Psalm 11:1-7
Your faith isn’t developed if you believe in old superstitions. This is something that Jesus taught his followers. What did Jesus say in John 15:5? “He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for you can do nothing apart from me.” This is not a custom; it is what Jesus told his disciples to do to get ready for his death. He told them to learn more about their purpose and calling, which each follower can stress in their work.
In the gospel of John, it’s hard to do this because none of the disciples believe that Jesus is the bread of life and the way to eternal life. He told them to use what he had taught, especially with new Christians and people who didn’t believe, but they didn’t want to do it. There is one thing that must be done first: believe. Those who don’t believe are the ones who betray Jesus (verse 65). Because of this, it’s hard for Jesus’ students to carry out this kind of task. Jesus also knew that one of the twelve would betray him because they didn’t trust him.
Here are two related ideas that will help us understand: to believe and to follow. It’s easy for us to believe because we know for sure that our relationship with God will be renewed as soon as we accept that Jesus is Lord and Savior (Romans 5:1). But as Christians, it’s hard for us to keep it up.
Erick Reed said that there are three ways to stay close to Christ: walk by faith, spend focused time, and do things on purpose. As we grow as Christians, these acts will help us stay strong. The first thing you need to do is walk by faith. This is what we need to do with what we learn from the faith. In James 2:26, the Apostle James told us that faith that doesn’t lead to action is dead. Because of this, we link our beliefs and act on them.
Spending focused time also means making plans every day for how to follow what Jesus taught. We need to figure out what is truly right and wrong in this way. When we set our minds on something, we do it religiously. Getting better at this practice must always be hard for us. As we get older, this might help us become more aware of what’s going on in our world and help us decide what to do and what to choose in our own lives. Following the model of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37), we work on being kind and caring to ourselves, our friends, our surroundings, and other people.
Our deliberate deeds show us how to live in line with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. From what the book of Galatians says, it has nine parts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control (5:23–24). To make this deliberate activity easier, we need to pray every day. As religious people, we are also expected to read the Holy Scripture to learn more and put what we read into practice. Understanding our faith can also be done through daily thought to find out what life is all about based on those traits. So, the Holy Spirit can help us see things more spiritually and get closer to Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19).
A lot of Christians are taking care of their religion, doing good things, and planning to work on getting closer to God. Living with Christ gives you a new life and a better place in the world. God has never forgotten us, so please make the right choice and live with God. Through Jesus Christ, God shows us kindness and grace and gives us what we need: forgiveness and life after death (John 3:16).
Prayer
Thank you, oh Lord, for loving us. Please understand our inconsistency in practicing Jesus’ teaching because we love most our interest in attaining convenience in life. Through your guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are becoming mature believers. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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Prof. Ruel D. Garcia is a theology professor at La Consolacion University Philippines as well as the former editor-in-chief of the International Journal on Culture, History, and Religion (IJCHR.paschr.ph).
