The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1962-04-27
Facets Of Faith
Lesson for April 20. 1862

ACSSOu IVA fAYAn SCs 1CO6
The beauty of a jewel comes
from the fact that it has many
facets. The light is reflected
from each of these facets, or
surfaces. at a different angle.
If a diamond we're cut flat and
square like tiny window-pane
it would not be nearly as beauti-
full as it is. Now faith is a
jewel; and it likewise has many
facets. or aspects, and all the
more beautiful for this reason.
Like all jewels. also. faith has
many imitation.
Accept no Substitute
What are some of the i1nita-
ton faiths being offered the
public today? One variety Of
paste" or imitation faith. is
faith without an object = not
faith in any one, just plain
faith" This may even be a cir
cular faith. faith in faith. This
is not worth a dime, it is the
most perishable of all the ini-
tations. Another substitute is
credulity the habit of believ-
ing anything and everything,
believing whatever any one asks
you to believe. OF such faith
suck erS are made. Another
much advertised substitute is
faith that goes against facts,
faith that believes the obviously
and mdeniably impossible. This
is a very deceptive imitation,
because true faith does 60 be-
yond what average cautious
people call possible" This imi-
tation variety prides itself on
absurdity: the more absurd the
faith, the more credit the be-
/ lever claims! If 1 believe that
with Gods help l can set aside
more money than I ever have
done, for His cause and service,
that is real faith. But if I be-
lieve that after I have spent
every cent of my weekly income
will have a ten-dollar bill left
to offer God or TO use myself,
that is not true faith at all.
How Faith Keeps Warm
True Christian faith, as has
been said before, is faith about
Christ, faith in Christ and faith
with Christ. Now there are GER
tain features or facets of this,
to which the Bible passages
marked for this week direct our
eyes. One is that it is easier to
have faith when others all
around us are men and women
of faith. than when one is all
alone. A certain missionary was
in solitary confinement in China
with no communication per-
mtted between him and any
other persons except the police
Friends and relatives of his in
America were praying for his
release. He also was praying for
it. There was true faith in his
heart and in the hearts of his
friends: but it was harder for
him than for them. because
they lived comparatively in a.
climate of faith, whereas he
was in the midst of people who
only derided his religion.
Looking to Jesus
The writer of the letter to
the Hebrews says some strange
and unexpected things. Once in
the twelfth chapter he says
:. looking to Jesus !"
Now we should expect him to
say. looking to Jesus, the OBJ
ject of our faith" but he does
not. Instead, he says. looking
to Jesus the pioneer and per-
fecter of our faith" In other
words Jesus is the one who be-
gins our faith and the one who
completes it. He is, in short,
the model for all men and wom-
en- OF faith. This means that
Christians should study the Cos
pels over and over again, to
learn the qualities, the seeds
and the secrets of the faith
which the Master held. With
him. faith had a new beginning;
with him. faith found its perfec-
ton.
Faiths Discipline
Great poetry and trashy dog
gerel are both made of words:
but the great poems are not
mere lunbles Of words and
noises. They are patterned. that
is. the poet cannot put down
anything that occurs to him.
Some words fit, others don't.
Some words ring like bells,
others cl tier like squeaky
Wheel-barrows. So it is with all
art. The artist must exercise
control. 1t is only very cheap
art" that can be produced by
throwing words. or paint, on
paper or canvas at random.
How much more this is true Of
the most difficult art, Of Lite it.