Praise the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ with
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
Ephesians 1:3 (HCSB)
Series: The Gift of Faith
Over the past six months, we’ve explored God’s gift to all of us: Faith. We have turned the pages through Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels to help us understand what faith is, why we need it, and what it accomplishes.
Faith is a gift from God to all. Everyone possesses the opportunity to grow in faith, to exercise their faith, and to experience the fruit of their faith. The results are vast!
Faith believes in the truth and power of God, leading us to repentance, forgiveness, and salvation. It produces answered prayers and miracles. Faith sees us through hard times, overcomes anxiety, provides strength, and fuels endurance. It gives us courage, discernment, and peace. Faith allows us to see the glory of God, causes us to reflect the Light of Christ, and compels us to share Jesus with others.
In addition to all these blessings of faith, Jesus shares one more amazing gift for those who believe. Let’s look at His words in the Gospel of John, 5:24 (HCSB):
“I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.”
Eternal Life. Those who hear and believe will live forever with God. Our physical bodies will fail, but our spirits will transcend the limits of this world and join Him eternally. Jesus repeated this truth in John 6:47 (HCSB):
“I assure you: Anyone who believes has eternal life.”
In John 17:1-3 (HCSB), Jesus prayed to the Father:
Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You, for You gave Him authority over all flesh; so He may give eternal life to all You have given Him. This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent—Jesus Christ.
We will see God, know Him fully, and be united with Him from everlasting to everlasting. Faith in God—the complete trust, confidence, and belief in Him—allows us to KNOW the only true God and His Son Jesus Christ intimately and infinitely!
All the blessings of God are ours through our faith. Better than the “Jelly of the Month Club,” a magazine subscription, a cozy blanket to use year after year, or a cooking class teaching us lifetime skills, the gift of faith continues to provide blessings day after day after day—even to eternity and beyond! Faith is the gift from God that keeps on giving forever!
Holding Fast to Hope,
Maryann
Scripture References: Ephesians 1:3, 2:8-9; John 3:10-21, 5:19-24, 6:43-51, 17:1-12; Hebrews 11