A living, growing faith
by Pastor Mark Lieschke
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The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ (Luke 17:5)
‘If only I had a stronger faith, then I could serve God better. Then I’d be able to give a better witness to Jesus Christ in my life!’
When we speak like that, we can think that before we can do anything worthwhile for God, our faith in him has to reach a certain level.
We may also think that only a person with a strong faith can ever be really used powerfully by God. We may even go as far as to say that only a person with a strong faith in God can really be sure of eternal life.
But none of those things is true. While we might think that measuring the strength of our faith is important, what is essential is that it is faith in Jesus Christ.
We’re saved by God’s grace through Jesus Christ. So even what we might consider a weak or faltering faith, when it’s focused on Jesus Christ, is a saving faith and a potential power for good. That’s because Jesus Christ connects us to the almighty transforming power of God himself.
God invites us to have a living, growing faith so we can be confident and cheerful about who we are. So he invites us to look to him for strength so that we can give a good witness to others about our relationship with him.
So, we pray, ‘Lord, increase our faith’ so that we are not misled by doubts, fears, selfishness and lovelessness. And we also pray that God would move us now, as weak as our faith may be, to place ourselves at his disposal and let his power work in our lives for the sake of others.
Because of God’s work in our lives, we can say right now: ‘Lord, fill me with your power, and use me as I am and where I am to bring glory to you always’.
Lord God, thank you for the faith you have enabled us to have in your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Increase our faith in him so that we can reflect his love and grace in our lives. Transform and renew us daily into the people you still want us to become. Amen.
Mark Lieschke is a retired pastor living on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. He served in parishes in Adelaide, Palmerston North and Marton (both in New Zealand) and Wagga Wagga (school and congregation) before being elected as bishop of the New South Wales District of the LCANZ. He and his wife Meredith have four children (two of which live in Canada) and two grandchildren. Mark enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, walking on the beach and resting.
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