Living a Lifestyle of Faith
ICS Daily Devotions
Hebrews 7:1-3 (NKJV) For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
The main focus of Christianity is our relationship with God. In fact, God cherishes our relationships with Him so much that He sent forth His Son to be a propitiation for our sins. The Christian lifestyle is a lifestyle of faith in God. God is a jealous God who wants our full worship, attention, consecration, and complete reliance on Him. Therefore, Christians should not prioritise money and materialism over God as we are pilgrims and sojourners in this world, and there should not be any idols in our hearts including the love of money. We should see ourselves as stewards of everything that God has graciously blessed us with in our lives, and learn to live a lifestyle of faith in God by consecrating our plans and purposes so that they are in line with His will and living by faith in Him.
Some Christians are afraid to live consecrated lives. They are afraid that they will lose control over their lives and God will not provide enough for them because they wrongly associate poverty with godliness, thus creating friction between their will and the will of God in their lives. Therefore, we must exalt the truth that we are blessed by God to a point where we will never outgive Him in our lives. If we truly believe in this truth, we will have successfully shifted from trusting in Mammon to trusting in God by living the consecrated life.
Many people don’t understand the practice of tithing, but as believers, we need to practise the Word of God so that we can know and experience God’s faithfulness. We need to walk with Him in good and not just bad times, because if we have been practising biblical financial principles and have experienced God’s faithfulness, it should eradicate fear or anxiety in any circumstance. The whole lifestyle of faith is about living a surrendered life to God, walking out His plans for us by trusting Him, and proving to be a good steward by obeying what He demands of us.
God is such a great giver that nobody can outgive Him, and He will give good gifts to those who ask Him. As Christians, we tithe because we believe God is the source of our provision. Besides serving Him with our gifts and talents, we also choose to honour and worship Him with our giving. It keeps our hearts right with God with a constant dependence on Him. It is an important foundation.
Sermon Series: A Steady Walk of Faith with God
