Abide

What is the actionability of faith in Jesus? What does it take to practically take the Word and live out a disciple’s calling? How do we translate what we feel in our hearts to what we believe in our minds, and vice versa?

To believe in God is to believe in His infinite power and wisdom, and to remember that our worldly comprehension is incomparable to that of the Father. But right beside that principle is the call to obedience. To live out lives that are in submission to the will of God. This is beyond contrary to the message of today’s culture where self-importance and empowerment seem to guide all of our relationships. We’ve been trained to seek logical responses and prioritize temporal emotion; anything that promotes our happiness, comfort and understanding becomes the center of our attention. We want clarity for our lives, and that means we need to make sense of everything we’re going through.

But the Lord's call is higher. As we are reminded in Proverbs 3:5 to not lean on our own understanding, we are placed in divine opportunities of faith through obedience when we stand at crossroads of the unknown. Before we reach acceptance - the alignment of heart and mind - we must submit, as in giving ourselves to God despite unbelief. We may not always be able to comprehend what He is doing, therefore it is submission that demonstrates our faith and allows us to continue on the path of the Lord. When we abide in God’s calling and pursue Him first, my need for worldly validation diminishes. I no longer fight the urge to understand my perspective. Peace surrounds me knowing God’s perfect will is carrying me through my active display of obedience.