Take a seat!

"Take a seat", someone might say to us. How common to hear that, yet if we think about this everyday act in response to a friendly command, we may get a more clear understanding of what it is to act "in faith".

You may have heard this reference to "sitting in a chair" as an act of faith and it may seem too simplified, but it is something we can all agree on.  Unless we are staring at a ramshackle bit of flimsy antiquity we all pretty much do not hesitate to be seated. Here is where I will insert that my love of vintage junk and antiques has indeed given me many opportunities to be more than a little wary when it comes to choosing a spot to rest!

We have all sat in a chair, and most of us have not had it crack and fall apart on us. So because we are familiar with chairs and their ability to support us, we don't worry and wring our hands each time we think about it. We just do it. We sit in the chair without a moment's hesitation.

This is what God wants us to feel about Him; that He is familiar and that He is capable to support and uphold us when we are living our daily lives. Sitting in a chair is not something we do on a rare occasion, but something that is daily and commonplace, matter-of-fact living.

I remember being in Bible Study Fellowship many years ago and we were talking about something and I made mention that I was "having faith" for something in particular to happen. I don't remember what the particular circumstance was, but I will always remember the look on a certain woman's face when I made the statement. Then she said "What do you mean, 'having faith', I don't understand what you're talking about?" Now that response was something I couldn't comprehend and never had stopped to think about. There were Christian people out there that had no concept of "living by faith", or "having faith" other than for "saving faith" for salvation.

Version: NAS

Colossians 2:6
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk in Him,


Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

The Colossian verse references the fact that it took faith on our part to believe in Jesus and then receive Him as our Savior. So if we have the faith to "receive Him", should we not have faith in Him in our daily Christian life or "walk"?

Hebrews 11, the great chapter on faith, says that we cannot please God if we don't have faith. If you stop and think about that, it is a pretty powerful statement...and pretty frightening. I'm not sure how you all feel, but I really want to be pleasing the Lord. "Pleasing" in thought and deed. I don't want to be in the place where He looks at me and is displeased... not a good place to be. Not because of retribution from Him, but if I'm in a place where I'm "displeasing" the Lord, then I'm in a place where He cannot work with or for me. And that equates to losing any "blessing" that I might be desiring.

For me "having faith" and "walking by faith" are as essential to my life as is breathing. I cannot imagine going for even a moment if I didn't rely on my faith in Jesus Christ. Not just for my salvation, which is indeed the very beginning of our "walk of faith", but for my very life and existence. Faith for my family's well being, my own health, driving down the highway, and even the food I put in my mouth. Are you with me?  How could you live if you didn't find faith for living in the source of understanding that God loves us and is with us, and that He will never leave us? To me all that is the "rock" of my life and my faith in Jesus Christ.

The Oxford dictionary defines faith as "complete trust or confidence; firm belief, without logical proof; certainty and conviction."

This all goes back to our knowing who God is, and His attributes. I guess if we don't know someone very well we cannot trust them or have confidence in them. So then, next step would be, to know someone we spend time with them. That's how we get to know someone. Then we "give them a chance" to prove themselves to us in the "trust" department. Can we trust them? All this causes us to "know" someone, trust them, have confidence in their character, and then have "faith in them as a person".

Reading God's Word, not just once a week, but on a daily basis. Consistency in our relationship through prayer and just meditating on the things of God. Being in a place where we desire His company. These are all ways to get to know Him better.

So think about "walking by faith" like this. Jesus is greeting you with a smile and a hug, inviting you in, and saying "Hello my friend, take a seat!"

love in Jesus,

Debra