4 Real-World Observations of What it Means to Live by Faith
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Jesus wasn’t interested in keeping his faith to himself; he was interested in transferring his faith to those who would come after him – to his disciples then and to you and me now. There are things I may not see in my lifetime, and I hope I would do a great job of transferring what God has placed in me into those who would come after me.
As great as it is to reach people for Christ, the first of the next generations God wants us to reach are the generations right in our home. This is where the transfer of faith should begin. When I read Hebrews 11, Abraham transferred faith to Isaac, who transferred it to Jacob, who transferred it to Joseph, and so it went. As you think about what it means to live by faith, let’s be intentional about transferring faith in our own homes. So often, we cast the responsibility to the church or somewhere else when the responsibility belongs to us. If you are going to make disciples, don’t just make them outside the home, do your best to start with the ones in your home.
Earlier, we looked at the definition of faith, which is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. For a moment, I want to encourage some of you who have children and family members who are not saved. One legacy of faith you can leave for them is to never stop praying for them.
When you are dealing with unsaved loved ones, this is where faith that outlives you can come into play. You may not see people you are praying for come to Christ in your lifetime, but you keep praying and believing, anyway. God commended the ancients for their confidence, even though they did not see what they believed for. You can do the same thing.
We need to remember there is no such thing as wasted prayer. God never forgets the prayers we pray, especially for those who don’t know him because this is in alignment with his will. Whether you see them come to the Lord in your lifetime or you don’t, know that your labors and prayers are not in vain.
Faith is not just about what is but about what is coming. Faith means there will be things we believe for and see in our lifetime and things we won’t. We won’t see the complete effects of our faith until eternity, anyway. The challenge for the hour is to be people who understand what it means to live by faith. This means not just living for our own lives, but the lives of others. Not just thinking about this generation, but the ones that follow. It means taking actions today that show your hope and confidence, even when you may never see the result.
As I close out my thoughts, the only question left is are you ready to live by faith completely, with all it entails? I don’t know where your faith is today, but this is the type of faith I want to live by. This kind of faith will not only shape my life, but the lives of everyone around me. I pray one day God would commend me for my faith the same way he commended the ancients.
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Photo credit: Pexels/Josh Hild
