The Journey of Faith

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)

When God called Abraham to step out in faith, it was not just a physical relocation of his family. God was asking Abraham to relocate his faith from what he could understand and observe, and his past successes and failures to faith in God through trust and obedience.

Abraham had to leave everything that was familiar to him when he decided to fully follow God. I’m sure it felt risky; faith always feels risky in the natural. But when we trust and obey God's leading, there is always provision and promotion.

You and I are called to step out in faith, just like Abraham did. There will be many times in our lives when we are called to trust God's plan, even when in the natural it makes little sense. In fact, many times when you follow God, you leave your comfort zones and the backstops you’ve built to protect you and your family. Sometimes, following God means letting go of relationships, plans or even our own good ideas.

But God’s promise to Abraham is also a promise that we can hold onto. God did not just promise Abraham that he would bless his life, but that he would use Abraham to bring the blessing to the lives of others. Every time that Abraham obeyed God, he became a conduit through which the blessing of God flowed.

Faith requires courage, perseverance, and tenacity to do what it takes to see God's will be done on this earth. Following God does not mean there will not be difficulties and challenges and questions along the way. It means that at the end of every challenge, we will see the provision and the power of God.

Practical Application

How is God asking you to step out in unwavering trust? Are you willing to follow God even when your flesh doesn’t understand? Ask God honestly and personally how He would have you stretch your faith and obey as He leads. Then, expect to see His goodness!

Nehemiah 9:7; Genesis 15:7

The Unity of God

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)

In the opening verses of his Gospel, John transported us back to the very beginning of creation. He explained who was there putting everything together. He wrote, “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word that is being referred to in John’s first verse is Jesus Christ. John explained that in eternity past, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit existed together in perfect unity and harmony. They were and always will be one in name, aim, purpose, thought, direction, and movement.

There are many ministries and pastors who deny the existence of the Trinity, which is a dangerous theological road to take. The Bible is clear about God’s existence as Three in One. The Trinity is clearly outlined from Genesis to Revelation.

God’s unity is a great example to the church. We are called to be a unified body, as the Trinity is. Individual Christians have different functions, but we are all still a part of the same body, going the same direction and fulfilling the same purpose.

We can honor one another and have fellowship with one another, as God does.

As we worship God, we should seek after the Father’s heart and understand His deep love and compassion for us. We are called to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we go through life’s challenges, trusting in His wisdom to guide us into all truth. And we know we must fix our eyes on Jesus, the Word made flesh by whom all things were made.We may not fully comprehend and understand the Trinity in its fullness, but trusting God while we have awe about His nature is a part of living the life of faith.

Practical Application

As you read the Bible, consider the revelation of the Trinity that is found throughout Scripture. When you hear Jesus talking to the Father or referring to the Holy Spirit, marvel at the relationship They have today and remind yourself of the unity we are called to have in the body of Christ.

John 17:5; Colossians 1:17

The Foundation of Love

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)

In Matthew 22: 37-40, Jesus was confronted with a question that was asked to all rabbis in His day: What is the most important aspect of the Bible? The answer the rabbis gave to this question usually defined the foundation of their ministry. One rabbi may say something about marriage and his ministry would be mainly about ministering to married people and helping marriages. Jesus, though, needed His ministry to be founded upon the entire Bible.

How would He answer such a deep question?Jesus was not confused, and He did not pause before answering. Jesus instead condensed the entire Bible into one concept: love.

He explained that, first and foremost, we are called to love God. Loving God does not mean having a warm fuzzy feeling when you think about Him. Love is a verb. It’s an action word. It means that we display our love through our trust and obedience. Loving God means we give Him the rule of our lives, our decisions, our actions, and our words.

However, that love for God, Jesus explained, should spill over to how we love others. Understanding that those around us were created in the image of God should compel us to care for and sow into the lives of others. In fact, the Bible clearly states that we don’t love God if it isn’t clear that we love those around us.

Let us be known by our love.

Practical Application

One of the greatest ways that we display our love is through the time that we spend with those we say we love. It's important to dedicate moments in our day to talk to God. We should also find time for those around us so we can sow into their lives. How can you change your schedule to allow more time with God and time to show your love to others?

Leviticus 19:8; Matthew 19:19