Riding a bicycle is exciting. You never forget the first time. Sitting on the bicycle and moving ahead. Quite an interesting experience. The kicker is the balancing act. As you move on those two wheels all in the mind is how do I put both legs onto the peddles but keep moving without falling off. It takes faith to learn how to ride a bicycle. I have several bruises and scars to show for the process of learning. Falls. Without falling one cannot learn how to ride. The sensual excitement mixed with fear and anxiety. Even after falling the excitement to get back onto the bicycle is rewarding. When you are learning how to ride a bicycle the other hard part is how to use the bike brakes. Instant holding of the brakes means you will flip over and fall off.
So is life, isn’t it? Oh, my what an experience it is when you learn how to balance the bicycle and peddle away. It is interesting to say that it is hard to forget how to ride. Even if its 15 years after one has ridden, once given a bicycle the balance is there inside you. Muscle memory. The muscles just remember how to. Oh no I don’t think it is just the muscles. It’s just you.
Twists and Turns
Accidents occur every day but yet people still take to transport. They drive or are driven. They take flights on a daily. Divorces happen everywhere but yet marriages and weddings take place every day. Life cannot dwell on the faults but rather on the possibilities. That I call Faith. Life is progressive by essence. At the back of everything that happens on a daily is an act of faith. There in Life lies uncertainty. The unknown. One of my teachers told me faith is like driving a 200kms mile road with car lights that only flash about 10 meters ahead. You never see the entire 200 miles at ago. Faith keeps you moving believing that you will reach your destination. Even if people may not agree with it Faith is the essence of life.
Learning how to do something new, acquiring a new skill, doing a new task takes faith. Without faith one is bound to fail in the very basics of life. Doctors say in medicine. Two patients with the same illness are given the very same medication. One with faith that they will be better does recover fully. On the contrary the one who does not have faith indeed recedes, deteriorates and eventually passes away. There is a faith in a higher authority that never fails. It is always assured and guaranteed. Faith in God Almighty is undisputed and firm assurance.
Why is faith important as the essence of Life?
- Rooted to route – Without faith there is no direction. One who has no faith will waver and get blown into the dusts and sands of life. Purposeless, lost and destitute. Faith is a root. Once it sinks in one’s heart they are assured of the direction and arrival at the destination. As a Christian faith in Jesus Christ is a guarantee. One can cash on it with assurances beyond comprehension. Hebrews 11:1- “Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen”. Rooted to route.
- Anchors Hope- Hope’s pulse and purpose is crystalized by faith. Without faith there is no hope. Hope is dead for that matter. What can one hope for if not walking the journey of faith? Hope is valued and valiantly preserved through faith. Call it a bridge. Faith stands as a bridge to hope’s purpose. Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The future is unknown and unseen but faith crystalizes hope.
- The elixir of life – Eternal life.It starts with faith to get to eternal life. Hebrews 11:6-8- “Without faith no one can please God.”The New Testament includes fifteen times the word life, eight of these including the adjective eternal. It is important. Jesus Christ himself more than 7 times speaks about eternal life in the new testament. I will reference 7 times.
- John 14:1-3- Jesus talks about heaven and affirms it as a real place where he will live with his disciples.
- John 3:14-15-“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him”
- Mathew 16:18- Jesus told Peter that He would build the church on Peter’s profession of faith “and the gates of Hades will not overcome it”
- John 14:6- Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
- Luke 16:19-31- Jesus tells a story of rich mean man who dies and on the other hand a poor righteous Lazarus dies too. The rich mean man is in hell fire and looks up and sees Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham in eternity.
- John 5:24- “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life”. Jesus tells that one can choose where to spend eternity.
- Luke 23:43- While Jesus hung on the cross, He told one of the criminals next to Him, “I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”
- Progression of the champions- It is a known fact that all champions in any field whatsoever had a very strong conviction that gave them a drive that orchestrated them into mighty exploits. Be it in the bible or elsewhere. That hunger and thirst unquenchable fire in the belly to do things that none one had ever dared to do. Faith it is. Surety with precision that it would be. Faith assurances to the extent that the rest would see borderline insanity. Faith magnetizes virtues like Conviction, Serendipity, gumption, zeal and grit.
- Calls unto depth crystalizing Love-Love is a so powerful that the bible tells us that it conquers all. Love is purified by faith.1 Peter 1:22- “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.” Your love will not matter if not preceded by faith. For Lovecan never be birthed in one’s heart without faith.
- Validates dreams – Ephesians 3:20- “Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Where you stop in your thoughts about anything you can imagine. God exceeds that by far. Faith is the key to open and validate any dreams.
- Imbues vision- The prayer of Jabez is one that affirms this. It is a brief one in the bible but very profound. A man born and destined to suffer for life. By faith cries out to God and his destiny turned by a currency called faith.
1 Chronicles 4:10- “Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain! ‘ And God granted what he asked”
If I were asked to define faith in simple but memorable words I would say;
- Faith is more valuable than gold.
- Faith sees; It has sight.
- Faith elevates the weak.
- Faith distils greatness.
- Faith drives the righteous.
- Faith justifies the faithful.
- Faith is a currency that never depreciates.
- Faith is powerful.
- Faith is a force unstoppable.
- Faith qualifies the called.
Faith is much more valuable than gold. 1 Peter 1:7- “So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Till next time.
