Are we ready to meet our maker? Are we ready to stand confidently before the judgment throne of Christ? And how do we know if we have lived lives such that we will receive a full, abundant inheritance?
We know both that we are justified in God’s eyes by our faith and that we will be judged by our works. We also know that Jesus’s brother, James, was concerned that his faith be shown by his works as he stated: “Faith without works is dead.” So, what is saving faith? What is the faith that produces works of love? What is this faith that will guarantee us an eternity of glory and bliss?
This faith is not an academic or intellectual thing; it is bone deep trust and confidence that drives out all fear and doubt. It is a faith that says: “I am yours; do with me what you will.”
It is complete and utter surrender to the will of God for our lives. You might say that this type of faith is unattainable. My answer would be that you didn’t even enter the kingdom without this type of faith.
Whatever the words that you used when you first prayed or whatever your circumstances were at the time, what caught God’s attention was your heart’s surrender to his lordship. “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved.”
So, let’s be done with fearful, wavering faith that wonders what our reward is going to be when we come face to face with Christ. Let’s take God at his word and believe that “we are holy, blameless, and beyond reproach in his eyes if we continue in the faith, not moved from the hope of the Gospel.” Let’s live lives such that our faith grows daily as we persevere under trial, as we pray without ceasing, as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, and as we eagerly anticipate the return of Christ.
Our Father does not expect or demand immediate perfection or instant maturity in his children. However, he does look to see if real faith is present in our hearts and if we are living lives such that this faith is alive and growing.
-Brad Heilhecker
Restored People Community 