Articles
Faith All That Matters
“If you have faith, nothing else matters. And if you don’t have faith, nothing else matters” (Patrick Morley). The Holy Spirit said, “Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).
Faith is an essential attribute if we want to see God (1 Pet. 1:8). Faith is essential to our justification (Rom. 3:24-26). Faith is essential for a successful life with God (Hebrews 11). There is not a single person in the Bible who was successful in living for God that did so without faith. By contrast, every failure in the Bible was because of little faith, weak faith, or no faith.
It is by eyes of faith we see God. It is by eyes of faith we see Heaven. It is by eyes of faith we have hope. Faith changes our perspective about life. Faith strengthens us in our moments of weakness. How often do we hear,” Without God I just don’t think I would make it.” How do you know there is a God? By faith. So, in those moments of tragedy, disappointment, and discouragement, the way we plod on is by faith. To see the disaster of living without faith, just look at the people in this world who do not profess to believe in God. Their lives are a wreck. Oh, maybe they have financial success. Maybe they have all the bobbles and trinkets a material world will supply. But in the end, it is all “vanity of vanities.” It is like the passing wind or vapor from steam; it will fade away.
Consider, God has not chosen those who are rich or poor but those who are rich in faith (Jas. 2:5). He has chosen the rich in faith who happen to be poor. He has chosen the rich in faith who happen to be rich. God’s interest in a man is in the character of his faith. God has chosen the poor of this world who are rich in faith as heirs of the kingdom which He has promised. God has chosen those rich in this world who are rich in faith as heirs of the kingdom, too. Rich or poor, rich in faith, and heirs to the King.
What if we spent as much time and energy on building our faith as we did our estate? What if we paid as much attention to our faith as we do our portfolio? What if we had the urgency to have a strong faith as much as we do saving for our favorite vacation? What if we really realized the great importance of our faith, period? We will give lip service to the importance of faith, but do our lives say we are okay living without faith and putting all our eggs in the basket of this tangible world?
Our faith will impact our lives. It will be seen by our works. Faith will move us to please God in all things, always. Faith will be seen in our willingness to forgive. Faith will be seen in how I love my spouse. Faith will be seen in how I treat my brethren. Faith will be seen by how I treat the checkout clerk at the store. Faith will be seen by how I treat my fellow man. Faith impacts every decision every day of our lives.
When our faith in God is all we have, then we will truly realize a life with faith is all that matters. And a life without faith, nothing else matters.
Rickie Jenkins
