June 12 I Friday
Ezra 3-5
John 20

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” —Hebrews 11:6

What does it mean to live by faith? We have heard of the verse, “For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). But does it mean we walk around blindly and hope that we get to the right place? Of course not! Paul tells us, “The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Paul stresses he is able to live by faith because his faith is in Jesus, the Son of God, who is the vital force by which we live the Christian life. But not only so, what Paul is effectively saying in Galatians 2:20 is that the object of our faith is what matters.
For example, when we step onto an airplane, we believe the laws of aerodynamics will set us free from the law of gravity. In other words, we trust the plane, which is designed to fly through the air, will defy the rules of gravity. Some of us are confident travellers that have flown multiple times; as we step onto the plane, we have faith that the plane will do what it is designed to do. Others of us may be fearful, feeling nervous and afraid; there may not be much faith as we hesitantly step onto the plane. But whether one has faith the size of an ocean or just a droplet, our faith is only as good as the object we place our faith in.
From the analogy, how much faith we have on a plane does not change the laws of aerodynamics or the laws of gravity; rather, it is the ability of the plane—the object of our faith—that matters. Similarly, we live by faith in Jesus, whom we believe has set us free from the law of sin and death, as Paul tells us,
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).
Our journey of faith begins with believing that Jesus died for our sins on the cross and His act reconciled our relationship with God. Afterwards, we continue our life living by faith through the Spirit of God and we become a new creation, as Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
As new creations in Christ, may we live each day, being filled with the Holy Spirit, by faith.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I place my faith in You, the most perfect object of my faith. Thank You for setting me free from the law of sin and death. I live for You alone. Praise You!