A trustworthy individual earns a respect in this life.”
–A.K. Vyas (Shannon)
“Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.”
–Psalm 16:1 (NKJV)
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Many, many…many years ago, when seeking direction from the Lord as to what type of ministry I should be involved in, I held a small evangelistic meeting. On Sunday morning, I announced that I would be preaching on “Faith” in the evening service. Now, this was the day of the hyper-faith, blab it and grab it teaching. Folks came expecting that Sunday evening. “Faith is,” I started out, “waking up in the morning, brushing your teeth, having breakfast and coffee, getting dressed for the day and knowing that whatever comes your way that day, that God is in it.” Well, to say the least, I got very few “amens”, and probably no hallelujahs. Oh, and by the way, I found I was not to be an evangelist.
But what is faith if not trusting in God? Percy C. Ainsworth said, “Faith is not an act, but an attitude; not an event, but a principle; not a last resource, but the first and abiding necessity.” This morning I want to draw your attention to Psalm 62:8 for contemplation.
“Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah”
–Psalm 62:8 (NKJV)
Trust is not for a moment, or a particular situation, but all times. It could be put this way, “trust in the Lord, no matter what!” The Hebrew word for faith is to be translated “faithfulness.” It is much more than just a statement about God, but it reveals a life of full reliance upon Him. Faith, then is to be a lifestyle for “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6) One writer said that to be full of faith is the “state of steady devotion to a person, thing, or concept.”
Do not confuse the life of faith with the gift of faith found in 1 Corinthians 12. Faith or faithfulness is a lifestyle. It is living in accord with the truth of God’s word; living in the assurance that God’s word is truth and His promises are for us. “Only the faith that can trust at all times can trust at any time.” (Ainsworth) How do you handle the woes of this world except to live a life of faithfulness? When it comes time for us to stand before God, He will say “well done, good and faithful.” It is living this life of faith, of being faithful to obey God’s word that gets us through the everyday things of life as well as the traumatic things that may come our way. Ainsworth states, “Faith does more than hold a man’s hand in the darkness; it leads him into the light.”
We must not reduce life to a series of acts of faith, but develop the realization that every step we take should be in faithful agreement with the Word of God. Abraham lived a life of faithfulness. How about you? “When faith has become a spontaneity of our character, when it turns to God instinctively, when it does its work with the involuntariness of habit, then it had become strong.” (Ainsworth) Noah “became heir of righteousness which is according to faith (faithfulness).” (Hebrews 11:7)
I would ask, are you a person of faith? Do you trust in Him at all times…do you trust Him no matter what? In the boat, when the storms rages and the waves crash, do you fear or do you live in faith knowing that God is in control of the situation and in control of your life? Alistair Beggs tells us, “There’s something compelling about humble faithfulness—doing what we do, day in and day out, not in hope of praise but because it is the right thing to do.”
So how does one live a life of faithfulness?
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
–J. H. Sammis
————————————
Many, many…many years ago, when seeking direction from the Lord as to what type of ministry I should be involved in, I held a small evangelistic meeting. On Sunday morning, I announced that I would be preaching on “Faith” in the evening service. Now, this was the day of the hyper-faith, blab it and grab it teaching. Folks came expecting that Sunday evening. “Faith is,” I started out, “waking up in the morning, brushing your teeth, having breakfast and coffee, getting dressed for the day and knowing that whatever comes your way that day, that God is in it.” Well, to say the least, I got very few “amens”, and probably no hallelujahs. Oh, and by the way, I found I was not to be an evangelist.
But what is faith if not trusting in God? Percy C. Ainsworth said, “Faith is not an act, but an attitude; not an event, but a principle; not a last resource, but the first and abiding necessity.” This morning I want to draw your attention to Psalm 62:8 for contemplation.
“Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah”
–Psalm 62:8 (NKJV)
Trust is not for a moment, or a particular situation, but all times. It could be put this way, “trust in the Lord, no matter what!” The Hebrew word for faith is to be translated “faithfulness.” It is much more than just a statement about God, but it reveals a life of full reliance upon Him. Faith, then is to be a lifestyle for “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6) One writer said that to be full of faith is the “state of steady devotion to a person, thing, or concept.”
Do not confuse the life of faith with the gift of faith found in 1 Corinthians 12. Faith or faithfulness is a lifestyle. It is living in accord with the truth of God’s word; living in the assurance that God’s word is truth and His promises are for us. “Only the faith that can trust at all times can trust at any time.” (Ainsworth) How do you handle the woes of this world except to live a life of faithfulness? When it comes time for us to stand before God, He will say “well done, good and faithful.” It is living this life of faith, of being faithful to obey God’s word that gets us through the everyday things of life as well as the traumatic things that may come our way. Ainsworth states, “Faith does more than hold a man’s hand in the darkness; it leads him into the light.”
We must not reduce life to a series of acts of faith, but develop the realization that every step we take should be in faithful agreement with the Word of God. Abraham lived a life of faithfulness. How about you? “When faith has become a spontaneity of our character, when it turns to God instinctively, when it does its work with the involuntariness of habit, then it had become strong.” (Ainsworth) Noah “became heir of righteousness which is according to faith (faithfulness).” (Hebrews 11:7)
I would ask, are you a person of faith? Do you trust in Him at all times…do you trust Him no matter what? In the boat, when the storms rages and the waves crash, do you fear or do you live in faith knowing that God is in control of the situation and in control of your life? Alistair Beggs tells us, “There’s something compelling about humble faithfulness—doing what we do, day in and day out, not in hope of praise but because it is the right thing to do.”
So how does one live a life of faithfulness?
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
–J. H. Sammis