Walking By Faith

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.

Colossians 2:6

 

 

 

In the early 1930's a tight-rope walker was entertaining spectators by walking a rope that was suspended thirty feet above the road.  The crowd was amazed as they watched him push a wheelbarrow back and forth along the rope, however, the performer didn't stop there.  Loading the wheelbarrow with two one-hundred pound sacks of grain, he pushed the weight effortlessly across the rope.  The spectators cheered as he successfully reached the platform with his load.  Turning to the crowd, the acrobat shouted down to the crowd.

 

"Who thinks that I can safely carry a man across the rope in my wheelbarrow?"

 

A multitude of hands were raised to signify their belief in his abilities.

 

"Who will be the first to climb in?"

 

Needless to say, he had no volunteers.  The story may be a familiar one, but it is a striking example of the difference between faith and belief. 

 

It is unfortunate that, in the English language, there is no verb form for the word faith, as there is in the Greek.  Instead, we are forced to translate the word, pisteuo, as "believe," even though the words mean two very different things.  The difference is about eighteen inches: the distance between our head and our heart.  What I mean by that is that belief is something that we do with our head and faith is something that comes from the heart. 

 

In the story above, the people in the crowd believed with their minds that the performer could safely carry a person in the wheelbarrow.  However, their unwillingness to place their life on the line by volunteering to be that person shows that they lacked true faith.  As Christians, we are required to walk by faith, not by belief.  If we are not willing to put our life on the line for our faith, then what we have may be belief and not faith. 

 

Belief will never give us the ability to rise above sin or empower us to do what is right. As Paul says in Colossians, as we received Christ, we are to walk in Him.  If we accept Christ on an intellectual basis only, our walk will consist mainly of stumbling and falling.  However, if we have the kind of faith that is life changing, our walk will show it; we will be victorious.

 

I get so frustrated by the old adage, "I'm just a sinner saved by grace."  Satan loves for us to think that, but it just isn't true!  In the Scriptures, once a person is saved they are never referred to as sinners, but as saints!  By continuing to think of ourselves as sinners, we make it easier to justify sin in our lives.  But that old sinner was crucified with Christ and we are now a new creation. 

 

As a new creation, saved by faith, let us walk in that faith. It won't be an easy walk and we will seldom have the luxury of seeing more than a few steps ahead of us.  However, just as we have the confidence that the Christ, who raised from the dead, was able to cleanse us of our sin and give us eternal life; we can have faith that He will be walking with us as we continue in our journey of faith. 



Exercising My Faith

For we walk by faith, not by sight...

II Corinthians 5:7

A couple of years ago, my husband and I made a New Year's resolution to exercise regularly together. We wanted to make sure that we stayed healthy so we could enjoy watching our grandchildren grow up. I still remember that first day of exercise (using an exercise DVD that our daughter had loaned us), we put everything we had into it. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. I went to bed that night feeling really good about myself.

I woke up the next day and could hardly get out of bed. I was sore in places where I didn't even know there were muscles. Every step, every breath, every movement was agony.  I wondered what I was thinking, to put myself through so much pain. I seriously considered just quitting. Surely nothing could be worth this much hardship.

But I didn't quit. For weeks I dreaded our exercise time.  I wondered if it would ever come easy to me. Two years later, we still exercise regularly.  Our health improved and we have greater stamina than I ever thought possible.  I can't say that I necessarily look forward to exercising, but it has become second nature to me- a part of who I am.

Faith is a lot like this. In many ways it is like one of the muscles in our body. The more that we exercise it, the stronger it gets. Conversely, a muscle that is seldom used becomes flabby and, eventually, will atrophy.

Exercising our faith is usually difficult, and sometimes downright painful. It is only when it becomes a regular part of our life that we can expect to reap the benefits.  While physical exercise profits little in comparison, exercising our faith has eternal benefits.  It gives us the spiritual stamina to survive every crisis that comes our way.

When you start any exercise program, it is best to start with small steps and work up to bigger things.  This week, start with the simple things that God is prompting you to do.  Go and share your faith with that lost neighbor or co-worker. Or maybe you need to agree to teach that Bible class at church that no one else wants.

It may be easier to be a spiritual couch potato, but you'll never truly exercise your faith until you get out of your comfort zone.  Only by living by faith will you see the full power of the risen savior, Jesus Christ.