Feet of Faith

If we trust someone, it becomes easy for us to do what that person bids us to do. The Book of Hebrews presents Abraham as a classic example of this truth. "By faith Abraham obeyed" (Heb 11:8). He trusted God as a "friend." "He was called the friend of God" (Js 2:23b). Jesus came to show us not only the fatherhood of God but also His friendliness. Obedience is such a pleasant and natural thing in homes where parents and children relate to each other as friends! Jesus during His life on earth was friend both of sinners and saints. He was nicknamed, "Friend of Sinners," and He called His disciples His friends. Friendship is basic to trust and confidence.

God's commandments come to us through His Word. We cannot obey them unless we believe them. Adam disobeyed God because he disbelieved what God had told him about the tree of knowledge. Unbelief was the root cause of the disobedience of the Israelites (Heb 3:18,19). It is of course not easy to maintain simple faith on God in this age which substitutes technology for theology. Today is observed as Technology Day in India. Evangelists are building Prayer Towers whereas Educationalists are erecting Technology Towers.

God is not against common sense or logical reasoning. They are very necessary to make right decisions and sound judgment. But everything should be submitted to the Word of God which alone stands unchanging forever. Peter was quite frustrated when after a whole night of toiling and moiling in the sea he caught nothing. Jesus was not a fisherman but a carpenter. When He asked Peter to throw the net into deep waters, the latter would not have found it easy to do so. But when he placed his fishing experience under the words of Jesus, obedience became easy for him. He said, "Nevertheless at Your Word…" (Lk 5:5).

This kind of faith comes by hearing the Word of God again and again. Not just by reading, but by hearingâ€" which means that we realize that it is actually God "speaking" to us whenever we read His Word. Hearing leads to believing, and believing helps obedience (Rom 10:16,17).

Obedience becomes difficult once the heart is hardened by unbelief. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews warns us, "Beware, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God" (Heb 3:12). When we realize that the one who calls us to obey is a "living God," we feel like a child relaxing with confidence into the bosom of its mother. No anxiety. No worry.

He who obeys God, trusts God; and he who trusts God, obeys God! (C.H.Spurgeon, 1834-1892)