Good morning everyone,
With school looming just around the corner, it won’t be long before a certain question will be heard in countless homes: “Why do I have to learn __________ ?” Maybe it’s math. “Why do I have to learn multiplication and division? What good is it?” That’s the time for a good teacher or parent to point out that math is not just a mental exercise to take up time in the school day, it is vital and practical to daily life in everything from keeping track of allowance money to buy one’s own phone to knowing what treats are affordable at the fair.
Many ask the same question about faith in Jesus: What good is it? Sometimes people see it as a kind of insurance policy for eternity, but nothing of real practical value in daily life. They may attend church occasionally and pray when they need something as a way to keep themselves in good standing with the Lord, but otherwise, He has no part in their lives.
However, that is not at all what the Lord intends for His people! Nothing is more important and practical everyday than being connected to Jesus by faith. We have come to know Him as the Savior whose holy life is credited to us as righteousness. We praise Him as the Sacrifice who on the cross endured the eternal punishment we deserve. He has opened heaven for us and one day He will return to take us there.
Faith is a matter of the heart. But there is more. If it is truly alive and well, faith is going to be busy and active in our everyday lives and activities. What good is it? It gives us a new and different perspective on life. It gives us a greater purpose than simply living for self and getting as much of this material world as we can. It moves us to live for Jesus and love Him by hearing, reading, and studying His Word and sharing it with others. It gives us peace and contentment even in difficult and troublesome times. St. Paul sums it up well when he writes: “We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
So as you go about your day, thank the Spirit for that living, practical, saving faith in Jesus. There is no greater good!
In tomorrow’s sermon text (Eph. 4:17-24) St. Paul encourages us to live our faith by living differently than the unbelieving world around us.
In His name,
Pastor
