So you see, faith by itself isn't
enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. James 2:17
“Oh, I’ve always
been a Christian,” Shara said. “I’m not into church much, but if the guy I’m
living with wants to go, I’ll go with him.” She smiled confidently and nodded
toward the baby on her hip. “This little guy’s dad was really into church and
threw verses at me the whole time we ran the bar together. But I don’t think
the Bible is relevant for us today, so I didn’t let it bother me. I keep crosses
and pictures of Jesus all over my house, so I think God knows I have a lot of
faith.”
Sadly, stories
like Shara’s are very common. Maybe you’ve even said something similar. Because
faith is invisible and is used to describe our attitude toward many things, we
often isolate it from the rest of our lives. We think we can have spiritual
faith while still living for ourselves. But God’s word clearly tells us that
the kind of faith that saves us is the kind that changes us. We cannot have
real faith in God while choosing a lifestyle contrary to all that He is (1 John 3:6).
Sometimes what we call “faith in God”
is really just a fervent hope that things will go the way we want them to. But
God never commands us to have faith FOR something. He commands us to have faith
IN Him. Faith is not a “force.” It is the connection between our earthly lives
and the spiritual realm. A. W. Tozer writes, “Faith is the gaze of the soul
upon a saving God.” Where our soul gazes, our lives travel.
Have you tried to keep your “faith” separate
from your daily life? Unless faith changes us, it cannot save us.
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