As the Sun Rises

As the sun rises.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (NIV)

Were you worried the sun would not rise this morning? No?

The Bible says as surely as the sun rises, our God will appear. In other words, the Lord will not break His promises. He will do everything He has ever said He will do. And we can trust this as much as we can trust the sunrise. Though God is as faithful as the sun rising, our ability to have faith doesn’t quite have the same stability. We struggle in our faith.

Yet, our passage today reminds us that faith is confidence in God. Not only this, but the KJV translates the original language saying faith is the substance of what is hoped for and the evidence of the unseen. Our faith is what brings it about. So many of the gifts God gives us come as a result of faith.

James teaches that faith without deeds is dead. We can say all day long that we have confidence in God, but our actions reveal the stability of this faith. If God says I will supply all of your needs according to My riches in glory, but to open the floodgates of My provision, we must give back generously to God out of all He has given us. Our giving reflects our confidence. If our faith in God is stable, it will be seen by our generosity to God. If we do not believe He will supply all that we need, we give very little, give with a negative attitude, or do not give at all.

I like to say that if we have climbed to the top of a burning building and God stands below yelling up to us, “Jump. I’ll catch you.” Our confidence in His ability and His word will be seen by whether or not we actually jump. The Bible says when we forgive, we experience more of His forgiveness. The Bible says our best life comes from loving others including our enemies. Well, the proof is in the pudding.

If faith brings about the gifts of God, how much of God are we missing out because our trust is not as strong as we would like it to be?