Something to Think About

Faith.  What a word.

You cannot be a true Christian without faith.  It is truly the basis of what being a Christian is.  Faith is believing in who Christ was, who Christ is today, and Christ's return.  I have been reading in the book of James the last few weeks and it has been making me think on what faith has to do in my life.

My devotional today was from Hebrews 11:1- "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." No I am not one to always stick with The Message version, but I really like how it was worded: "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundations under everything that makes life worth living.  It's our handle on what we can't see."

Faith is such a complicated, yet at the same time...simple concept to grasp.

Paul mentions faith as something that leads to salvation, but I am finding that James calls it also as an act to change your life.

Now going to a Nazarene affiliated school, I get an ear-full on the term "sanctification."  Look it up...or...I could just tell you.  Sanctification is the process of becoming holy.  You see, when we put our faith in Christ, we also make a commitment to also want to live like Christ.  With that being said, we are making ourselves set-apart from this world.  Faith is testing us to live for Christ, and remove our impurities.

James has also made me realize that as Christians, we often pick and chose what of God's laws we will follow, and which ones we ignore.  It is not like we try to do this, but James clearly states that a sin is a sin...they are all the same according to God and you must seek Him for forgiveness.

Having faith is not easy...at all.  There may be some days where it is just so hard to trust God to be right by your side...but as you strive to be like Christ and become holy, faith works hand-in-hand.

This was a good reminder :)