Greetings friends,
in this world of challenges and change it is good to keep our eyes on the essentials of life, to remind ourselves what is fundamental vs what is just a distraction. The best place to find these essentials, of course, is God’s precious word. In our next Nourish, we want to remind ourselves of a key essential – Faith.
As we know, faith is how we began our journey in Christ, however, it is also really important to understand that faith is the only way we can continue in Christ – indeed, Hebrews 11:6 tells us “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.”
Is my faith in Christ strong? Do I really know Him, trust Him? Is my faith in Him growing? Andrew Murray will help us reflect on this more as we look at one of his devotions about continuing in faith – here is a taster to get us started:
It Is As You Came to Him, by Faith
As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in
Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith,
as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:6–7
In these words the apostle teaches us an important lesson, that it is not only by faith that we first come to Christ and are united to Him but also by faith that we are to be rooted and established in our union with Christ. Faith is essential not only for the commencement, but also for the progress of the spiritual life. Abiding in Jesus can only be by faith.
There are sincere Christians who do not understand this; or, if they admit it in theory, they fail to realize its application in practice. They are very zealous for a free gospel in which our first acceptance of Christ and justification is by faith alone. But after this they think everything depends on our diligence and faithfulness. While most firmly grasp the truth ‘‘The sinner is justified by faith’’ (Galatians 2:16), they rarely find a place for the larger truth, ‘‘The just shall live by faith’’ (Romans 1:17). They have not understood what a perfect Savior Jesus is, and how He will each day do for the sinner just as much as He did the first day he came to Him. They do not know that the life of grace is always and only a life of faith, and that in the relationship to Jesus the one daily and unceasing duty of the disciple is to believe, because believing is the one channel through which divine grace and strength flow out into the heart of His people.
The old nature of the believer remains evil and sinful to the last; it is only as he daily comes, empty and helpless, to his Savior to receive His life and strength, that he can bring forth fruits of righteousness to the glory of God. Therefore it is: ‘‘As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.’’ As you came to Jesus, so abide in Him, by faith.
Andrew Murray, Abiding in Christ.
I hope that whets our appetite. Do have a look at these scriptures about faith below too, and join us for our next Nourish to delve deeper into these things. May God bless our meditations and nourish our faith in Christ,
God Bless,
Glenn
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Romans 1:17
“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ ”
2 Corinthians 5:7
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Hebrews 11:6
“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 11:1
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”