We all want to live victoriously, and that is only possible by living a life of faith. As mentioned in my last post, faith comes only when given. Truth is: we cannot will ourselves into a place of faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Emphasis added). We are saved through our faith, but our faith is given to us by the grace of God. How Does Faith Grow? So how, then, do we grow in our faith? We are told in Hebrews 12:1b-2: …let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before…
Joy in the Presence of God
…you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you… – Isaiah 43:4 Yesterday, I took my younger daughter, Avery, to school. She goes to Kindergarten in the afternoon. Ella, my older daughter (who’s in first grade), has recess at the time I drop Avery off. After taking Avery to school, I got in my car and began to drive home along the street bordering the school’s playground. Whenever I drive by during recess, I scan the playground for Ella. Sometimes I find her playing with her friends, sometimes I don’t. But yesterday, as I drove slowly, I saw her sitting right on the other side of the fence, playing in the dirt with a friend. I rolled my passenger window down. “Ella!” I shouted. She looked, popped up from where she sat, and began running along the fence, joy upon her face, trying to keep up with my car. There were cars behind me, so I couldn’t…