Beliefs Bring Clarity

UV 1454/10000 Beliefs Bring Clarity of Thought and Vision
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
I Peter 2 v 6

All the facts are not known or knowable or provable. All the cards of life are not laid on the table. This implies that a lot of life is to be approached through belief. Beliefs are at the core of a human being. Beliefs fill the gap in our knowledge. Our beliefs influence the course of our lives. They also determine the quality of our lives. The sum of our beliefs is our faith. A belief by definition is something that cannot be proven to be true. It is an unique faculty of human beings alone. Beliefs are the critical component that shapes our attitudes, skills and perceptions. It influences our relationships, habits, decisions and actions. Beliefs if they are based on fallacies can also be misleading. Beliefs have their basis on what is contained in scripture. If we believe that God is the ultimate author of scripture, then we will believe what He says in it. Beliefs validate our lives and our lives validate beliefs. We need to examine if our beliefs are true in terms of logic, experience and history. Belief in Christ gives one a clarity of thought such that he has a sense of his priorities in life. Once we accept Jesus as the focal point of our lives, He becomes the keystone or cornerstone around which our lives are organized. We too are elect or chosen like Jesus. He is the first born of God who is the heir to the Kingdom of God. But through the spirit of adoption, we too become co-heirs with Him.

The significance of our insignificance in this vast universe is that we derive our significance from not who we are or what we are or what we do for these are insignificant in the weighing scales of eternity. But since Jesus is the cornerstone and we are the living stones being built up with Him as the foundation our significance or value is derived from whose we are. We belong to God and He belongs to us. We are precious in His sight. We do not have to strive for significance or recognition in order to discover or enhance our value. We do not have to struggle for self realization or fulfilment as we are fully filled by the Spirit of God. Beliefs enable us to endure great suffering for we begin to accept suffering as necessary though not enjoyable. For as someone wrote:
“Heated gold becomes ornament
Beaten copper becomes wires
Depleted
stone becomes statue. So the
more pain you get in life you
become more valuable”


Our belief prevents us from being confounded or confused or apprehensive. We are secure in our personal knowledge of God and the great value or significance attached to everything we think, speak and do. We are no longer powerless or vulnerable. Our beliefs are the source of our significance and our power. Belief makes us feel secure. We are not guilty about our past, moody in the present or anxious about the future. Our identity, our security, our strength, our significance, our hope and joy are all rooted in Christ.

Prateep V Philip