The words “it was credited to him” were not written for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness. (Rom. 4:23)
ABRAHAM’S FAITH WAS CREDITED to him as righteousness. This faith was not mere intellectual belief in historical facts about God but was his willingness to live as if God is real. Abraham left his home and family, set out for a land he didn’t know, and he even did not withhold his only son from God. God still looks for this kind of faith: not intellectual acceptance of historical facts about Jesus but a deep and vibrant conviction that Jesus lives combined with a willingness to live as if that is the deepest truth in the universe.
Sometimes this can make us nervous. We begin to wonder, “Do I believe enough? Is my conviction unwavering like Abraham’s?” Certainly we can always improve. But if you look back over the last days, weeks, or even years of your life, you’ll likely see a time when you dared to live as if God is real instead of reacting to what seemed real in the moment. Maybe you followed God’s calling to a church or job when that choice seemed counterintuitive. Maybe you dared to love an unlovable person. Maybe you gave your all to a task that others did half-heartedly, if at all. These successes can remind you that God gave you the grace to act faithfully then, and He can help you live with deep and vibrant faith today!
Sketch a timeline of the last year and plot your grace moments.
Michael Jordan is the dean of the chapel at Houghton College, where he also serves as chair of the Department of Biblical Studies, Theology and Philosophy.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
