I believe in the sun, even though it doesn't shine,
I believe in love, even when it isn't shown,
I believe in God, even when he doesn't speak.
- Max Lucado, He Still Moves Stones
One of my favorite verse in the bible is taken from Hebrew 11:1,
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see
This faith is embracing Jesus Christ as our one and only Saviour Lord. Having faith in something which you cannot see is indeed a challenge, even for someone like me who claims to believe in Jesus. Facing hardships in life often leaves me in exasperation and these are the times where I find my faith faltering. But during those challenging moments, I thank God for sending His angels/people to nudge me and keep me reminded of His wondrous love. It is really encouraging to know that God was always there, so that I can confide in Him again and again.
Thanks to Nexus(a weekly student bible study group I attend in Cardiff), the discussion we have as a group about the bible message often spells out the core issues we have in relation to our student life as as Christian. It keeps me reflecting on my life as a student, a Christian, a daughter and a friend. The best part is, everything you learn seems to be direct applicable to the current state of your life.
One of the things I've been reminded of from this week's bible study is that Jesus died for us once and for all. There is nothing more we can do to save ourselves but to believe in Him. No human effort would suffice for justification. No matter how hard we try to prove ourselves worthy to be saved by knowing the law(the word of God) in and out, it will never be enough. The only way to eternal life is nothing but to believe in Jesus Christ. Nexus is currently going through the book of Galations, and the theme of the message is 'JESUS + NOTHING = EVERYTHING'.
To non-believers, you might be wondering why we Christians still bother reading the bible and praying since we don't have to do anything to be saved. We're doing it because we believe in God and we love Him for what He had done for us. We love Him that's why we want to do things that are pleasing to Him. We refer to the bible as a guidance to live a life that is pleasing to God.
To believers, I would like to urge you not to forget the purpose of living a life that is pleasing to God. To be reminded that Jesus had already died on the cross for us and washed away our sins. There is nothing more we can do to justify ourselves but to believe in that truth. To do things out of the love for God but not out of self-satisfaction.
Christianity is not a religion. You don't get saved for being religious, you are saved if you believe in Jesus. We should live our Christian life by heart, not solely on works.
