What is the glue that holds the Christians' faith intact with the only true and living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Obviously, it is the Lord Jesus! However, there is a catalyst that binds us to our God, FAITH! Without it we will never please our God, in fact, it is an impossible quest. Here is the proof; “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) – For the sake of time and word count, I will not unpack the rest of this chapter; but read, digest and understand the importance of faith in our lives. Read the chapter slowly, think about each person’s life, and then see how you measure up.
Practically how does this play out into everyday life? It should never be with a gambler's mindset, they hedge their bets, minimizing the chances of failure. It has to be with our lot and trust in our God, an all-in move. That is what is required. This lesson is a constant struggle for most of us as we often find ourselves getting in the way. But thank God that He is gracious and long-suffering toward us. Nevertheless, the lesson must be learnt if we grow in our heavenly Father's knowledge and grace. This is a lesson that cannot be avoided. I often wondered why the Lord sent his disciples out without any provision or money in their pockets for their upcoming journeys. Here is the lesson in its practicality; “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.” (Luke 9:1-3) – The most important job to ever befall a group of people and that is how they were sent! With absolutely no endowment of self-sustaining provisions to conquer. Total trust and dependency in their God, without this type of test our faith will never have a character of its own, “standing the test of time”. Almost an impossible task, but by the grace of God here we stand.
Faith must and will feed our hope, just like a vehicle needs the energy to drive it, so too do we need faith to energize our hope; heaven and all its glory! Not only that, we hope in God to supply our daily needs as and when required. It’s the now that is tested, which shall be rewarded later…
Signing out
Tyrone
