“For by grace are you saved through faith: and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
I feel led to return to the basic importance of faith in our lives. We should never underestimate the power of faith. It is by faith that we are saved. This is what the text printed above tells us: “For by grace through faith are you saved…” Because of God’s grace, His unmerited favor, we can be saved. The root Greek word for faith is “pistis.” The meaning of this word is to believe. It is not a casual belief in Jesus; rather it is a life-changing belief that makes a difference in all aspects of our lives. It is by faith that we are sustained through all of life. What I mean by this is that faith in Jesus keeps us from giving in to the worries and depressions of life. I don’t need to tell you that life in this world is sometimes very difficult. I have discovered in my life that I can face anything that life brings because of my faith in Jesus Christ. But I do not mean to use myself as the epitome of sustaining faith. I think that the apostle Paul is a better example. 2 Corinthians 11:24-26 gives us an example of what I mean: “Of the Jews five times I received forty stripes save one. 25. Three times was I beaten with rods, once I was stoned; three times I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep. 26. In journeying often, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren.” Paul was sustained through life’s hardships by the same faith that we can put in Jesus as we face our hardships. Trust Jesus to carry you through the good and bad in life. Are you really moving out in faith in Jesus or are you holding back? I do not mean to make faith sound like a commodity, but faith is the resource that helps us to live what the Bible calls the victorious life. The old hymn says, “Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.” 1 John 5:4-5 states it this way: “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. 5. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Faith in Jesus is not a magical formula. It is the releasing of our lives to Jesus and trust that He will get us through, over or around anything that we face in life. Place your faith in Christ and live by that faith in Him, and you can face anything that life brings. Just do it…….. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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