Faith!

Faith!

Romans 1:17 AMP

[17] For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed in a way that awakens more faith]. As it is written and forever remains written, “The just and upright shall live by faith.”

As we read the pages of scripture and learn of the lives of men and women, there is a thread that becomes obvious the more we read: God always had a plan to bring men to the place of faith, with less dependence on works, labour and striving. When man fell in the Garden of Eden, that was the start of labour. Man lost his place, and the only way to have a semblance of a relationship with God was by the many laws and stipulations God laid down. However, in those pages of the bible, before you read of the laws and commands of God, you find a few men and women who were said to please God. It was not that they sat on their hands and waited for the heavens to open, but by their life choices, they made it clear that they were not depending on just the 'good works' men could see. They went the extra mile to develop and deepen a daily walk with God. 

Even though at the time, the Holy Spirit had not being made manifest, you read 'Enoch walked with God'; 'And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness'; 'Noah found favour in the eyes of God'. What did these men know at the time that made them different in that generation? What this tells me is that in every generation or dispensation, no matter the level of sin or iniquity, God is able to find men and women who seek to know, follow and serve Him. The level of sin in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah did not stop Abraham from following God. The level or rebellion in the days of Noah was so much that it was recorded that God repented from making man, yet Noah found favour in the sight of God. What would be my excuse for not walking with God or not trusting Him with the life that was not mine in the first place? 

One of the clear themes in the verse above is that God has revealed His standard, and it is one of righteousness that comes from faith. Even from the things that have been made, and which we see daily, the power of God is made manifest. The more of God I think I know, the more of Him I realise I do not know, and the more of Him I know, the more of Him that this earthly phase can never fully explain to me. The righteousness of God has been revealed, springing from faith and even awakening more faith, because that is the currency of access. By faith, men have laid hold of deep mysteries and handled the resources of heaven that was not common in their days. How do you explain a man walking with God and then being taken away? How do you explain a man locking up heaven for more than 3 years, and heaven backed him up? The Just do not rely on their 'goodness'; they know who God is, and they can endure anything and everything, because they know, by faith, the amazing things that lie ahead. God is looking for people who would trust Him this way. Would you? Would I? God's time of favour is here.