Active Faith

 

Active Faith

by Sis. Brenda Smith 

        It’s January, but I’m pretty sure my weather app thinks we are at the beginning of March. Definitely not complaining. I’m a two-season kind of girl; I can live in spring and fall all year round! Starting to believe in the snowbird mentality more and more each year as winter creeps closer to my joints. 

       I am privileged to be given the opportunity to share on this lovely, God honoring, youth minded platform. 

    I’ve been trying to grasp faith a little more recently. Hebrews 11 is worth your read (or listening) as you go through this post. 

    I’m amazed at the simplicity of what a sinner is commanded to do to change their eternal residence in a moment of time. Throughout Scripture, we see Jesus pouring His mercy and grace as He recognizes FAITH in a sinner’s heart.

        Tim Mackie from The Bible Project shares that faith is not just a mental state to get into. Faith is an experience; you get a taste of some kind of the reality of what you are hoping for. 

        You’ll probably pitch your boots and leave that scarf behind if your weather app says it is 50 degrees outside. After all, we were in the single digits just last week! That is faith. But it’s not blind faith. It’s faith that is based on very good reasoning that winter is not eternal. 

        Mackie also comments that faith is both thinking and responding; living in the light of that reality. As you do so, it puts you in touch with the substance or the reality of the thing that you are hoping for.

        “…faith is the assurance of things hoped for…” We hope for a better country, as the writer in Hebrews shares. We hope for new life in Christ while on earth. We hope for daily grace and strength as we go to school or go to work. And as believers, walking in the light that He has shone on our path, we do get a taste of what we hope for!

        Let’s act on our faith. Let’s set boundaries. Let’s jump into what His Word has to offer. Let’s physically stop our fingers from scrolling and get them in the Word. And sooner or later a habit will begin to form. Sooner or later, you’ll realize He is drawing closer. As Erin mentioned, “A daily walk with Christ is the way to changing the flow of our heart.” 

    Hebrews 11 talks about real people acting on their faith, because they had very good reasons to believe the One who had called them. Almost 2000 years later, I still find very good reasons to believe in Him who has called ME. 

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.