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The Calloused Hands of Faith

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“You can learn a lot about a man by the way he shakes your hand.” This advice came from my grandfather to me while I was very young. It made sense to my young ears coming from this gritty, World-War II vet who was still hobbled by war injury, but nevertheless always shook your hand with the intensity of a first meeting. What he said further surprised me, “Not just how he shakes your hand but how his hand feels. Is it smooth or calloused? Hard-workers have callouses.”

His point seemed clear enough: a man’s work ethic is revealed in his grip.

Many of us in the church have smooth hands spiritually. In Hebrews 10:23 we read the following words:

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

This is a command for believers to hold fast to their confession. This holding fast is an emphatic, continuation of their profession of faith. It is the intentional, concerted, dare I say, sweaty preservence of faith. The hope here is not so much our act of hoping but the object of our hope—that is God himself! When you put this together it is as if he is saying, “Don’t stop, continue on, hold fast to God by faith!”

There are too many smooth hands in the church. We have it easy and give up too quick when the fight is upon us. There is resistance without, via the unbelieving world; and there is resistance within, via our sinful hearts. Instead of caving in we must press on. This life of faith is a persevering, believing life. It endures amid adversity to show the object of our hope, that is, God himself. God has not revealed the mountain of his character for us to go forgetting our hope amid the subjectivity of our experiences or the transitory nature of the world. Hope in God!

Our hands of faith should be calloused from clinging to the rope of hope. There are many passages that remind us of God’s sovereignty even amid our weakness and sin, however, this is not one of them. It is a verse that tells us to refasten, never relax our grip upon the rope of hope.

Do you have callouses from the hard-work of faith? This is not an occasion for boasting, but refastening our grip upon the rope. Cling to God through prayer! Do this without wavering, while you remember, the God who promised is faithful.

(this is based on a sermon preached at Emmaus Bible Church entitled: New Covenant Living. It can be found here.)

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