Faith to Live By
By Dawn Tolbert
“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” Romans 1:17
In faith, life, and love, the greatest beauty unfolds not in a moment but over a lifetime.
It’s one thing to say our vows; it’s another matter, daily, to live them out. I’ve found, the love I envisioned standing at the altar decades before is nothing compared to what my husband and I share now.
I’ve been married longer than I wasn’t. I’ve been thinking about the 24-year-old who pledged herself to her lover for life. Like many brides, I focused on the wedding day with no real idea about the journey ahead.
The same can be true of our Christian walk. We may focus on the moment we surrender our lives and eternity to Jesus. That moment is wonderful, and in it, He gives us a new identity; He makes us righteous. But, like my wedding ceremony, salvation is the beginning of something much larger, a journey that will carry us through into eternity.
In today’s verse, Paul quoted the ancient Hebrew prophet Habakkuk when he wrote, “The righteous will live by faith.” Faith isn’t just a one-time thing. It’s a decision we make continually. We don’t only need the faith that saves, as important as that is; we also need the faith that sustains us and motivates us to action.
Think about your favorite chair. We can know in our heads it will hold us up. We can even tell others how strong it is, but we aren’t acting in faith until we sit and relax and let it support us.
That’s a great picture of faith. We begin with head-knowledge and a heart stirred by the Holy Spirit. But as we live life with Jesus, we develop a deep and abiding relationship.
Our faith sinks roots deep into the Vine, Jesus, so that our connection to the Savior sustains us through whatever may come our way.
Today, thank God for salvation and His faithfulness. He will never leave us or forsake us, and His every Word will come to pass. With those promises, we can live by faith.
Dawn Tolbert is a contributor to Wholly Loved Ministries Daily Devotional, a Christ-follower who writes to honor God, thank Him for His goodness, and encourage readers by sharing her faith journey. She works in higher education public relations and is writing her first novel and her first book-length Bible study. She has earned a B.A. in Communication Studies and English (Gardner-Webb College), a M.A. in Professional Writing (Kennesaw State University), and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership (Union University). She and her husband, Larry, live in Cedartown, Georgia, and serve actively in their church. Dawn blogs at dawntolbert.com.
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Originally published Tuesday, 01 October 2019.
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