If your mind goes to its memory bank, perhaps you will remember the Sound of Music and the song sung by Julie Andrews, Do, Re, Me… Her song, using the music scale, was one of instruction to teach her charges about singing. There are many scales in life today. As a pharmacist, I too have been instructed into the scales that accurately measure dosages of medication. A scale, as defined as it may be, can never measure God’s love (infinite ∞) for His chosen.
Scales relate to any number of measurements. For example, the Mohs Scale measures the degree of hardness in materials. The softest in the scale is talc while the hardest being diamond. Oftentimes, many of us will rank someone or something on a scale of one to ten. Sometimes one is the least and sometimes the greatest as the query may suggest.
Remember in the Old Testament time when famine was present? God, in His mercy, was prepared with a plan. Jacob’s son, Joseph, had already been sold off into slavery in Egypt but eventually finding favor with Pharoah. Joseph wisely had prepared in the time of plenty for the pending famine. Having heard of a food surplus in Egypt, Joseph’s brothers appear to buy food for their starving nation. The scales were not in favor of His people as the famine continued. But God moved the needle from the nadir to its summit by His power. Can God move the scale? Of course, He can!
If we examine our faith in terms of a scale, then where do we stand? And is it a reasonable question? All of God’s people who have come to faith have been baptized into His death and resurrection and therefore have inherited eternal life with Him!! Amen! Life without Him is doomed to eternal destruction! But in Him we have life and have it abundantly, says Scripture. Degrees of faith are summarized in what we, as saved, do to increase our knowledge of Him and serve Him. Just as He intervened with His Old Testament chosen, He too can move our needle from a low point to the pinnacle of faith.
St. Paul reminds his readers of having been fed with spiritual milk and maturing to solid food. He founded many churches on his three missionary journeys that included many idolic-type countries – especially Corinth. With a plethora of adversaries, Paul is faced with keeping the flock close to the One who called them into the Light! Rather than listening to the false doctrine, Paul is pleading with the congregation to remain faithful and to “grow” in their faith! Each of Paul’s new-found congregations is left with the Spirit to lead its people in their growth. Sound familiar? God never leaves one of His churches without someone to lead them!
Growing in faith is not something new, nor does it require some scale to measure its advancement. Rather, the faith barometer is based on His love for us and our response to His love! If we are true to our inner self, then we know that God has a plan for each of us.! Yes, we are his servants and grounded in faith that increases as we grow in concert with His mission and ministry for us.
Just as Paul’s churches were varied in their faith at the outset, so we too having been grounded in faith in our baptism, can GROW as we continue to seek Him in our worship and study of His Word. Our faith may wax and wane, but our eternal life with Him is guaranteed by His sacrificial death and resurrection for our sins. To God be the glory!
Peace
Connected in Him, I stand
GHR
