Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Having faith is not an option. Even for the person that likes to say that they don’t have faith in anything. They’ve put their faith in the fact that everything is meaningless and life ends when our heartbeat ends. Though it might seem to be misplaced, they have great faith in what they believe in. Trust me when I say that everyone has faith in something.
As Christians, we are put into a unique situation. Everything we do is based on faith and hope. We are to center our whole lives around something that we’ve never seen, can’t touch, and can’t come close to proving except by the lives we once lived and lives we live now.
Having faith is easier for some than it is for others. Some people encounter Christ and, in an instant, become a new creation that is easily visible. There’s no denying the change in these people’s lives. Then there are those of us that have spent years just going through the motions. Sunday School every Sunday morning. Prayer meeting on Wednesdays. Camps. Mission trips. But there is no change. Ironically, some of us even got baptized before we even understood what the word “ironic” means. Our church life before just turns into our church life now. It’s sort of like living with your spouse before you get married. There’s not really a difference after you’ve said your vows except for the extra weight on your ring finger.
Like I said earlier, having faith is easier for some than it is for others… There’s a reason and this is it:
When we completely place our trust in Christ, we are given hope. Hope for a more meaningful life on this earth. Hope for an eternity spent in Heaven.
When we surrender our lives fully to Christ, we are given a purpose. To love God and to love each other more than we love ourselves. To serve others.
It is only when we are fully aware of both our hope and our purpose that we can have true faith. A faith that is alive and well.
Choose faithfulness.
