Diligent, Unmovable Faith

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6

There is no one that I desire to please more than the sovereign, holy, and righteous Lord of heaven and earth.  In order to please Him, I must have faith in Him, that He exists, that He is who He says He is, that He can do whatever He desires, and that everything He thinks, says, and does is perfect.  To be in a right relationship with the Maker of heaven and earth, the Creator and sustainer of life, one must not only acknowledge His power, sovereignty, and as the Giver of all life, but he or she must do this on a personal level, laying aside all the pride and sin which separates man from his Creator.  It is not enough to believe that there is a God.  Even the demons of hell believe that God exists (James 2:19).  Not only do they believe that He is God, they tremble before Him.

To truly have faith in God requires that one turn his or her life over to God and give Him one’s whole heart.  A part-time faith is no faith at all.  God requires our utmost loyalty and commitment.  In return we are promised to be rewarded when we diligently seek Him.  This is not a prosperity gospel.  God doesn’t promise us wealth, health, and a perfect life, but what He does promise, money can’t buy.  He gives us a treasure of peace, joy, and contentment that the secular world can only dream about.  We may never be rich in the material goods of the world, but God will always provide our needs as our loving and merciful Father.

There are many principles in the physical world that also apply in the spiritual realm.  Faith is like a muscle, that is, one has to use it to strengthen it.  Not using faith follows the natural digression that occurs when not exercising our muscles–faith, like muscles, becomes atrophied and weak.  Faith is a gift from God, and He expects us to use it for His glory and our benefit.  We put faith in everything else–electricity, technology, our friends, etc., but these things will eventually fail.  I’ve never had a man-made product that did not break down.  Hard drives crash, and friends can either betray us or move away, and we lose touch.  Why not put faith in the One who will never fail?