Live By Faith
The world will tell you that there are many ways to live. Jesus says that the way to eternal life is by faith.
“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.”
Leviticus 27:20-21, 28-30
There are not many things in life that require faith like giving your wealth or the source of your security. You might instinctively have trouble with the mathematical equation that when you give then you subtract from what you have so you have less. This perspective, while true in the moment, is short sighted. It is easy to say I will give when. When I have more money or when I get a promotion or when I payoff debt. When requires no faith and it also tends to not happen.
An honest perspective requires that we acknowledge that what we have is from God so the tithe is giving back out of what we have been given, not subtracting from what we earned. How you steward your resources says a lot about your heart. How do you feel about giving? God wants to grow our trust in Him as we grow in our giving. Wherever you are, and however you feel about giving, God wants you to have faith in Him with what you have. What is a step of faith you can take in your tithing?
“Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.” Psalms 117:1-2
It should come very naturally to praise God when good things happen. What else would we do but praise when we have a prayer answered or experience a blessing. The question of faith is will we praise God in the midst of the valley?
Will we declare how great, faithful, and loving He is when we have unanswered prayers? What does your praise say about your faith? Do you praise backwards or forwards or both?
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The soothing tongue is a tree of life...A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel."
Proverbs 15:1, 4, 12, 18, 28, 33
Science will tell you that natural instinct to conflict is fight or flight. Jesus teaches us a third option. Love. Wisdom says a gentle answer, a loving answer, turns away wrath. A gentle answer requires faith in trusting God with the outcome.
Consider the faith required to love those who persecute you and respond with kindness when others are harsh. Which requires more faith being patient or impulsive? How do your verbal and emotional reactions demonstrate your faith?
“Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. The images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them. He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including the people of his inheritance— the Lord Almighty is his name. Do not lose heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler."
Jeremiah 51:12, 15, 17, 19, 46, 50
We all have faith. Even people who proclaim to be atheists have faith that their opinions are correct. Jeremiah says that not all things are worthy of our faith. Things like idols or possessions are simply distractions that do not give life. He says that there will be adversity that might cause you to lose your faith in God.
Behind Jeremiah's statement to not lose heart or be afraid is the unspoken statement for why we do not have to fear. He is telling whoever will listen to live in the truth that the God who gives us life is the one who will carry us through the troubles of our lives. Where is fear impacting your faith? How is your heart impacted by the current political environment, cultural trends, socially accepted practices, or uncertainty of the future? What promises of God can you stand on that will help you take a step of faith?
“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:11-12, 16-17, 20, 25
The word for faith that Paul uses is pistis. It has very different meaning than the way in which we use faith in the English language. We often will use faith interchangeably with hope. We might say something like I have faith or believe or hope something will happen but I am not sure.
When Paul says pistis, or faith, he means more than human confidence, he means more like a divine warranty or guarantee. It has been said that a check is only as good as the person who writes it. The same concept applies here. God is the one who gives us the assurance, persuasion, confidence, and boldness to move forward with expectation because we know He is faithful and never fails to carry out His will.
Paul says our confidence can spread like wildfire. Isn't it true? When you are around others who share the stories of God's faithfulness, does it not encourage your own confidence? When we walk by faith, we are not walking blindly. Rather we are walking with the certainty that He who began a good work will carry it to completion. We know without a doubt that Jesus Christ died for us and rose for the grave. The life we live by faith is exponentially better than the one apart from faith because we develop eyes to see God everywhere, all the time. How is your faith in God? How can you grow your faith? How have you shared your faith? We are called to walk by faith, share our faith, and demonstrate our faith in all things, at all times, with each step forward we take.