The Outcomes of Faith

Trusting is often difficult. We have all been disappointed or disillusion and know that sometimes as much as we might hope for something, it may not come to pass. When we put our faith in God, we know that He is good, He is mighty, and so we can trust in what He does. This fills us with confidence and peace as we await the work of His good hands.

Yet faith in God doesn’t end with us. As Martin Luther commented

Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God’s grace; it is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it. This kind of trust in and knowledge of God’s grace makes a person joyful, confident, and happy with regard to God and all creatures. This is what the Holy Spirit does by faith. Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily; he will serve everyone, suffer everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown him such grace. It is as impossible to separate works from faith as burning and shining from fire. (Preface to the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans)

Faith accomplishes a work in us, to be sure, but the work of faith doesn’t end at the confines of our heart. Faith moves to our hands to cause us to love and serve one another. We know that with Him we have everything, and therefore in sacrificing for others, we have nothing to lose. Faith gives us the wisdom to know that apart from Christ we can do nothing, and the confidence to know that through Him we can do all things.

May we live a life of faith today.

How have you seen faith put into action?