March 5

“Abraham believed in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” —ROMANS 4:3

Most people associate the word “faith” with God and religion, but that is a widely misunderstood perception. Whether or not there is belief in God, faith is an everyday occurrence. When we sit in a chair, it isn’t faith in God that holds our weight, but faith in the chair. And while we’re sitting in the chair, it isn’t faith in God that enables us to watch TV, but faith in the television. Faith is placed in a myriad of things we use everyday.

Faith has to be placed in something, and the object in which we place our faith is the all important factor that determines the validity of it. The scriptural meaning of faith is allowing the object we have placed our trust in to work on our behalf. Against all human reasoning, Abraham believed at a ripe old age God would give him the son He promised, and as many descendents as stars in the sky. He believed the promise of a nation he would father, and from that nation, the Messiah who would bless the world. Abraham placed his trust in God, and because he believed God, it was credited to him as righteousness.

Paul says in Romans 4:23- 24, “The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness – for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Righteousness from God is never earned, but received, and is appropriated solely on the basis of faith in Him. We first come to God because we recognize our sin, and acknowledge the only possible way of being reconciled to God is through Jesus Christ. 

Faith in God is not evidenced in anything we do for Him, but in what God does in us and through us. He first clears the deck of our sin, declaring us righteous, and begins the process of conforming us into the likeness of His Son. Then He works through us so that we may become a blessing to others. This doesn’t get off the ground without faith, but like sitting in a chair or turning on television, we don’t need a mountain of it. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move” (Matthew 17:20). That is the nature of the transforming work of God in our lives, and as we come to personally experience Him, we truly discover that nothing is impossible with God.

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I know nothing is impossible for You, and I pray, day by day, that my faith be strengthened in You. Thank You, Lord. 

TO REFLECT UPON: Looking back, how has my faith in God transformed my life?