Faith

"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in his and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8-9.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1.

"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:17.

The word "Faith" is used numerous times in the Bible, all in different contexts so it is acceptable for the word to have multiple meanings. What does faith mean to you? Faith may have a different meaning for each person, based on that persons family, religious views, values, and beliefs that have been taught to them since childhood. For instance, one person may classify faith as believing they will make it to work on time where to another person their faith is what they live for. Is it what you are living for? This is a challenging question that has been asked during many messages-recently for me. The preacher stood at the pulpit and asked the simple questions, what would you do for your faith? Not only that, but who are you sharing your faith with? If you think about your daily activities, you will realize that we come in contact with several people throughout our normal daily activities. I took this one step deeper, and thought about how I act towards and treat these people that I come in contact with. Am I being a light in a lost word and sharing the love of Christ with these people regardless of how I feel that day or well I know them? The people can be close family members who you know are lost, or the cashier at Starbucks who you only know her name because of her cheery name tag. It doesn't matter. Jesus sees these people in the same light, and so should we as Christians.

Another question that has been heavy on my heart since listening to that same message is this: how many people do we talk to regularly are one good conversation away from the kingdom? Think about the possibilities... So many people that we connect with on a daily basis are just on the verge of salvation, all they need is one good conversation. An actual conversation with someone who loves them and takes the time to express it. Are you talking to these people about Jesus, or are you scared of their judgements? Chances are, they are dying to ask us questions, but are also scared of our judgements. We have to be willing to talk to people! Without talking, our faith cannot be shared nor can the love of Christ.

Faith to me is something I stand up for no matter what. Never underestimate my Jesus!