Tag Archives: Living by faith

Does it really matter what we believe?

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Some say that, from the womb to the tomb, all religions are basically the same. To support that premise, people will reflect how most world religions focus on doing good, alleviating the burdens of others living for something greater than ourselves, and reaching a point of freedom from bondage to material things and hurtful habits and thoughts. According to prominent polls, many professing Christians agree with this “works-based” theology. Their motto might be, “As far as I can, do my best. Let God have mercy on all the rest.” The emphasis is on doing “enough” good works and striving in all our own power to reach a higher, more noble level of living or attaining God’s acceptance. What do you think?

 

Two thoughts come to my mind about this matter:

1. Even IF this were true, what about on the other ends of this spectrum? Were you cast into this world at birth by some random chance or was there a heavenly design imprinted upon your soul? And at the other end of the spectrum, what happens after you die? Some of my friends believe they will be reincarnated, hopefully to a higher level. Others think they will become fodder for the worms, energy for what eventually grows from that spot. IF this were true, are we disadvantaged living the Christian life with no hope of resurrection? One Christian said “I’d rather live my life as if there’s God, and die to find out there isn’t, than to live my life as if there isn’t and die to find out there is.”

Though this popular statement appeals to me at some level, Paul takes it further and disagrees:

“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. – 1 Corinthians 15:13-19

Some live in faith there is no life ever after. We maintain there is, through the power of the resurrection of Jesus. Paul says that if our faith is misplaced it is futile and we are to be pitied. However we stand firm in our faith which brings power after death . . . AND right now as we live.

 

2. Is life really the same from the womb to the tomb for all religions? First, let’s consider that true Christianity is not a religion but a personal relationship with a personal God. This relationship is based on a living God, Jesus, who not only died for our sins but was raised from the dead, giving power to raise us from the dead and live with him forever. But there’s more. He gave us his very Spirit so we could have his authority and power in THIS life. Like many Christians, I lived much of my life more in defeat than victory because I was trying to overcome my troubles in my own power. It’s not until we cooperate with the Holy Spirit who lives in us that we find contentment and peace in place of peril, assurance in time of doubt, victory in the face of failure, and hope in the face of despair. Isn’t that what you want?!

 

The power of the Holy Spirit is what makes true Christianity different in this present life AND in the life ever after. It really does matter what you believe, when you act on that belief.

 

Application: Am I living in victory because of the Spirit? If nor, what do I need to do today to claim that victorious life style?

 

 

By faith…

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“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” (Hebrews 11:1-2)

 

If God were to commend you, what would most catch His attention? Would it be your courage, your goodness, your knowledge of the bible, your ability to amass riches? Maybe, you might think of your abilities and achievements, your good deeds, even your service in His name. As desirable as some of these might be, they are not the subject of God’s most ardent attention. What is it that captures God’s heart? The author of Hebrews devotes an entire chapter to the one attribute He desires from us: faith.

 

Over a dozen examples are given, citing lives lived “by faith.” Not by being clever, intellectual pursuits, or logical analysis. Not by effectiveness in education, in science, in caring for others, in preaching or writing. Certainly not by judging or controlling others, by manipulative planning, or fancies of our own opinions.

 

God’s commendation is for living by faith. Faithfulness matters to God. Our God is always faithful and desires to see this in His children who are created in His own image. God desires a faith that guides our actions, not just our beliefs. It is by faith that we understand and relate to the world around us (v 3). By faith, we please God (v 6), obey what God tells us, not what we imagine to please us (v 7-12).

 

It is a hard teaching but by faith, we live and we die, sometimes without receiving – in this life – everything promised. By faith we live as aliens and strangers to this world, not possessed by it (v 13).

 

By faith, we endure tests of the most difficult kinds (v 17). By faith, we look to the future (v 20). It is by faith, we endure mistreatment and hardship (v 24). By faith, we regard earthly treasures as inferior to knowing God (v 26). By faith we persevere and flee that which seeks to hold us in bondage (v 27,29). By faith, we find victory over our enemies, true justice in an unjust world, protection from the evil one; we find strength in weakness, perseverance, freedom from fear, and purpose in suffering (v 30-38). By faith, we believe that even if we don’t receive what we are promised while on earth, that God has something better planned for us (v 39).

 

Let’s pause for a moment in stillness before God, and ask Him to evaluate the activities of our life and the motives of our heart. Ask Him to reveal the areas of our life where we shrink back and consider what is right in our eyes, rather than His. The one thing God desires of you is to live by faith, in and through whatever difficult situation confronting and perplexing you. Let’s determine our lives be marked…by faith.

 

 

Every Day Faith

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I remember flying back to our former home of Australia a few years back. It was 14 hours nonstop from LA to Sydney. Isn’t that crazy that you can fly 500 miles per hour anywhere without stopping?! The in-flight movie screens would flash a map on the screen every 2-3 hours showing where the plane was with respect to the whole journey. I remember waking up in my cramped coach seat thinking, “This is about all I can take of this. I hope we’re getting close.” Then the map appeared showing we were almost HALF way there! Of course, we passengers had no clue where we really were. There was no reference point visible from the windows, just clouds and ocean. And there was no way to change the situation. But the captain knew precisely where we were; using the instrument panel s/he skillfully kept us on course and brought us safely to our destination. That’s how faith works. You put your trust in the one who has power to keep you on course.

Have you ever been tempted by a desire to see the future? Especially in a troubling and uncertain position, have you ever asked, “How is this going to work out?” When is this going to resolve? But in the end, no one has figured out how to live two days at once, so we resolve to live one day at a time…by faith.

We all live by faith everyday. We live by faith that it won’t be the bridge WE drive across that fails, that our health will not falter, that our children will be well. Even the nonbeliever lives in tremendous faith that their beliefs will somehow reward them in the end. One of my favorite lines from the Facing the Giants movie is when the disappointed coach’s wife learns she still is NOT pregnant. Standing in the clinic parking lot, she lifts her eyes to heaven and says, “Even now I put my trust in you!”

How does your trust meter read these days? Especially in those areas of your life where you are not the captain of your fate, when you are powerless to change your course? Kirk Cameron is coming out with a movie late September called “Unstoppable” to examine how faith leads us through unthinkable situations. I hope you take opportunity to view it with a friend.

2 Corinthians 5:7 we walk by faith, not by sight.