Recently I had the
pleasure of hearing a young man in our church give a sermon on faith. He said faith
requires three things: acceptance, trials, and endurance. This prompted me to
devote some time to the study of faith. Through this I gained new insights and reaffirmed others.
As children of Adam we are all
born with a sinful nature. We have nothing to offer in and of ourselves alone;
nothing with which to commend ourselves to the perfect Creator. In fact, Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart is
deceitful above all else. But through the infinite mercy of our loving God we
are offered an unspeakable gift—an opportunity for redemption through Jesus Christ.
Jesus said no man
comes to Him unless the Father draws, leads, or brings him, John 6:44. The
Apostle Paul also reminds us of this in Ephesians 2:8 when he says we are saved
through grace, by faith—it is a gift of God. Again, we do nothing on our own merit for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23.
If we do
accept this wonderful gift the spiritual journey has just begun. Unfortunately, too many are satisfied with their status of
“babes” in Christ. They not only fail to increase in faith but also never make any progress toward spiritual maturity.
On the other hand, if we are truly
interested in growing our faith we will look to God’s word, the Bible. Paul said that
faith comes from what is heard and what is heard comes through the message
about Christ, Romans 10:17. Therefore, we must be in the Word.
Pray is an important
element in growing in faith and spiritual maturity. We get to know others through
communication and we communicate to God through prayer. Looking to the Bible we can find many examples that point to the importance of prayer. Luke 11:1 is only one
of the many examples in the Bible that shows us the importance of prayer. Jesus lead by example and His devotion to prayer did not go unnoticed by those around Him. One day
as Jesus finished praying, His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray just
as John the Baptist had taught his disciples to pray.
Certainly obedience is an important factor in spiritual growth. Obedience is not optional, it is a requirement. In obedience we step out of our comfort zone in faith and we are rewarded with even deeper faith as we watch how God works on our behalf.
However, through obedience we will often suffer trials--trials which we must learn to embrace. Our trials serve to exercise our faith; trials refine us—mold us, shape us. James tells us the trials we endure mature us and make us complete and lacking nothing, James 1:2-4. Trials help us to become firmly rooted in Christ and established in the faith, Colossians 2:7. It is through the process of spiritual maturity that we grow into the likeness of Christ, Galatians 3:27.
However, through obedience we will often suffer trials--trials which we must learn to embrace. Our trials serve to exercise our faith; trials refine us—mold us, shape us. James tells us the trials we endure mature us and make us complete and lacking nothing, James 1:2-4. Trials help us to become firmly rooted in Christ and established in the faith, Colossians 2:7. It is through the process of spiritual maturity that we grow into the likeness of Christ, Galatians 3:27.
What is the
result of and goal of our faith? The Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:3-9 the
goal of our faith is the salvation of our souls and the benefits we enjoy are that we have a living
hope; an imperishable inheritance; we are protected by God’s power and we have
inexpressible joy.
Don’t wait
to enjoy all the blessings God has in store for you. Ask God to help you in your walk of faith. He rewards those who seek Him and He yearns to give you an
abundant life now. Begin now—worship intentionally—live
expectantly as you passionately pursue the Lord’s will in all things!
God Bless!
