Faith.
Trust.
Growing up in church those are two words I've heard over and over. And when you hear something that many times it becomes so common you don't even have to think about what it means.
I have faith in God. I trust Him. And I really, truly believe that when I say it.
But over the past few months I've been challenged to discover what those words actually mean. Not just as a thought. But as an action.
..........
As I read Crazy Love this summer, I
began to realize just how comfortable I am in my daily life. I rarely do things that take me outside my
comfort zone. I don't really take risks. And If I'm completely honest, I hardly
ever do anything out of pure faith.
I began to wonder
and I asked myself, how often do I step out in complete and total faith?
No "back up
plan" just in case God doesn't come through.
The answer to that
was one I really didn't want to admit to myself. And then I caught a glimpse of just how terrifying/crazy faith really is.
"We say things like, 'I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me,' and 'Trust in the Lord with all your
heart.' Then we live and plan like we don't believe God even exists. We try to
set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through.
But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's
fidelity to His promises."
And then even as I
was being convicted by this, I was struck by an even scarier thought. That
being convicted or challenged means nothing if change doesn't happen. Faith
without action is literally dead. (James 2:17) It does absolutely no good if we
are merely hearers of the Word and not doers. (James 1:22) As Francis Chan
writes, when people make changes in their lives..."it
carries greater impact than when they merely make impassioned declarations. The
world needs Christians who don't tolerate the complacency of their own
lives."
It's so much easier to just make "impassioned
declarations". We acknowledge the truth of how we should live. Without any
effort we can say things like, "Wow, that's convicting. That's how I need
to be living." But unless we honestly examine our hearts and truly repent
and change, that talk means nothing. Your life should actually look different.
"Repentance is the sign of true belief. . . .
Repent. Change. No one who is yielded to the Holy Spirit can remain the
same."
This faith is a
scary thing. But it is the very thing we are called to do. To trust in Him and in His promises.
And this kind of faith also means obedience. Without reservation.
"We must know that God has called us each to
live faithful and devoted lives before Him, by the power of His Spirit, and
that we need to live out in our daily lives the love and obedience that God has
asked of us."
"Jesus said, 'If you love me, you will obey what
I command' (John 14:15). Jesus did not say, 'If you love me you will obey me
when you feel called or good about doing so. . . .' If we love, then we obey.
Period. This sort of matter-of-fact obedience is part of what it means to live
a life of faith."
I'm not called to
live a comfortable life. In fact, choosing to follow Him requires the exact
opposite.
"For whoever wants to save his life will lose
it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." Matthew 16:25
..........
Do I trust Him
enough to live by faith? No back up plan? No plan B? Just straight up faith.
As I have been
challenged, I hope this also challenges you. Not just to say, "That was
really convicting." But that change would be activated in your life. In
our lives. That by the grace of God we would learn what it looks like to fully
trust Him. And that we would courageously step out in crazy faith.
"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God;
he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations
of those who love him and keep his commands." Deuteronomy 7:9
"Your faith in His faithfulness will give you
the strength to endure whatever is necessary."
If you haven't read
this book before, or it's been a while and, like me, sometimes you just need that reminder to bring you back to the truth, I encourage you to read Crazy Love.
Crazy Love is a challenge. A challenge to
Christians not to become comfortable with lukewarm Christianity. But to examine their
hearts and consider what it truly means to follow Christ.
And If you allow it
to, it will change you.
By His grace, He will change you.
..........
"How we live our days is . . . how we live our
lives."
Annie Dillard