Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. (James 2:17, NASB)
I have made an observation regarding life. It’s not my only observation, but you don’t need to hear what I think of your golf swing. Not right now.
So, here it is: I don’t need more faith—even in ministry—if my faith is directed at Jesus. I need more trust. Trust in Jesus is the active application of the little faith I do have in the one who loves me the most. We need to take steps of trust to exhibit our faith. It’s one thing to yell “Olé! Olé!,” and it is quite another to get in the ring with the bull.
My good friend, John Sage in Houston, Texas, took a great “leap after faith” a few years ago and trusted God with the start of a now fruitful prison ministry. He had a lot of faith in Jesus, and God’s Spirit planted a desire in him to start this project that would require him to depend on God alone for the equipping (check out www.bridgestolife.org). Then he got moving. Recently John shared with me the other day something I believe is so appropriate as we walk with Jesus: “I heard Brennan Manning speak a few years ago. I will always remember his comment regarding his spiritual advisor, who said: ‘Brennan, you have taught theology at major universities, you have studied your faith more than anyone I know, and you have read all 38 of Henri Nouwen’s books. You have one last thing to work on… completely trust the Lord.’”
This is powerful to me! Trust is the deepest form of faith. It is more difficult than believing, because to demonstrate trust we must do something about what we believe. Oswald Chambers often said, “Trust God and do the next thing.”
My good friend and fellow Links Player, Sam Gonzales, was the police chief in Oklahoma City when the bombing occurred there on April 19, 1995. Sam has been in law enforcement for most of his life, and he offers a great analogy between faith and trust. He says officers have a lot of faith that the bulletproof vests they wear will stop a bullet, even when shot at point blank range. Faith is putting on that vest. Trust is allowing someone to fire a shot at that vest. Both faith and trust are important, but trust exhibits the depth of our faith.
All followers of Jesus have faith, “for by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). But not all believers are willing to jump into the battle. They’d rather play it safe. We should use our gift of faith and trust in God more. It’s how we live the abundant life as opposed to the tidy one.
Let’s enter the great race before us, fixing our trust on Jesus. See you at the finish line!
—
Randy Wolff
November 12, 2013
Copyright 2013 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.