Human beings are motivated by hope of reward. We give our efforts to that which we think will bring love, joy, and peace. There are many reasons, including the false teachings of our day, why Christian people do not serve the Lord intensely. One such erroneous teaching is that all believers in Jesus receive the same reward. Another is that we are saved unconditionally. A third is that the overcomer, of Revelation, Chapters Two and Three, is the individual who has made an initial profession of belief in Christ rather than the believer who is living a daily life of victory in Jesus.

We are not going to strive with all our strength to do something unless we believe it will bring us love, joy, and peace. We may be moved temporarily by danger or some incident to react strenuously without an objective other than survival. But under ordinary conditions the human being will do that which he thinks will bring happiness to himself or to his or her loved ones.

The exercise of faith is our way of bearing witness of God's holy Character. If we do not have much confidence in God's love for us or His trustworthiness, or do not believe that serving Him will bring joy to us, then we are not going to arrange our life so everything we do is an attempt to please God. If we are fully assured of God's love and His trustworthiness, and that serving Him will bring love, joy, and peace to us, then we will do everything in our power to please Him.

Thus we see that our faith is our statement concerning God's Character. All the religious talk and doctrinal belief is worth little. We are bearing a true testimony of God only when our personality and behavior is leaning heavily on the Lord in every aspect of our life. We have true faith in God when we believe that looking to the Lord constantly will bring us the desires of our heart. We endure the cross because of the joy set before us. We hope to be rewarded for choosing God in place of the world.

Satan informed Eve that God was not to be trusted, that if she would follow her own will she would be happy. The result of her trust in the lie of Satan has been thousands of years of agony and insanity and the destruction of people and their environment. And the end is not in sight! Matters will grow increasingly worse until the Lord returns.

The man of faith is he who places all of his trust in the Lord, who takes up his cross and follows the Lord Jesus. Belief in certain doctrines and church activities may prove to be helpful. But the righteous live by unswerving faith in the Lord Jesus each day of their discipleship.

Faith and the Fear of the Lord

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

All Christians understand that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. However, the inroad that humanism has made into Christian teaching has removed the fear of the Lord from the churches.

To be continued.