Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
This week we asked ourselves,
‘What is the real deal with living in faith?”
What is faith about?
And how should our faith in the living God affect the way we live our lives?
James 2:23-25 prompts us to contemplate our faith lives deeply… …
23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.
24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? (Note: emphasis mine)
When we think about the lives of Abraham and Rahab, we should realize that they are not much different from us, but then again, something about their responses to certain events in their lives – amidst their brokenness, and sin – allowed them to be ‘considered righteous’ by the Holy God.
Don’t misunderstand. God is opposed to sin and wickedness, and welcomes only the blameless and the pure.
Psalm 24:3-5 tells us,
“Who is allowed to ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may go up to his holy dwelling place? The one whose deeds are blameless and whose motives are pure, who does not lie, or make promises with no intention of keeping them. Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, and vindicated by the God who delivers them.”
The bible teaches that eventually, God will set apart only the pure and good when Christ returns to the world ushering the dawn of New Creation for all of eternity (See Revelations 21). During that moment, Christ returns to judge the living and the dead, separating those who love Him and those who do not (2 Timothy 4:1).
When we think about the real deal about living in faith, we must think about how to live faithfully to the holy and eternal ways of our infinitely faithful God.
Living faithfully is a two-way street.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, God has shown overwhelming evidence of His perfect faithfulness to the world, and to you.
And living faithfully – as shown in the lives of Abraham and Rahab - begins with small moments of ‘faith that comes alive’ when we are faced with our sinfulness and mortality, in the presence of the living, holy and immortal God.
The small moments becomes the defining moments when we are faced with a choice – to acknowledge and submit to loving purposes of our Creator God? Or to continue in our sinful, stubborn and selfish ways?
The essence of this choice is what differentiates eternal life and eternal damnation.
This is what separates heaven and hell.
It always boils down to the same question:
Whom would you choose to please? God? Or yourself?
Isn’t it interesting to note that our faith comes alive when we respond in ways that is pleasing to the living God, and that our faith dies when we respond in ways that is pleasing to our sinful selves?
Are you ready and willing to start being faithful to God?
Would you be willing to start living faithfully in accordance to His Holy ways?
Would you be willing to just start?
If you were wondering where would be a good place to start, James unequivocally suggests contemplating the lives of Abraham and Rahab (Ref: James 2:23, 25), and asking some tough questions whilst we take a deep and long look at our own lives.
This would be a significant and possibly, a life altering spiritual exercise - especially for those of us who profess faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Do note.
As we look at the passages pertinent to Abraham and Rahab, bear in mind, heart and spirit of the spiritual conversation that you ought to be having with the Holy Spirit regarding your life of professed faith in God.
I have availed some questions for your prayerful contemplation.
May you be led by the Holy Spirit to ask more.
Remember, history will not remember you for the answers that you give; but for the questions you ask.
Find an intentional and extended time, amidst your schedule - to still your spirit, and quieten your heart for this spiritual conversation; for in however which way this conversation takes you, let it be known that your life – and in reality, your eternity - depends on it.
A Spiritual Conversation with the Holy Spirit regarding Abraham (Hebrews 11:8-19).
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
“Lord, is there somewhere I need to be that is NOT here?
" Is there something that I ought to be doing that I am not?”
9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
“Lord, exactly what am I looking forward to – things of heaven or earth?”
“Show me, Lord, what should I be looking forward to?”
“Reveal to me, Lord, what should my hopes and aspirations be?”
11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.
“Lord, are there ill-informed or ungodly perceptions of limitations in my life?”
“Lord, help me to believe You without doubt & be thankful no matter what!”
12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
“Lord, will I still live by faith when I die? What must I do to increase my faith in You?”
“Lord, am I prepared to receive the things promised from a distance?”
“Am I prepared that my prayers and Your promises to me be fulfilled after my lifetime?”
14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
“Lord, reveal to me if I am still thinking of the ‘country’ that I had left?”
“Lord, do I long for the home of Your making, or the home of my own making?”
“Do I think that Your plans are better than my own?”
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”
19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
“Lord, who or what is my ‘Isaac’ that I need to offer to You in sacrifice? My own children? My career? My ambition? My wealth? My resources?”
“Lord, do I believe in Your faithfulness beyond belief in myself?”
“Lord, do I believe that with You all things are possible…and that all which I offer to You in sacrifice, You have the power to redeem and resurrect?”
“Lord, does my heart belong to You?”
A Spiritual Conversation with the Holy Spirit regarding Rahab (Joshua 2:8-14).
8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.
“Lord, am I fully aware that You are Sovereign in all of Creation?”
“Do I fear You, Lord?”
10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.
“Lord, am I fully aware – as best as I can - of Your power and authority?”
“Lord, help me know you more!”
11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
“Lord, do I fully acknowledge You are the God in heaven above and on the earth below?”
“Does my heart melt in fear in Your blessed revelation that I am a sinner in need of Your mercy and salvation?”
12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”
14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”
“Lord, what is my relationship with You?”
“Lord, do I honestly believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is my Saviour, and Your sure sign of my salvation? Lord, please teach me and help me to live out this very belief.”
“Have I ever begged for “the lives of my father and mother, brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them?”
Beloved, nothing separates us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). May every small moment of choice between God and self, good and evil, be that defining moment that brings you closer to our God.
In God, may you live in faith, and live faithfully; and so doing, live in His love, and live for all eternity.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Forgive our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
We give thanks for Your revelation of ‘living faith’ through the examples of Abraham and Rahab.
Though they were sinners, Your grace and mercies abounded in their lives. In their brokenness, You were so faithful and constantly availed divine opportunities for them to choose You above themselves, and to act on their faith in You.
Father, we thank you for those very opportunities that You have availed in our lives as well.
May we live in the full revelation of Your divine work of transforming us into Your likeness, every moment of our lives.
Lord, give us strength and wisdom to seize every opportunity to glorify Your Holy Name, and to edify Your Church.
Like those commended for their faith and deeds, and thus considered ‘righteous’ in Your eyes, we ask for Your strength and wisdom to activate our faith and to act upon our faith in You, our God – the Creator of the heavens and the earth!
May our lives be evidence of Your presence, purpose and power.
May our lives point to the Cross of our Saviour, Jesus Christ; and to the eternal Kingdom of God.
May our lives be witnesses of Your infinite and eternal love, till everyone comes to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Thank you Lord, that our lives may be made fully alive in our faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are Your faithful, and we long to be part of the mandate and miracles of Your Kingdom!
We pray all these in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
This week we asked ourselves,
‘What is the real deal with living in faith?”
What is faith about?
And how should our faith in the living God affect the way we live our lives?
James 2:23-25 prompts us to contemplate our faith lives deeply… …
23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.
24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? (Note: emphasis mine)
When we think about the lives of Abraham and Rahab, we should realize that they are not much different from us, but then again, something about their responses to certain events in their lives – amidst their brokenness, and sin – allowed them to be ‘considered righteous’ by the Holy God.
Don’t misunderstand. God is opposed to sin and wickedness, and welcomes only the blameless and the pure.
Psalm 24:3-5 tells us,
“Who is allowed to ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may go up to his holy dwelling place? The one whose deeds are blameless and whose motives are pure, who does not lie, or make promises with no intention of keeping them. Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, and vindicated by the God who delivers them.”
The bible teaches that eventually, God will set apart only the pure and good when Christ returns to the world ushering the dawn of New Creation for all of eternity (See Revelations 21). During that moment, Christ returns to judge the living and the dead, separating those who love Him and those who do not (2 Timothy 4:1).
When we think about the real deal about living in faith, we must think about how to live faithfully to the holy and eternal ways of our infinitely faithful God.
Living faithfully is a two-way street.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, God has shown overwhelming evidence of His perfect faithfulness to the world, and to you.
And living faithfully – as shown in the lives of Abraham and Rahab - begins with small moments of ‘faith that comes alive’ when we are faced with our sinfulness and mortality, in the presence of the living, holy and immortal God.
The small moments becomes the defining moments when we are faced with a choice – to acknowledge and submit to loving purposes of our Creator God? Or to continue in our sinful, stubborn and selfish ways?
The essence of this choice is what differentiates eternal life and eternal damnation.
This is what separates heaven and hell.
It always boils down to the same question:
Whom would you choose to please? God? Or yourself?
Isn’t it interesting to note that our faith comes alive when we respond in ways that is pleasing to the living God, and that our faith dies when we respond in ways that is pleasing to our sinful selves?
Are you ready and willing to start being faithful to God?
Would you be willing to start living faithfully in accordance to His Holy ways?
Would you be willing to just start?
If you were wondering where would be a good place to start, James unequivocally suggests contemplating the lives of Abraham and Rahab (Ref: James 2:23, 25), and asking some tough questions whilst we take a deep and long look at our own lives.
This would be a significant and possibly, a life altering spiritual exercise - especially for those of us who profess faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Do note.
As we look at the passages pertinent to Abraham and Rahab, bear in mind, heart and spirit of the spiritual conversation that you ought to be having with the Holy Spirit regarding your life of professed faith in God.
I have availed some questions for your prayerful contemplation.
May you be led by the Holy Spirit to ask more.
Remember, history will not remember you for the answers that you give; but for the questions you ask.
Find an intentional and extended time, amidst your schedule - to still your spirit, and quieten your heart for this spiritual conversation; for in however which way this conversation takes you, let it be known that your life – and in reality, your eternity - depends on it.
A Spiritual Conversation with the Holy Spirit regarding Abraham (Hebrews 11:8-19).
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
“Lord, is there somewhere I need to be that is NOT here?
" Is there something that I ought to be doing that I am not?”
9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
“Lord, exactly what am I looking forward to – things of heaven or earth?”
“Show me, Lord, what should I be looking forward to?”
“Reveal to me, Lord, what should my hopes and aspirations be?”
11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.
“Lord, are there ill-informed or ungodly perceptions of limitations in my life?”
“Lord, help me to believe You without doubt & be thankful no matter what!”
12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
“Lord, will I still live by faith when I die? What must I do to increase my faith in You?”
“Lord, am I prepared to receive the things promised from a distance?”
“Am I prepared that my prayers and Your promises to me be fulfilled after my lifetime?”
14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
“Lord, reveal to me if I am still thinking of the ‘country’ that I had left?”
“Lord, do I long for the home of Your making, or the home of my own making?”
“Do I think that Your plans are better than my own?”
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”
19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
“Lord, who or what is my ‘Isaac’ that I need to offer to You in sacrifice? My own children? My career? My ambition? My wealth? My resources?”
“Lord, do I believe in Your faithfulness beyond belief in myself?”
“Lord, do I believe that with You all things are possible…and that all which I offer to You in sacrifice, You have the power to redeem and resurrect?”
“Lord, does my heart belong to You?”
A Spiritual Conversation with the Holy Spirit regarding Rahab (Joshua 2:8-14).
8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.
“Lord, am I fully aware that You are Sovereign in all of Creation?”
“Do I fear You, Lord?”
10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.
“Lord, am I fully aware – as best as I can - of Your power and authority?”
“Lord, help me know you more!”
11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
“Lord, do I fully acknowledge You are the God in heaven above and on the earth below?”
“Does my heart melt in fear in Your blessed revelation that I am a sinner in need of Your mercy and salvation?”
12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”
14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”
“Lord, what is my relationship with You?”
“Lord, do I honestly believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is my Saviour, and Your sure sign of my salvation? Lord, please teach me and help me to live out this very belief.”
“Have I ever begged for “the lives of my father and mother, brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them?”
Beloved, nothing separates us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). May every small moment of choice between God and self, good and evil, be that defining moment that brings you closer to our God.
In God, may you live in faith, and live faithfully; and so doing, live in His love, and live for all eternity.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Forgive our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
We give thanks for Your revelation of ‘living faith’ through the examples of Abraham and Rahab.
Though they were sinners, Your grace and mercies abounded in their lives. In their brokenness, You were so faithful and constantly availed divine opportunities for them to choose You above themselves, and to act on their faith in You.
Father, we thank you for those very opportunities that You have availed in our lives as well.
May we live in the full revelation of Your divine work of transforming us into Your likeness, every moment of our lives.
Lord, give us strength and wisdom to seize every opportunity to glorify Your Holy Name, and to edify Your Church.
Like those commended for their faith and deeds, and thus considered ‘righteous’ in Your eyes, we ask for Your strength and wisdom to activate our faith and to act upon our faith in You, our God – the Creator of the heavens and the earth!
May our lives be evidence of Your presence, purpose and power.
May our lives point to the Cross of our Saviour, Jesus Christ; and to the eternal Kingdom of God.
May our lives be witnesses of Your infinite and eternal love, till everyone comes to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Thank you Lord, that our lives may be made fully alive in our faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are Your faithful, and we long to be part of the mandate and miracles of Your Kingdom!
We pray all these in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.