I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Putting Faith Into Practice
Faith is essentially trust, which is a pivotal part of following Jesus.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God..." And Ephesians 2:8 explains, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
So we shouldn’t put too much faith in our own faith, but put our faith in God. Only He can create, save, and sustain. We can't know all things, but we can know Him—who knows all things. Which is why we would be wise to put our trust in Him.
But putting our faith into practice isn’t always easy. The writer of Hebrews tells us that faith begins with having confidence in the things we hope for. More than that, it is having assurance for things we cannot see.
While this sounds like a contradiction, faith actually requires us to believe in something outside of ourselves. If we could see it and measure it, it wouldn’t require faith. For instance, we read in Scripture that God created the earth and everything in it. But we weren’t there when it happened. It requires faith to believe that.
Jesus says that those who believe in Him will inherit eternal life—but that’s a promise that has yet to come. We have to have faith that Jesus will keep His promise, and that one day we will be in heaven with Him.
Faith is the assurance that what God promised will happen. It is the confidence that what Jesus said is actually true. This is why people in Scripture faithfully waited for God to fulfill His promises toward them. Most of them might not have seen that fulfillment in their lifetime, but they had faith that God would still follow through.
Take some time to consider your own faith. Is your faith filled with confident hope? Pray for God to give you the assurance that all of His promises will come true. And as you do that, learn from the stories mentioned in Hebrews 11 on what it means to put faith into practice.
“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not....
