WITHOUT HEARING THE WORD OF GOD, OUR FAITH WILL NEVER GROW
SCRIPTURE:
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10:9—17)
OBSERVATION:
Faith is crucial for understanding those who believe in Christ. Without faith, it is impossible to please God or even to know God. Paul said it does not matter whether a person is a Jew or Gentile. Christ died for all. And if we believe in Christ and confess Christ as Lord, we are saved. Faith is only as strong as what it places its trust in and what it confesses.
Paul’s teachings make it clear that our confession of faith is not a mere profession. It is a profound declaration that JESUS IS the LORD who sacrificed Himself to justify the unrighteous. Any confession of faith that does not anchor itself on Jesus as Lord is not a genuine profession of faith. It is imperative that we confess Jesus as Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead.
The growth of saving faith is directly linked to our exposure to Christ’s words. Paul’s emphasis on this point is clear and unambiguous. He states, ‘Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.’ There is no other avenue for the growth of a godly faith than through the hearing and understanding of Christ’s words.
I must feed on the word of Christ for my faith to grow more and more in Christ. In natural life, people have their favorite people, leaders, and those who they respect their words. Those words guided so many, and people believed them when they spoke. Likewise, for me as a believer, the words of Jesus are the only words that can grow my faith. Without Jesus’ words, my faith is dead.
Many people are like the Israelites; they do not believe the word of Jesus. But for me, as a believer, Jesus’ word is paramount and supreme above all else. Jesus’ word is the word of life and, thus, has the power to fuel my faith to believe. Jesus also said whoever hears my words and does them will be blessed.
APPLICATION:
My daily devotion is important. Sometimes, I just read, and most of the time, I write down what I learned from my reading so I may not forget. There are times I revisit what I wrote a few days earlier, and I am encouraged to see the power of Jesus’s word in my life. I want to continue to hear and read Jesus’s words so my faith may continue to grow as it should. I will continue to do my devotion daily and as much as I am able.
PRAYER:
Jesus, I’m so grateful for your word. Thank you for the reminder today of the importance of hearing your word. I pray that your word will always find a home in my heart. I ask that you continue to give me the joy of learning and listening to your word. I also pray that you give me the heart to obey and live out your word daily. Please help me to be a person who loves your word. Amen!
