“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
Faith is an attitude in life, a perspective that helps us to remain in hope and to keep believing for God’s plan to come to pass. It is the ability to see things from a certain perspective. It is not dependant on perfect circumstances, it is not ignorant of difficulties nor avoids the reality of our challenges. It simply decides, despite all this, I believe!
For faith to thrive, the environment has to be set. The two parallel stories of the leader Jairus and the healing of his daughter (Mark 5: 35-43) and Peter walking on water (Matthew 14: 28-32) show the absolute authority of Jesus over all situations. Focus is the key. What you focus on, you become more aware of, connect with and grow. Faith travels through focus. As long as Peter was focussing on Jesus, he was walking on water. But the moment he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink.
We are encouraged to spend time focussing on Jesus. "So, then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17 (NKJV) When we tune into Jesus, our faith increases. It is not about our faith; it is about the object of our faith. Jesus is the object of our faith. We are to look to the king - "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith." Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
What we focus on grows, so focus on Jesus and our faith will grow. We live on purpose by embracing Jesus’ lordship in our lives, learning to follow Him and give our lives over in sanctification. We live on purpose by revealing our transformed lives in the way we treat others. We live on purpose, by taking all that God has given to us by His Spirit and living full lives, doing the best with the gifts He has given us. We live on purpose by sharing the Good News of Jesus in what we do and say, revealing the love of God. Our everyday lives can become filled with purpose, as we live on purpose for Him.
SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT
- What are you paying attention to or focussing on today?
- What are some practical ways in which you can create an atmosphere to tune into Jesus? (Examples could include: Setting a time for prayer, reading the Word, worship etc)
- What is a next step you and your Connect Group can take today, to pray for an area of need in your community? How could you step out in faith and offer practical support for that need?
- Prayerfully consider who you can reach out to this week, with an act of kindness.
