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Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
Hello. Thanks for stopping by. If you care to read about what's crossing my mind or sticking in my heart I welcome you to my latest post. So, I hope you enjoy my ramblings. More importantly, I hope I can encourage you to join me in my quest to be a faithful follower of my Lord Jesus Christ.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Living by Faith


Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.
Habakkuk 2:4

Habakkuk describes a way of life. More than just a metaphor to describe the journey, living by faith provides a deep contrast to the way of pride. The disparity deepens when you consider that the soul of the proud is not upright and the life of faith is the life of the just. In plain speech, Habakkuk describes the difference between the right way and the wrong way to live. Its fairly easy to see the sins of the Babylonian kingdom in the late 7th century B.C. as described in Habakkuk. But, when we look in the mirror its a different story.

So how do we live by faith? Its tempting to reduce our faith to inner beliefs that lack tangible expression. Thats not the kind of faith Habakkuk describes. In the words of Eugene Peterson, faith has to do with marrying Invisible and Visible. Living by faith requires transformation. It begins with a difficult surrender. A proud life is a closed life. Authenticity and vulnerability are the great enemies of pride. The life of faith is an open life. It is a bold trust. Have I placed my whole life in Gods hands?  Am I willing to take Gods Word to heart? Peterson goes on to describe faith as a radical reorientation in which Gods presence is the dominant and defining reality. When Gods presence gives meaning and direction to decisions, goals and relationships the life of faith begins to take shape.

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