I’ve been really challenged this week. I used to think I had lots of gifts from God that I needed to think through what to do with – what am I doing with my time, my money, my resources and skills…. The list goes on.
But today I was challenged to think differently. What am I doing with my faith? In some ways thats the only question I need to answer because all those other things fall under the banner of my faith anyway. How I make choices about my time, money and skills relate to what I am doing with my faith.
But what am I doing with my faith in and of itself? My faith is a gift from God. There’s no way I could have found his grace by myself. I cherish it as a gift and a mercy. But I should be doing something with the things God gives me.
Is my faith my personal rock that I lean on? Or am I actively advancing the kingdom of God? Is my faith quiet and comfortable? Or am I activating my faith by seeking the inclusion of others in God’s kingdom?
As Christians, we are to declare God’s glory among the nations (Ps. 96:3), to proclaim throughout the world (Matt. 24:14) and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19). This looks different to different people. For example, Paul wrote a letter to the Philippians from prison, considering that his chains have advanced the gospel (Phil. 1:12). The events that led him there and particularly the letter writing both advanced the kingdom. Some go and include their family (John 1:41), while others go and tell their friends and neighbours (John 4:28-29). Advancing the kingdom can be telling the gospel, encouraging and strengthening the faithful through various mediums.
So here are some questions that I think are helpful to challenge ourselves:
1. If I used my faith to advance the kingdom of God, would my life look any different to how it does now?
2. If not, is that because our faith is quiet and comfortable? Or because we fear or have some other barrier?
3. If you knew you could not fail, how would you use your faith to advance the kingdom of God?
There might not be easy answers to this. But it is a worthy personal challenge to meditate on and pray through – and then, if need be, surrender to God and act on.