True Believers

I find comfort knowing 

that I am not the only one
who has difficulty
believing! 

"And they,

when they had heard 

that he was alive,

and had been seen of her[Magdalene],

believed not.

After that he appeared in another form

unto two of them,

as they walked, and went into the country.

And they went and told it unto the residue:

neither believed they them.

Afterward he appeared unto the eleven

as they sat at meat,

and upbraided them

with their unbelief and hardness of heart,

because they believed not them

which had seen him after he was risen.

And he said unto them,

'Go ye into all the world,

and preach the gospel to every creature.

He that believes and is baptized shall be saved;

but he that believes not shall be damned.

And these signs shall follow them that believe;

In my name shall they cast out devils;

they shall speak with new tongues;

They shall take up serpents;

and if they drink any deadly thing,

it shall not hurt them;

they shall lay hands on the sick,

and they shall recover.'

So then after the Lord had spoken unto them,

he was received up into heaven,

and sat on the right hand of God.

And they went forth,

and preached every where,

the Lord working with them,

and confirming the word 

with signs following."
Mark 16.11-20

If these signs shall follow 
them that believe,
how can I say I believe 
when these signs
don't follow me? 

Obviously 
"believe"
which means 
"to have faith"
means something 
far greater 
than the recitation
of the mere lip service 
of magic words! 

"And when they were come to the multitude, 
there came to him a certain man, 
kneeling down to him, and saying, 
'Lord, have mercy on my son: 
for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: 
for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, 
and oft into the water. 
And I brought him to thy disciples, 
and they could not cure him.'
Then Jesus answered and said, 
'O faithless and perverse generation, 
how long shall I be with you? 
how long shall I suffer you? 
bring him hither to me.'
And Jesus rebuked the devil; 
and he departed out of him: 
and the child was cured from that very hour. 
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, 
and said, 
'Why could not we cast him out?'
And Jesus said unto them, 
'Because of your unbelief: 
for verily I say unto you, 
If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, 
ye shall say unto this mountain, 
Remove hence to yonder place; 
and it shall remove; 
and 
nothing shall be impossible unto you.'" 
Matthew 17.14-20


If those who learned directly from the King
had difficulty doing the impossible
we should not be disheartened
by our difficulty,
rather, 
we should be more determined!


Jesus said unto him, 
"If thou canst believe, 
all things are possible 
to him that believeth."
And straightway 
the father of the child cried out, 
and said with tears, 
"Lord, 
I believe; 
help thou mine unbelief."
Mark 9.23,24