You can have no faith, little faith, failing faith, or great faith. And how do you get GREAT faith? By reading the Word of God. By interacting daily with the God of the Universe. By absorbing what He is saying to you. By being obedient to what you hear. And by believing that God IS able to perform everything He promises.
We are obedient because …
- First, we, unreservedly, love Him!
- Secondly, because it grows our faith. Obedience is when we acknowledge His Lordship in our life and we walk in this light. When God reveals to us this incredible relationship with us (which, by the way, he is waiting to do), we find our faith growing, our understanding taking root. We come to a realization of what it is that he has been trying to do the entire time for us, that is, reveal Himself to us and plunge us into an intimate relationship with Himself.
- Thirdly, we are obedient because we want to be like Him. We are not obedient to gain Heaven. We gain Heaven by acknowledging the fact that Jesus, innocent of all sin, went to that stupid cross and died to pay the horrendous debt against us. By grace, you are saved. Our arrogant attitude that we could possibly save ourselves is dashed to the ground in that one miraculous moment when we understand that there is no good within ourselves to ever merit Heaven…to ever merit standing in the Presence of God in all of His purity. We are sinners. But praise be to God who sent His Son to stand in our place, receive our punishment, and to secure our place; that place where we are with Him …. for eternity.
That one, all consuming, astounding understanding, seals us to His heart, recreates our purpose, humbles us to our knees, and fills us with the most delicious desire to be all that we can be in order to shed light on the fact that Jesus saves. Jesus saves….and we all need that saving grace. He changes us. He turns our stony hearts to lumps of softened clay, easily molded by His hand. And in that softening and surrender we find the Power of God displayed. No more do we try to earn our way to heaven...we simply throw ourselves to the ground at His feet, tearful of what we now know to be true. Not I, but Christ. Worthy is the Lamb…the LAMB that was slain…to receive power and riches, and wisdom and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And by FAITH, we lay hold of this incredible truth.
God is not the God of maybe...He is the God of Absolute...trust that.