Do you know what God desires from you? After seeing your need for Jesus and repenting of your sins, there is an action within your heart that needs to take place. It’s a crying out in dependence to the One who saved you from your sins. It’s an action that reveals your love for your Savior and Lord.
Read Luke 18:1-8 and see how one woman understood how to ignite faith into action. A widow was having a dispute with her enemy (it is not known who her enemy was) and wanted justice from the judge. She went to him repeatedly, but because he didn’t care about people nor feared God (see verse 2), he would dismiss her case.
The widow would not stop bringing her case in front of him. So much so, that after a while he did see to it that she received justice. She exhibited the action that God desires from every one of His children, and that is to be persistent.
Persistent/per’sistent/adjective – continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition; Oxford Dictionaries.
Think about the word, obstinately. Normally, this word has a negative connotation to it. Stubborn, bullheaded, headstrong, self-opinionated, unrelenting, are words to describe an obstinate person, but when it comes to your faith in God, He loves a heart that is fierce for His ways and desires to please Him. When Jesus calls you to come forth and follow Him, He wants you to learn how to ignite your faith into action. It will take guts and determination to become fruitful for His Kingdom.
Jesus shared with His disciples the lesson He wanted them to learn from this story. Even an unjust judge heard her case due to her persistence. “So don’t you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly!”7-8
God loves to hear you talk. Do you realize that? He is never too busy when you need to vent over your frustrations. He will bend down and hold your face in His hands as you share your tears with Him; see Psalm 116:2. When your heart is overflowing with joy, He smiles and shares in your happiness. He responds to a thankful heart. His heart is moved when gratefulness flows from your heart.
Today, ignite your faith into action. Go to God and get real. There is nothing about you that would make Him say, “Sorry, you are not worth it. I know what you have done and I’m not going to bother with you.” What you receive is love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Nothing would gladden God’s heart more than for you to look to Him and follow His Son.
Jesus ends His story with a somber reality, “But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?”8 Don’t be found with sleepy faith. Awaken to what God has for you right now for you do not know when Jesus will come for you.
God is talking about real, authentic, life-changing faith that lives by God’s Word, not faith that looks religious on the outside while self sits on throne of his heart. Jesus came to give eternal life to those who ignite their faith into action. They get in the game rather than sitting on the sidelines. They study the scriptures and align themselves to it. They live in dependence upon the Lord.
Carol J German 