By Espoir Byishimo
If you were to choose one principle to guide you and to abide by for the rest of your life, what would it be? Think deeply about it.
Ordinarily, we scarcely choose or even think of choosing such a principle. Yet, knowingly, or unknowingly, by many principles we live; principles that influence our thoughts and perceptions, our behaviors, and our decisions. For our own sake, we ought to examine what those principles, or assumptions are and how we have acquired them—for they exert a great deal of influence on our life.
In this short essay, I write about a principle that you may have to consider. For beside it all other principles fall short. This principle is not a new principle, however. For those who have heard of it, it is a good thing to be reminded, and for those who have not heard of it, it is a good thing to know it. The principle, or truth, I present here is faith in Jesus Christ.
For faith in Jesus Christ often gets twisted. Some equate it with religiosity. Some profess to have this faith but deny it by their actions. So, it tells very little when opinion polls indicate that the majority of people in a certain country believe in Christianity, for to have Faith in Jesus Christ is not identical to checking a box that you are a Christian. Perhaps if you want to find out what a person really believes, you should analyze that person’s checkbook. As Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34 ESV). Thus, if you want to know where your heart is, check out your treasure. That is, where do you invest your time, energy, thoughts, or wealth? The underlying reason for misunderstanding faith in Christ is that we, humans, think that we can construct God out of our own imaginations. But truly we cannot, lest we fool ourselves to be God. So if faith in Christ is not something that we can conjure up out of our own imagination and strength, what is it?
Well, faith in Christ is initiated by hearing and believing the Word of God: that God is our creator.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and life was the light of men” (John 1: 1- 4).
And that faith is completed by doing God’s work. Merely believing that God exists is not enough. As James wrote, “Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19 ESV) God’s work is to believe in Him and to abide in his Word. Recognize that doing God’s work is inseparable from having faith in Him, but that both faith and work are intertwined. In fact, the ultimate work we are asked of by God is to have faith. “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent,” said Jesus.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3: 16-18).
Faith in Jesus Christ, the Word of God, reorients one’s mind. Simply put, where Faith in Christ is present, a change of mind inevitably follows. And the renewed mind conforms not to the thinking of this world but looks beyond the forms and structures of this world.
“For ‘all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’” (1 Peter 1: 24-25)
The renewed mind enables us to focus not on things that will not last, but on things that will last forever, always seeking to please and glorify God. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all else will be added, ”commended Jesus (Matthew 6:33 ESV). And he gives us power to accomplish that. As Scriptures say, “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”(Philippians 2: 13 ESV)
The renewal of mind continues by the continued work of the Holy Spirit and by the feeding upon the Word of God. And this continued work bears good fruits. It makes you love God. It makes you love his creation. And it makes you love the things of God. All other things of this world become of no value, if not of less value. As Paul said,
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3: 7-11).
If and when not sure of where you stand with faith in Jesus Christ or things of God, flee to the Word of God, draw near to Jesus Christ who will speak to you, minister to you, and strengthen you. For He is your creator. And in Him you may receive eternal life.