#20 LIFE IN CHRIST 8-22-26
The Christian life is more than believing the right things. Faith is meant to become a way of life. What we believe about Christ ought to change the way we walk, the way we work, and the way we worship. Faith is not merely something we possess. It is something we live. When Christ becomes the center of our lives, our faith begins to walk, our lives begin to bear fruit, and our hearts begin to worship.
THE WALK OF FAITH
Paul said, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith means trusting God even when we cannot see the whole road ahead.
Abraham is one of the great examples of this kind of faith. God told him to leave his country and his family and go to a land that God would show him. Abraham went, “not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). That is faith. Faith does not require us to know everything. Faith requires us to trust the One who does.
There will be days when you do not understand what God is doing. Walk anyway. There will be times when the road seems uncertain. Walk anyway. There will be moments when you cannot see how everything will work out. Walk anyway.
Faith says, “I may not know where He is leading me, but I know who is leading me.”
The Christian life is a walk. We take one step at a time, trusting the Lord who walks beside us.
THE WORK OF FRUIT
“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit” (John 15:8).
A living faith will eventually become visible in the life it produces. Fruit does not make a tree alive. Fruit reveals that the tree is alive. In the same way, our works do not replace faith, but genuine faith produces a changed life.
Paul described the fruit of the Spirit as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
That is the kind of fruit God wants to see growing in us.
He wants our faith to make us kinder. He wants our love to make us more patient. He wants His grace to make us more forgiving. He wants His mercy toward us to make us merciful toward others.
And fruit is not produced overnight. A tree grows slowly. So does spiritual maturity. There are things God is still working on in every one of us. But if Christ is truly at work within us, there ought to be evidence.
The question is not simply, “Do I believe?”
The question is, “What is my faith producing?”
THE WORSHIP OF FELLOWSHIP
Christianity was never intended to be lived in isolation. We were created for fellowship with God and with one another.
“Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). That is the heart of Christianity. We are brought near to God through Christ.
Worship is more than what happens when people gather together on Sunday. Worship is the response of a heart that has encountered the goodness of God. We worship because He is worthy. We worship because He has saved us. We worship because He has forgiven us. We worship because He has given us Himself.
And fellowship is part of that worship. We encourage one another, bear one another’s burdens, pray for one another, forgive one another, and rejoice with one another (Galatians 6:2; Romans 12:15).
God’s people gathering together with one heart and one purpose is a lovely thing. We sing together. We pray together. We study together. We remember Christ together. We serve together. We do life together.
Faith walks.
Faith works.
Faith worships.
And when those three things come together, Christianity becomes more than a doctrine we defend. It becomes a life we live.
Walk by faith. Bear the fruit of the Spirit. Worship God in the fellowship of His people.
That is a life worth living.
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Father, help me to walk by faith when I cannot see the way ahead. Let my faith produce fruit that glorifies You and blesses those around me. Teach me to treasure fellowship with You and with Your people. May my entire life become an offering of worship to You. Help me to walk faithfully, work fruitfully, and worship wholeheartedly until the day I see You face to face. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
BDD