Faith as Action

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,

‘Whom shall I send?

And who will go for us?’

And I said, ‘Here I am. Send me!’”

Isaiah 6:8

“Therefore, since we are surrounded

by such a great cloud of witnesses,

Let us throw off everything that hinders

And the sin that so easily entangles,

And let us run with perseverance

the race marked out for us.”

Hebrews 12:1

I don’t know what I truly believe until I’ve been tested on it.  All through High School and College, I took a strong stand against abortion.  I wrote convincing papers that supported my view point, discussed the topic with fellow students, and spent a lot of time thinking about the issue. It all was an intellectual exercise, however, until my junior year in College when I became pregnant after meeting the man of my dreams.  I was scared and didn’t know what to do so I went to a phone booth with the intention of looking up abortion clinics in the area, just to check them out.  Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. 

As my finger slid down the yellow pages in the “A” section, my eyes were drawn to the “Crisis Pregnancy Center.”  I paid them a visit, soon finding out they did not offer abortions but instead existed to save babies.  They counseled me and showed me a film about abortion.  As I watched the graphic images flash across the screen, I knew I couldn’t do that to my baby.  As fearful as I felt about revealing my transgression to my mother, slaughtering the innocent child within me was not the answer. By the grace of God, my belief had withstood the test and that baby is now a beautiful 23-year-old young woman.

Faith is not simply an intellectual exercise. It is more than a belief that is never translated into action.  Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as, “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”   I can say I trust God with my life, knowing that He has a plan for me and that all things work together for the good, but until I am tested on that belief, these are only so many words on a page.

The Call

Oswald Chambers wrote in “My Utmost for His Highest*” that, “The call of God is not for a special few, it is for everyone.”  In order to hear the call of God, I must be paying attention.  Isaiah did not perceive a personal plea from God to go and tell the people His message.  No.  Instead, he was seeing a vision of God and overheard the Lord asking who He would send.  Anyone could have responded to this call, but it was Isaiah who took the step of faith, coming forward in response.

What am I hearing God say?  Do I respond with, “I’ll go!” or do I mutter, “Someone should do something about that!”  It is easy to fall into the pattern of assuming that someone else is more qualified than I to heed God’s call.  But all He requires is a willing heart; he supplies all the strength, know-how, understanding, words, etc.  He is a God who is in the habit of generating something out of nothing.

If I hear God's call, it is up to me to either ignore it, or respond.

Shake off Sin

Now that I’ve stepped up to the plate, what do I do?  There are so many obstacles in my way, and the major one is sin.  It’s like in those horrible dreams where I am trying to run as fast as I can, but I’m being weighed down my some unseen burden and I can’t get my footing in the sand.  I put all my effort into it, but barely get anywhere.

My sinful self tells me that I can’t answer this call because I am ill-equipped and am thoroughly unqualified.  There are so many others who could do a better job than I.  Maybe I’m being foolish and rash in my decision-making.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I’m having second thoughts.

Faith is believing that God is bigger than all my weaknesses and that He can accomplish His will through me despite my sinful nature.  Or as Pastor Grant Fishbook recently said in a sermon about giving, “God’s 10% is bigger than your 90% because He is bigger than you!”  It is the same with obeying.  The only way I can confidently heed His call is in believing that He is bigger than my weaknesses.  He is God and He can use even me, a sinful woman, to bring about His will.

I can either let my sin hold me back, or I can shake it off and run freely in the direction God has pointed me.

Persevere

Running long distances can become monotonous and exhausting.  It takes a sense of purpose and a desire to reach the finish line in order to keep going. 

In the race of life, there are many things to drag us down, giving us reason to quit.

“No one really cares, I don’t know why I continue working so hard when I never receive one ‘thank you’.  I don’t think my effort is truly appreciated.” 

“I am just not getting anywhere.  I am the same today as I was yesterday.  I don’t think I’ve moved one inch forward despite all my effort.  I might as well stop trying.”

“I don’t think these kids are ever going to get it.  No matter how many times I teach this lesson, they continue in the same behavior.  I think my words are falling on deaf ears.  Maybe I should quit.”

“I work so hard but I haven’t received a promotion in years.  Doesn’t anyone see my efforts?  Doesn’t anyone care?  Why do I bust my behind, always striving for the best when it gets me nowhere?”

It is easy to get discouraged when my focus is on the outcome or the impact my actions are having on those around me.  But, if I instead keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and care only what my Father in heaven thinks about my efforts then I will have the strength to carry on.

Once I am running my race, my strength will come from focusing on God’s purpose for the battles I face , and achieving His approval at the finish line .

It’s easy to say I believe in Jesus and trust Him for salvation.  The hard part comes when I hear His calling to act on that faith.  Then I must take action, not letting my sinful self hinder my forward motion, and then stick with it for the glory of God.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will not just say I follow Jesus, but back it up with action.

How have a failed a test of faith by ignoring a call to do something to demonstrate God’s love to those around me?

When do I make excuses, expecting others to take up the call instead of me?

*January 14^th entry