Life is! (by Faith) Pt. 2

I am just collecting my thoughts as I write this so don't criticize me for thinking abstractly or drawing strange connections that don't relate. This is a rought draft that's published.



Yesterday during my devo's I was unsure what to read in my Bible. I wanted something that would make sense. I wanted something that I hadn't been reading over mindlessly for a few weeks already. I wanted something that would give me another Life is! blog post. Finally I sacrificed all areas except the second one and started in on Romans 1.



I'm going to go re-read it now.



Only one verse really stood out to me last night: Romans 1:17 "For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, 'The righteous will live by faith.'" (This verse quotes Hubakkuk 2:4)



Then today as I read, I noticed that word so many more times. Romans 1:5, 8 and 12. "Through him and for his name's sake we received grace and apostleship to call people from among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith...First, I thank my God...because your faith is being reported all over the world...that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith."



I gathered that we are to live lives of righteousness through faith. To organize this like an boring professor-ish lecture, I should present a working definition of faith. I won't be elaborate. Read Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."



What questions remain? How do we live by faith? What do we do that requires faith?

I'm really not going to answer the questions, I'm just going to put down my insights about faith and you determine if you still have questions (which you then procede to leave posted as comments.)



"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certian of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead." Hebrews 11:1-4



Wouldn't you like to leave a legacy like that? Wouldn't you love to have people talking about you and your faith after the great-grand children who attended your funeral are dead and gone...2,000 years after your favorite niece sang that horrible swinging tune at your funeral...all those years and people talk about your faith and not the flowers on your casket! That's what I'm talkin' - sign me up!



Moving on.



"And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exixts and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6.



That is a powerful verse. Read it again.



Stop and think about it.



We can't live as Christians without faith. It just doesn't work. It's like trying to make a picture-perfect puzzle without using all the pieces. Not gonna happen.



As I was reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan I came across this question. "What are you doing right now that requires faith?"

For me, it takes faith to serve God. I want to do what I want to do so that I achieve what I want to achieve. But it takes all my faith to stop inviting Self to drive my car and make him sit in the back seat (or lock him in the trunk.) It's hard to keep reminding myself that God has a plan for my life, and it is the best plan possible for me. It won't always be what I want it to be, but it will be His plan, and that is all I need to know. In theory. In truth, I am constantly asking Jesus to pull over so I can run back and unlock that trunk. Ish-ta. Horrible idea. It never works out the way I think it should. I usually end up crying and clutching the keys on the side of the road, or handing them back to Jesus and leaning my aching head on his shoulder.

I want to leave this as a challenge to us.

"What are we doing right now that requires faith?"

Related blog post by a friend.