My middle name is Faith.  People tell me they admire my Faith.  You see people with license plates that say Faith.  Many churches start with the word Faith.  Depending on what version of the Bible you use, the word Faith appears 426 times.  1 Corinthians 12:9 mentions that faith is a spiritual gift to be used as part of the body of Christ. Faith is also used in the salvation process.  In Ephesian 2: 8 -9, God’s Word says:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

In all these examples, and more than half in the Bible, Faith is used as a noun.  Yet, many people think of it as being something active, something they have to be a part of, something they do themselves.  Yet, faith is not from us, or something that we do – whether weak or strong – it has, is, and will always be from God.  Isn’t that something?

If you are still not sold on the noun idea, look at 1 Peter 1: 6-7:

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

So, why am I questioning if it takes work?  Because in some ways, it does.  If you are given a gift, you have to unwrap it – that takes some work.  Or the good old example dealing with faith, if you are going to sit in a chair, you are trusting that it is holding you up.  That takes some work.  The key word here is some.  The gift is already bought and given.  The chair is already put together and tested for reliability.  Those are what really take the most work.

After you have shown that you trust the gift-giver once, they are more inclined to give you more gifts.  And that is what our heavenly Father does with us, although sometimes it may not seem that way.  God’s Word promises us that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). However, because of the fallen nature of this world, we face trials and sufferings but there is hope because Christ himself suffered for us!  Our Lord, will always give us understanding and comfort, being the chair we curl up in anytime we need. He desires intimacy with us above all us.  He desires to refine us, to help us finish and make it to our eternal reward.

Think back to some of the things you have gone through in life – could you have endured them without the knowledge of God being by your side and His faithful promise to be with you always, or in other words, without Faith?  Think back on a sad or difficult moment – now, think of the faithful promise of eternity with our Lord and Savior – does that not bring a smile to your face?

In fact, we are to consider difficulties as joy, according to the book of James.  In James 1: 2-4: it says,

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

God not only desires us to draw close to Him, He also desires us to grow, to mature.  Can you imagine a parent actually wanting their child to remain a child their whole life?  Sure, they say it jokingly but they also revel in seeing their child learn and grow.  The same goes for God, on a heavenly, sovereign scale.  He desires our Faith to mature so that when trials, temptations, difficult times, or hurts come to us, we can say, without hesitation, “God is in control.  I will not be afraid.  I will trust my Lord.”  Every time, we will go to Him in prayer, with tears and concerns, but still knowing that He is the faithful Father and will not fail us.  And every time, we do this “work”, He grants us the gift of more Faith.  It isn’t because we also witness Him working out whatever problem seemed to big, which He has been known to do.  Or because He has soothed our heart with His promise of peace and comfort, which He has been known to do.  It is because we knew He could, and because we called out to Him.  It is because we loved Him enough to seek Him first.  As His Word says in Matthew 6:33,

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things will be given to you as well. “

But the most beautiful thing about the gift of faith, our amount of “work” in it, and the power behind it is that it is true – God gives you faith, you seek God, He grants you more Faith.  But then, you desire Him so much that the other things don’t really matter because Christ becomes most important in your life, and also because you know that He is in control.  After all, you have seen too many miracles happen in your life already not to believe – not that it matters, anyway.