By grace you have been saved through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8
Faith in Christ is no doubt the most important subject in the Bible. The Scriptures are brimming with references to it. One chapter, Hebrews 11, is devoted entirely to faith. There faith is defined as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).
More simply, faith may be said to be the "receiving hand" that reaches out by the Holy Spirit's power to grasp God's gift of forgiveness and eternal life in Christ Jesus.
Faith is also the "gripping hand" that holds fast to God's promises no matter how deterring the obstacles or how desperate the situation. It is thrilling to read in the Bible about all that faith can do, as told in the inspiring record of the heroic action of people empowered by faith. In His ministry Jesus also cited examples of heroic faith, notably a woman of Canaan and a Roman centurion, both unnamed and both from outside the nation of Israel. Throughout the church's history, and still today, God has raised up countless other people of great faith.
Saving faith in Jesus is a gift so vital and so priceless, yet through God's Word and the sacraments of Baptism and Communion it comes to us absolutely free by the Spirit's power.
PRAYER: O most merciful God, replenish and renew in us the gift of faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ; in His name. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 20-21 Psalms 34 Luke 21:20-38
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