Devotional 190309

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. The sun warmed my heart as I drove to office, even though my mind was blank. I did not turn on my radio or ipot. I just enjoyed my quietness before God; opened my soul to the glory of the Son. If I had to wear sunglasses under the light of morning sun, imagine one day we are face to face with our Almighty God, how glorious and bright it could be. I don’t think my sunglasses can handle such brightness. Apostle John said, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7). It is interesting that our purification or sanctification process does involve our fellowship with one another, besides walking with God in the light. God chooses to use our relationship with one another to sharpen our faith, theology, morality, integrity and most important of all, our intimacy with Him.

“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” (Hebrews 11:8). In the Old Testament, personal relationship with God showed itself in separation, and this is symbolized in the life of Abraham by his separation from his country and from his kinsmen. Today the separation is more of a mental and moral separation from the way that those who are dearest to us look at things, that is, if they have not a personal relationship with God. Jesus Christ emphasized this in Luke 14:26, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.”

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading. It is a life of Faith, not of intellect and reason, but a life of knowing who makes us "go." The root of faith is the knowledge of the Person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success.

The final stage in the life of faith is attainment of character. There are many passing transfigurations of character; when we pray we feel the blessing of God enwrapping us and for the time being we are changed, then we get back to the ordinary days and ways and the glory vanishes. The life of faith is not a life of mounting up with wings, but a life of walking and not fainting. It is not a question of sanctification; but of something infinitely further on than sanctification, of faith that has been tried and proved and has stood the test. Abraham is not a type of sanctification, but a type of the life of faith, a tried faith built on a real God. "Abraham believed God."

In another word, faith is not a means to get what we want in life. Faith is steadfast in God and believes in what He stands for; His attributes and promises will never fail. By faith we walk with God, and our lives will be transformed to His likeness – a God-fearing character does not guarantee success or translate to materialistic wealth. A God-fearing character or lifestyle will for sure lead us to abundant life of Christ that is filled with His joy and peace. This kind of life will make us in all the earthly things more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. Yes, our faith is limited. We pray that God will grant us more faith so that we will continue to walk with Him and enjoy His presence each day.

Love you by faith in the One who loves us all,
Lawrence