And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
All of us live by some sort of faith, whether it be in God, ourselves, other people, science, chance, or some other thing. If we did not, we would live completely uncertain of everything and be unable to ever relax and function. As it is, we get up each day expecting the sun to rise, the light switches to work, our car to get us where we need to go, for other people to drive their car properly, for our phone to work, etc. The reason we get upset when things go awry is proof of our expectation that things should work properly and that we live in an orderly universe. Who made this orderly universe? God’s Word tells us He spoke it into being, and that He made us in His image to know and love Him as our Heavenly Father; yet this truth escapes the majority of all mankind. If we ever hope to find the meaning of our existence and fulfill our purpose for being here, it will be found by faith in the living God. We must come to the place where we will trust in Him and believe that He rewards a life devoted to seeking Him. Is it not amazing that this Almighty God who created everything will be pleased with us if we simply put our faith in Him? I must admit it is beyond my comprehension that anything I could do could please God in any way. My selfishness in thought and deed seems to permeate much of my life. I am comforted to know that my Lord Jesus Christ knows my weaknesses and loves me despite them; however, He also loves me too much to let me stay as I am, and His Spirit continues to call me to “deeper waters” of faith and dependency on Him every day. I believe this is the life of faith that God calls each of us to. He wants us to realize how very helpless we are on our own, and that only by being united with Him through faith in Jesus Christ, and indwelt by His Spirit, can we truly change. We must all come to that place where we believe there is a Living God who cares for us, and that if we will devote ourselves to Him, He will be pleased to show Himself strong on our behalf. (see 2 Chronicles 16:9) Jesus taught that “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” in Matthew 5:3 and “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” in Matthew 23:12. Do you want to please God? Humble yourself before Him by acknowledging your need for His daily grace, forgiveness and help, and seek Him with all your heart. Put all your hope for forgiveness in what Jesus Christ did on the cross for us 2,000 years ago. “Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus” is how the song goes, and so it is in reality. I pray we all seek to know and please the Lord in greater ways in 2018 as it is the blessed life designed by God Himself!
Pastor Gary Houdek