Treasure in Earthen Vessels

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Have you ever thought about living by faith? What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think that someday you will live by faith?

The idea that many have of living by faith is the one of a person who does not have a job, and who lives depending on offerings and donatives coming from the parishioners of some congregation. Living by faith is not a lifestyle proper to those who exercise a ministry; although all of us at some point have to face them, living by faith is not, nor does it mean, a life of deprivation, shortages, crises, highs and lows.

To live by faith means to live in direct dependence upon the Lord; it is the confidence developed by the Holy Spirit that all the things, thoughts, decisions, and actions which we produce daily are subject to the Lordship of Christ and that for nothing shall we be confused as to what we expect of Him.

according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:20

Living by faith is the prize of the Supreme calling by which all of us have been reached by Jesus Christ,

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

Living by faith is to persevere without wavering in our efforts and convictions as if it were a race that will receive an award at the end.

For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. …  ²⁴ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  1^st. Corinthians 9:17-24

Living by faith is to understand that we are pilgrims and strangers on this earth, that our abode is heavenly, that therefore we cannot love material things or trust them as the resource of our existence,

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 1^st. Peter 2:11

Living by faith is to understand that our life is sustained by what God says about us, not by what the world pretends to establish about our existence,

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. ⁷For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2^nd. Corinthians 5:6-7

Living by faith is deciding that we will not live by the demands that the world presents to us as requirements of life, even though this means being at a disadvantage about what we develop before the others,

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ²Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1^st. John 3:1-2

Living by faith is being led by the Holy Spirit,

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:14

Living by faith is judging all things spiritually, not by the flesh, that is, not on the basis of the human establishing preset by the societies in which we live,

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. ¹⁶For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1^st. Corinthians 2:14-16

Living by faith is asking the Father about how we will deal with conflicts,

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. ¹¹For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 1^st. Corinthians 2:10-11

We have presented several definitions that broaden the spiritual understanding of what it means to live by faith; however, are there any specific instructions that we should take care of to learn to live by faith?

Yes, there are. The Bible stresses among its pages several instructions that promote among those who follow them that they can develop the spiritual capacity to live by faith. We will point out the two main instructions.

• Learn to await and persevere in the Lord

The main resource for developing a life of faith is to await and persevere in the Lord. It means not only waiting, that is, letting time pass, but above all, persevering in the Word we have received from the Lord, the Word that has become the promise of life.

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy,  …  ²²Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You. Psalm 33:18-22

Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.  …   ⁵Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.  …  ⁷Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.  …  ⁹For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.  …  ³⁴Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.  …  ⁴⁰And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him. Psalm 37:3-40

We have in Saul a good example of what happens when a person cannot wait on the Lord; Saul was rejected so as not to continue being king,

Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. …   ¹³And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. I Samuel 13:8-13

• Learn not to resort to external resources

The Lord is the only recourse of one who has willing to live by faith. We cannot resort to external sources to Him because this brings a curse,

Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord. Jeremiah 17:5

We have the example of Abraham,

that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’—Genesis 14:23

And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.  …   ¹⁴And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Genesis 22:8-14

It is God’s counsel given by the Holy Spirit,

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

External resources are tantamount to a decision to turn away from God,

“For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13

You cannot learn to live by faith if there is no commitment before the Lord. So, in reality, before any other action, the first instruction we must follow is to decide in the presence of the Lord that we are willing to live by faith.

Commitment before the Lord is the basis for building a life of faith. Jesus had already established it when He laid the foundation of discipleship.

But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62

Are you willing to live by faith?

Scripture taken from the New King James Version (NKJV)

Tag: Living by faith, awaiting in God, depending on God, trusting in God, God supplies,

Pastor Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya