge us. On that day He will decide if I/you go with Him to Heaven or spend eternity without Him...Hell. Faith tells me that all this really happened and will happen one day. Faith tells me if I call upon His name He will hear me and answer my prayers according to His will. Faith tells me that He will never leave me or forsake me.
The other day we were enjoying our backyard deck when Tina heard a noise by the house. She went over to check it out and found a baby bluejay stuck in a hole. I got some gloves and picked it up. The whole time this little guy wouldn't stop squawking and pecking at my fingers. Jenna thought it was hilarious. I carefully carried it to the back part of our yard and placed it in the grass. In about a minute mom and dad bluejay came down and rescued their baby. It made me think of this, Matthew 6 25-33 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Don't worry, God will take care of you...that's faith.
Peace...
totalheel
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