Life is an adventure and it takes faith to navigate it. When we make decisions we often don’t have all the information and we are uncertain of the outcome. It takes faith to choose a direction. As we are following Jesus it is our trust in him that is most important. In fact, the writer of Hebrews tells us it is impossible to please God without faith.
Hebrews 11:6
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Faith Comes First
This verse may confuse some. It takes faith to please God? What about good works? What about church attendance? Those are all important, but faith must come first. If you don’t believe that God exists and seek after him, all the church attendance and service is meaningless. Faith directs everything in our walk with Jesus.
Walk by Faith
The Apostle Paul tells us that we walk by Faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). In our hearts, we want to see something to believe but God is unseen, and it takes faith to believe in something we can’t see. It also takes faith to please God. Putting our trust in him every day is something give him great joy.
Go Beyond Yourself
All the great saints over the years have had great moments of faith where they went beyond themselves and trusted God to work. It’s is said that if your goals and dreams are something that you can accomplish on your own they aren’t big enough. If your faith in Jesus is something that you have under control, it isn’t big enough. If you desire to be in control and have everything planned your faith will get in the way. Faith stretches us.
Rewards for Faith
There are rewards for those who live by faith. We get the benefits of His presence. There is nothing sweeter than being in the presence of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit. Faith also brings growth. When we walk by faith, we mature and transform into the image of Christ. Probably the greatest reward is the adventure that God takes us on. There is no better life than putting our trust in him. What he opens to us far surpasses anything this world has to offer.