Faith

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Let's turn this verse around a bit. Do you want to know how to please God? You must have faith - no faith, no pleasing. What is faith? To the world it looks like stupidity. It's trusting that your bills will be paid when the checkbook is empty. It's having hope when there is no reason to have hope. It's trusting God's promises when you are staring at a mountain that is in your way.

God says that faith is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." No, I have never seen heaven, but I am certain I will one day. Why? Because God says so. He cannot tell a lie. If he tells you something, you can be sure it will happen. God cannot be contrary to his word.

As I looked at this picture of my daughter in a flourishing apple tree, I thought how the farmer had once planted a seed with the hope and faith that it would grow into a fruitful tree. Years later it has. May the seed of faith that God has planted in my life grow with each passing year until one day my branches are full of moments when I trusted God, even though I couldn't see him.