Faith for faith
A purpose of faith is that you live by faith.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17
The Gospel has been revealed from God to you. This is faith. Now that you have this free gift, you are to utilize it for faith.
A simple illustration.
Imagine receiving an extravagant gift for Christmas, say a new car. The car is beautiful, brand new, and you want to make sure that it stays safe and sound. Rather than drive the car, you park the car in a garage, never utilized. You walk by it and admire it occasionally, you talk about it to others, you even sit in it sometimes, but it is never utilized for its purpose, transportation.
The free gift of the car, created for transportation, sits dormant serving no purpose.
Faith is a free gift, the greatest blessing that can be received, one to be cherished. The purpose of the free gift of faith is so that we may live by faith. To use the language in Romans, faith comes from God for faith. We are given faith to live by faith.
Perhaps the greatest struggle of my life is living by faith. Just like the car illustration, my faith has a tendency to remain dormant while I struggle, mostly from a mental standpoint. I worry, fear, plan, compare, get frustrated, live a life of internal stress. Then, I attempt to force things to happen which is like trying to fit a square peg through a round hole.
All the while, I have this free gift of faith that can be used to battle all of these issues, but, the tendency is to keep it locked away.
Living what you believe, living by faith will forever be an issue for all. We are human. Since the garden, we tend to believe what we can touch and see. We allow our emotions to dictate our actions. As you read, I am sure you have something living rent free in your mind causing stress.
Thoughts to live by faith.
Rest and realize you are 100% dependent on God. That is a great spot to be. He gave the gift, he provides the fuel to travel by faith.
Begin each day in the right place. Read the Bible. I didn’t understand this truth until later, and the discipline revolutionized my life. I don’t have this discipline to check some box, rather I just know where I would be without God’s Word. It is a gift. Take control of your mind at daylight. Let God have your thoughts when you wake. This creates momentum, filling your heart with truth to live with faith.
And, this practice will help you play the day, play what is before you. The tendency is to look to the future. Maybe this causes fear and anxiety. But, all you have is today. If you live in the future, you will miss the ones you love most. If you live in the past, your mind will be full of second guessing, regret. Live in the here and now to impact others.
Few things in life create momentum like faith. One person outwardly living their faith is like a domino, impacting others. The opposite is also true. A dormant faith doesn’t impact others.
Choose to live by your faith today. God will take it from there.
And, give yourself grace for all the misses. God certainly does.
Impact others. Live generously.