We live by faith, not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7)
How many times we have lived our lives by what we see. The eyes can be very deceiving. We need to walk by faith when we make major life decisions.
But what about the little decisions in life?
- What about: when your husband or father raises his voice at you: How do you respond?
- Or when you tell your child to take out the trash and he says, “Oh, Dad, why do I have to?”
- Or a homeless man approaches you, and asks for help?
These aren’t major life decisions. These are day-by-day, hour-by-hour decisions. Life doesn’t seem to hinge on these decisions, as it does on marriage, or accepting a job. So can we walk by sight when making such decisions?
Every decision you make – every big decision, every small decision – is a step of faith or a step based on sight. All the decisions you make – from the decision about what job to take to how you respond to irritation, from the answer you give to a marriage proposal to how you respond to an email – all the decisions you make work together to determine who you are. All your decisions reflect your view of life, your view of God, your view of yourself.
Will you live a life of faith, walking by that faith, trusting God through Jesus Christ? Or will you live a life dependent on your own resources, figuring out how to work all things to your own advantage?
To our eyes, a life of faith seems a lot riskier. To walk by sight seems to make more sense. We see risks, and want to avoid them. We see pleasures, and want to pursue them.
But this chapter – and all of God’s Word – tells us the opposite. When we walk by faith, ultimately we will fulfill all our desires. When we walk by sight, ultimately we lose all we hoped to gain, all we worked for.
There are indeed dangers in the life of faith. There will be pain. But Proverbs 14:32 sums up the ultimate position:
32 The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing, but the righteous finds refuge in his death.
Do you see what this verse says? The wicked may appear powerful; they may appear successful. But in the end they are overthrown. The righteous may suffer – they may even die. But the righteous has refuge even in death. As Jesus said:
If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Mark 8:34-36
- Are you trying to save you life – and thus are well on down the road to losing it?
- Are you out to gain all the world has to offer – and thus well on the way to forfeiting your life?
God offers you true life – in Jesus Christ. He will satisfy all your deepest desires – for He will give you true joy, true satisfaction, true security, true accomplishment, and true honor.
So see who God is – the source of all good gifts, all true joy. See how He rules the world – with perfect justice, magnifying His glory. And respond:
- Repent of your sinfulness. Turn from it. Hate it.
- Repent of your attempts to run your own life.
- Throw yourself on the mercy of God through Jesus Christ.
- Trust that His sacrifice on the cross paid the penalty for all your sinfulness.
Look to Him for your joy. And walk by faith, not by sight.
Do people really belief there is no God? I mean seriously how do they think they wake up, on their own? If that is the case we would have power to resurrect ourselves when we die, better yet we would never die!
