I was looking through a devotion i wrote a couple years ago and found something that i still believed in, yet i felt it needed more clarity because it sounded as if faith was dependent on works (because it is not). Your faith produces and affects what you do, instead of being the effect of works. Yet faith is not merely some fleeting fancy that persuades you at one moment in your life, and just leaves you with a golden key that you can pick up and put down. Faith can be as strong as bricks, and faith can be weak as hay. But although faith is not directed by your works, it is worked upon. There is still a kinetic element in one’s faith that is tested by everything else in life that surrounds it, and it’s our faith that either stands or fails, that is weakened or strengthened. But it is a decision we must consciously make each time our faith is questioned, to either work on it or let it be battered.

Our faith in God is constantly at work whether we know it or not. We can live life thinking that our faith is just a sentence claiming we believe in God, without letting it be active in our lives, working in our behaviors and testimony. Or we can live life through faith by living out our belief in God. It’s not just a play and rearranging of words, but grasp the meaning.

We make conscious decisions about our faith; it is not something we are born with or a mere title that categorizes us within Christianity. For example, a woman can be a mother by title because she has gone through labor and produced an offspring, but the role that she bravely steps up to involve and sacrifice herself for the loving and nurturing of her baby is the deeper definition of motherhood. A woman grows into her role, and with each day, becoming better, more mature and wiser in her understanding of her child and herself. Faith also must go beyond titles and statements; faith must grow and mature.

Our faith matures several ways, sometimes through pain and trials, and sometimes by our own spiritual exercise. We can build our faith by immersing in scripture, so we know what we believe, and why- and who, and when. In 1 Pet.2:2, it says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” In the beginning of our faith, we learn little by little, mainly the basics of what we believe, and it’s by those things we’ve learned that help us to change and live for God. But as our lives continue, so does the fight to live for God, because Satan tries even harder to snatch us away from fully living for Christ. But by building our faith, we become more mature in our role, and therefore giving us more defense to run from sin. “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (heb.5:13-14). The second part of the verse says “by constant use have trained themselves,” suggesting that there is a prolonged sense of time involved, as well as work. Our faith in its infancy produces only what it knows in its infancy, but when we continue to work on our faith by knowing more and more of who God is and what He’s done, and His plan for us, our faith in its maturity produces what it knows in its maturity. Righteousness becomes a conscious joy. Holiness is pushed up to the top 10 on our list. Our faith produces good works.

That’s why faith is never easy- even to the most “Christ-like” person, or the people in leadership positions in church, or the people who are termed “good” and “holy.” It just seems like their second nature to live for Christ is easy, but we most likely fail to see the pain they went through that tested and strengthened their faith. We don’t see the years they’ve toiled and struggled with their faith, like we do. But they’ve had to make similar choices. Their current exterior is the product of “constant” interior “training.”

Living in faith is not effortless. Sometimes we’re brought to our knees. Sometimes we so desperately want to run back and away from the cross. And sometimes we want to hide because of guilt or pride. But whatever the circumstance, we still need to make choices. When those choices come, we must have Christ in our focus, and no matter how hard it is to trust in Him, to come to Him, and to submit to Him, we can have the assurance that God’s grace and power will cover us. “Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt.7:20). So let us continue to strengthen our faith, not let it stagnate or treat it like a key that we can pick up and put down. Let it stir in us every day. Let it jump and dance in our hearts that gives us joy. And lastly, let your faith move.

On R.Zacharias’ 3 part sermon on the temptation of Christ, Ravi dissected the temptations of Christ and explained it in 3 different philosophies- 1. Humanism 2. Utilitarianism 3. Hedonism.  After listening to all of the sermons, if you could sum up everything, although that would lose all that good stuff and such a complexity of rich flavors, it would be this in my own processed translation: with all our intellect, with all our gifts, with all our finite qualities and limited capacities, we try to be over and above wisdom through the exclusivity of reason without faith; over and above power as a hero to influence and/or control the lives of others; and over and above eternity by denying God and our need for Jesus- the ONLY way, the ONLY reason. We think we can live the way we want in freedom from the shackles and constraints of God’s laws. But when we do so, it is freedom that we forfeit when we are slaves to sin.  Our flaw is that we don’t have eternity on our minds.  We really live in this world to live for ourselves, to do what we want, to indulge in its pleasures and indulge in it well, without regret or thought of consequence, to experience ALL there is to experience and taking in every opportunity to feel, hence therefore really living. That is the distraction that the spiritual principalities of Satan uses to deviate us from what is really true- which is to live for Christ.

Satan tempts us, saying, “why not?  Do it. Everything is yours and take what you want. Satisfy your curiosity and have no reservations. This world is meant for you and everything in life is there for you to taste. Take the fame, acquire more and more, experience love and lust everywhere, feed your pleasures, think that you are better than your friends, forget fellowship with those that challenge your character, believe in your validated reason and your intellectual superiority…etc.”

Man lives for man, and man only sees what man sees, and thinks he thinks like God.

Man self justifies his worth without God and refuses his basic inherent quality- which is ‘to need.’  Man thinks and forgets that he was born with the quality ‘to need.’  Man needs bread.  Man needs shelter.  Man needs love.  Ask Maslow; man has basic needs, a hierarchy of materialism, but needs nonetheless.  But God, who has fashioned the earth and holds the galaxy and all there is outside of our imaginative realm, does not need.  God does not need. 

So why does man think that his wisdom can be above God?  Why do our actions confront God with such audacity instead of fear? Why does man live as if he’s only living for his present lifetime and for himself?  Our worship which was intended for the creator has been displaced for that which was created.  But King David had it right, he said, “Who is man that you are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4).  David realized our insignificance objectively, but subjectively, to God, we are significant.  As Louie Giglio termed it- our “significant insignificance.” 

To illustrate, I’ll share a story: while driving home one night, I looked at my daughter Emma who was overly snuggly strapped into her car seat.  Neither hungry, wet, nor scared, she kept crying because she wanted to get out of her car seat and be held, or be patted, or have a little to drink.  Whatever her reason, she let us know that we had to give her attention.  To her, the world was Emma-centric and she wouldn’t cease until she was appeased temporarily, and then complain again for something else.  She didn’t know that outside of her tiny shell were her two parents in the car who are trying to follow Ravi’s elusive thoughts.  She didn’t know that outside their car were her grandparents waiting at home to smother her with hugs and kisses.  She didn’t know that outside her grandparents’ home were their neighbors, then developments, then cities- states- countries- planets- galaxies.  Her concerns are absent of national tragedies, world calamities.  To her, everything is nonexistent and insignificant compared to maybe a wet diaper.

My second example is my last: one day, after Emma’s routine of waking up and smiling to greet me a new morning, she started getting antsy because she was getting bored of being on her back.  Being 3.5 months, she thinks she’s a big girl.  She wants to do big girl things like join the big people table when we eat, or stand all the time like a big girl, and these days she refuses to lean back on my legs when I prop her to sitting position.  Nowadays, she persists to sit like a big girl and tries to support her immature body.  She even smiles proudly when you gawk at her in amazement and mention how she’s become such a big girl.  When I propped her to stand in front of the mirror that day, she smiled at herself, paying no attention to the 122lbs big girl in back supporting her.  Knowing exponentially more than she does, I ask her, “who is that baby?”  Through reflection, I’d like to think that she sees that she is not as big as she thinks she is, and is not to par physically as the giants that carry her.  And if she could just see the reflection of the mirror, and see the entire picture of me holding her, she’ll see how small she is compared to me, but ultimately and nonetheless precious and a beloved wonder to me.

That’s how we are.  Because we have one view, we are sometimes selective of what we see and what is out there.  We look out and we think our lives are the most important to us. But at those times of reflection, we give ourselves the allowance to see how big we made ourselves to be to the reality of our smallness in comparison to God.  And that is possible by reflecting on the whole image, the bigger picture, in seeing who is carrying us, through grace to live.

That’s how we are.  Our view, compared to God’s, is that of a baby’s perspective.  And it’s funny when I think of how Emma thinks, how limited her world is, and how big things really are.  But it’s not so funny when we look at ourselves, and our wet diapers in comparison to what God sees.

Live for Jesus. And you don’t have to commit your life to full time missions, or save a thousand souls, be a speaker on a soap box, take a profession in clergy, be on the praise and worship team, lead a small group, or even go to all the retreats and convention conferences and attend every hot upcoming Christian concert.  Living for Jesus sometimes means working on your integrity, leaving away messages on your online journals/IMs that don’t contradict your testimony, talking to that person who just doesn’t reach out to others, being an example to your children, down playing your ego, pride, and self-bloatedness, mastering an unspoken sin, or vice, or habit like cursing, indulging in slothfulness, jealousy, excessive competitiveness, sexual immorality, backbiting, drunkenness, perversion, adultery, materialism, popularity, etc…And sometimes living for Jesus means trusting he’s got your back when you’re kicked down, acknowledging he’s working in every aspect of your life [like your love life, your relationships, job, family, financial standing, school, friends, your future]. Living for Jesus could mean humbling your life to him by strengthening your QT with him, meditating on his word, being quiet to listen to him, and spending time to know him- know him- not just his name, or that he exists, or that he’s just there to answer prayers; find out about His love, seek His character, research of His goodness, and be sensitive in allowing him to reveal to you his nature of who he is.

Be relevant; daily; living for Christ is a lifestyle that sets its eyes on eternity.

-marchesa ababa

I chose Proverbs 3:5 as my topic verse because it has impacted my life by giving me inspiration.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).  The head is mentioned three times in verses 1,3, and 5 of chapter three.  I reiterate the head because head faith is not a saving faith.  Why?  On the biblical perspective, it argues that you would miss heaven if you believe the gospel with your head rather than with your heart.  Head faith, or intellectual faith, is dangerous.  You may think you are saved simply because you believe the facts of the gospel, but it says that without the heart commitment, your faith is not a saving faith at all.

Heart faith is confessing “with your mouth the Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10:9).  Then you will be saved.  Furthermore, “for it is your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Rom. 10:10).  These verses are evidence that we are dependent on God for our salvation because we believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead.

Let’s dissect confessing and believing.  Confessing is external and believing is internal because it comes from the inner self, which is the heart.  That belief of our hearts leads us to the gift of eternal life.

In Psalms 86:11-12, it says, “teach me your ways, O Lord that I may live according to your truth.  Grant me purity of heart that I may honor you.”  David is praying for his heart to be united with God.  These verses tell us that David is submitting himself, and by submitting himself, he is trusting God to take control of his life.  This directly supports the sentiment found in the previous verses mentioned in Proverbs 3.

All of this, however, does not apply solely to salvation, for many heresies (opinions or beliefs that contradict established religious teaching) have been brought out because men tried to reason out doctrinal truth- leaning toward our own wisdom instead of simply believing God’s Word.  Sabi nga (it has been said that) there is a way that seems right to man, but the end thereof is death. 

I conclude with Proverbs 3:6, which is always in connection to verse five.  “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”  Acknowledging Him refers to having all your ways attuned to His will- trusting in His power, wisdom, providence, goodness, righteousness, and believing that without Him, you can do nothing.  Most of our failures are due to pride, for we think that our own wisdom and strength are sufficient, so we do not acknowledge Him as necessary in all things.  But the truth is that we do need God’s direction in everything, for this alone is a safe pathway.  Let me end by saying, trusting God with our hearts will not put us to shame.