Tangible Faith- Intimacy with God

When I think of Faith, I am thinking about the things I believe in. Those things I consider sacred, divine, and true. These things tend to be of a Spiritual and philosophical nature. Tangible only in my mind not seen in the physical world.

My faith in Christ for example, I believe I have a relationship with Him; however I have never physically touched him. You don’t visually see him walking next to me. Yet I am convinced that He is real and personal despite the absences of physical or visual proof. This reality is unseen and of a Spiritual nature. It is a part of my faith.

Not all aspects of my faith remain unseen. Many of the philosophical truths that my Faith in Christ offers are so profound they change me, overwhelming my conscience, demanding my adherence. When that happens, my faith moves from the spiritual to the physical through my actions. You see my faith through my behavior. By faith I believe I have a relationship with Jesus. You see my Faith becomes physical in the way I interact with those around me for His sake. You see it in my prayer life, or in the joy of my service. It is all encompassing. Every aspect of my life changed when I discovered that I could know Christ.

This transition from the spiritual to the physical is supernatural. The Bible calls it “The power of God unto salvation”. It is this supernatural transition that feeds my faith and confirms that Jesus is real and not merely another religious principle or idea.

Daily developing my relationship with Jesus, through my service, is my goal. Many people apply Christian principles to their life but His truth doesn’t overwhelm their soul. For some reason, that transition, that supernatural power that brings about change and an intimate and personal relationship with Christ gets lost somewhere between their mind and their soul; never affecting their character. As a result, they never fall in love with Christ or experience the joy of serving him.

Folks who serve Jesus without knowing Him are what I call religious people. They are the ones who follow rules without a relationship. Our daily Christian service must be motivated by our love for Jesus or else the sacrifice will be bitter and forced. When this happens there are generally two outcomes. The believer will either become legalistic, judgmental and arrogant in their behavior and service or they simply give up. Over time, their faith becomes nothing more than something to think about at funerals or Christian Holidays. For both Camps faith remains conceptual, ethereal in nature; left filed away under spirituality, never becoming tangible.

I have learned that my relationship with Christ is like any intimate relationship, it requires daily attention and dedication. My wife and I must daily choose to love each other. How would it be if we simply coexisted, seldom speaking to each other, or enjoying each others company? The relationship would not last. In the same way I have learned that I must purpose to know and love Christ. To devote my time to Him, He has promised me that he will never leave me, He will respond to me when I draw near to Him.

So here is my question dear reader, has your faith moved beyond the Spiritual? Has it become a reality? Is it tangible? What do those around you see? Do they see your faith? Are you a religious person who follows rules, or are you someone who knows Jesus, who serves out of the joy of your relationship?

The cool thing about God is that he is willing to make himself known. He will supernaturally transition faith from the unseen spiritual realm to the physical. He will grow our faith, as we purpose to know Him, He will reveal himself to us. As we devote ourselves to Him our love for him will grow. It is a true relationship with two sides. He has already purposed to love us. All we need do is purpose to love Him.

Something to think about

ABR