Sometimes we don’t see the faith that we have until we exercise it. There are many ways that we can exercise our faith in the Lord. If you’ve spent any time reading my daily devotions then you’ve seen that I’m a huge proponent for reading the Bible. Encouraging people to should read their Bibles is something that’s on my heart. I encourage my students each Sunday to read their Bibles every day, and I’ve now taken to sending out daily texts with the Bible home reading for that day. Reading our Bibles builds a relationship with God and allows us to see that we trust and believe in Him.

One thing that occurs to me is that my way of reading the Bible may differ from yours. I like to read. You might not. On the other hand, because I have an active reading life, outside my love of the Bible, I could fall into the pit of reading the Bible like any other book where you, if you don’t read very often, might go through the text more carefully. What matters though, is our motivation for reading it.

When I think of why we read the Bible I’m reminded of something that Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians.

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.

Philippians 1:18 (NIV)

Whatever a person’s motives might be in reading the Bible, they are opening themselves up for a transformation by God when they read it. Years ago I went to church to avoid conflict in my marriage yet God saved me anyway.

When we read our Bible we are demonstrating faith in God when we do it because we expect something to happen from reading it. I will argue that the one who reads it because they don’t expect something to happen isn’t that different than the one who reads it because they do. Both are believing that God can do something when they read the text. However, the one who reads the Bible, expecting a transformation from God, because of their faith in Him, is doing so out of trust. What does the Bible tell us about the one who trusts in the Lord?

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

You are blessed when you trust in the Lord! Like the tree here that always has green leaves, no matter the circumstances, you too, will not only thrive in times of trouble but will flourish. If you happen to live on the West Coast of the United States right now then just look out your window. It’s easy to see what has been watered and what hasn’t. Anything that has been watered stands out amongst the dead things. If you’ve ever wondered how you might be the light of the world then this is just one way that you, the faithful, stand out in this dead world.

Another way that I see we can demonstrate our faith and trust in God every day is when we pray. Jesus told His disciples, “my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 16:23 NIV). Jesus also tells us, “you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf” (John 16:26 NIV). Therefore, when I pray to God I’m the one who is asking Him to do whatever I am asking. No one else is going to Him and asking for me. When you go to God and you ask Him anything in the name of Jesus then you are telling Him:

  1. You trust Him.
  2. You believe that He can do whatever you ask.
  3. You believe that Jesus is who is.
  4. You love Him.

So often we might think that we need to do great things to show trust and faith in God, but we’ve seen here today that’s not the case. In fact, I’d say that if we only exercise our faith when the “big things” come then we might find that we’re weaker than we would hope. It’s the daily “muscle memory” that’s built up that will carry us through the troubles of today and into tomorrow.

Do you know God? God knows you and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so that we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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