The Amplified Version of the Bible expands the English when the Hebrew and Greek express more than one English word can. Genesis 15:6 is a good example:
“And he [Abram] believed in
(trusted in, relied on, remained
steadfast to) the Lord, and He
counted it to him as righteousness
(right standing with God).”
Not at all different from the others, yet provokes great thought; don’t you think?
Do you believe in the Lord?
Do you believe the Lord?
Do you trust in Him?
Do you trust Him?
Do you rely on Him?
Do you remain steadfast to Him?
This was said of Abram long before His descendant, Jesus, died for his sins, transferring His perfect righteousness to those who choose to believe and follow Him.
We live with that amazing gift now, but does that negate the need for this kind of faith? I think not. I think this kind of faith is what’s required for us to truly be saved.
Too often we think of our faith as simple and easy. It can be simple and uncomplicated, but it’s never truly easy.
We can make our choice to believe in and follow Jesus, but there are tests every day to determine who we will actually rely on and trust in, not to mention those opportunities to choose how steadfast we will be towards Him. In a perfect world, we would pass all those with flying colors, but in reality, when we let our guard down, when our mind isn’t settled ahead of time, we flounder in our choices and we fail in our faith.
Praise Almighty God for His grace that picks us up from that mess we’ve made and brushes us off then sets us back on His firm foundation clean and ready to live out the faith He has placed in us.
Is your heart aching because your faith wavered or failed? Did you choose to rely on a person to be your rescue when that’s something only God can be? Did you place your trust in people instead of God? Did you turn from a chance to show your steadfast faith for God?
Oh, dear one! You are not alone! You’re not the first and you won’t be the last! Turn to Him now. Tell Him what you did. Get it clear in your mind as you confess that to our Lord. Then settle your mind on faith, choosing ahead of time to rely on Him, believe Him, trust in Him, and to remain steadfast to Him. Be prepared for that next test or trial, knowing that He is with you, giving you the strength you need, ready for you to accept it and live in it.
Walk in the righteousness of Christ and walk in real faith that can be counted as righteousness.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.