“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!'” — Luke 17:5
The Priority of Faith
“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but at succeeding in something that doesn’t really matter.” — D.L. Moody
God’s priorities are simple: faith and love. These are unmistakably what is important to God. For a follower of Jesus to focus their life in any other direction would be to, as D.L. Moody says, “succeed in something that doesn’t really matter.”
Along with love, everything starts with faith. Faith is God’s fundamental non-negotiable. It is what God requires for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), to please Him (Hebrews 11:6), to live and walk with Him consistently (2 Corinthians 5:7; Romans 1:17) and to ultimately leave a legacy for succeeding generations (see all of Hebrews 11). Faith is SO important!
In Luke 17:5, after hearing Jesus teach on forgiveness, the disciples asked Him to increase their faith. In that plain and humble request, they provide a valuable treasure for the lives of every believer. If our lives are going to take the shape that God designed them for, then we are going to need to grow and develop our faith. Apart from faith, we are left to rely on our own strength and abilities. Reduced to this, we are limited and inadequate, a far cry from the divine workmanship that God created us for in Christ (Ephesians 2:10).
Faith’s starting point is making a decision to trust in the character of God. Hebrews 11:6 teaches that “… anyone who comes to Him must believe that He …” He is good, faithful, trustworthy, perfect, holy, loving, and full of grace and truth. In Jesus, God has revealed Himself to be personal and approachable.
His invitation to come near (Matthew 11:28-30) and remain near (John 15) is all the motivation we need to trust Him and allow Him to make our lives fruitful and successful in the things that really matter.
— Chris Romano, Pastor at Rock Solid Church, Hudson, N.Y.
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