Galatians 3:22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

As came out in yesterday’s reading, the letter to the Galatians really is all about faith. Because we don’t see God with our physical eyes, our every interaction with Him involves faith. As Hebrews 11:1 famously declares, “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Many people have a lot of trouble with that, because their life circumstances have taught them not to trust anything they don’t have in their hands. The irony of that is that everything we can hold in our hands is temporal, which is to say, temporary, because this earth is going to pass away, and however far that might be in the future, we certainly aren’t going to stick around forever ourselves! Eternal life cannot be “scientifically” proven to exist, but it certainly can’t be disproved, either. Human beings are born trusting, and it is only over time that we learn to doubt. That’s why Jesus stressed that we must be as children to enter the kingdom of heaven, (Matthew 18:3, etc.) and why it is so terrible to destroy the trusting nature of a child. (Matthew 18:6) This again is why it’s so much easier for a person to be saved as a child than later in their life. There are exceptions certainly, like the couple in their 70’s that I baptized last year, but it is so much easier to gain a genuine relationship with God as a child. That’s why nations like China forbid the “religious instruction” of children: they know the Bible is correct when it says “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) That’s also why many people are so adamant that “creation science” NOT be taught in schools in the US: the theory of evolution is fundamentally atheistic, and they don’t want anything that would make them accountable to a Creator.

I had the incredible blessing of being raised in a strongly Bible-believing home, but the vast majority of the people I deal with don’t have that advantage. I am not to put them down, much less look down on them, for that, but allow the Holy Spirit to use me as a tool to impart faith to them. By the grace of God, even the oldest adult can be born again as a little child in God’s family, and I am to strive for as many as possible to gain that blessing. The thing of it is, it’s not just salvation that we gain by faith, (Romans 8:32) and that’s something we all need to understand better. God doesn’t spoil us, and He’s more interested in our character than our comfort, but there is absolutely nothing that we genuinely need that He cannot and will not provide for us. I can’t convince people of that with words, so I need to pray that they eyes of their hearts will be opened, just as Paul did. (Ephesians 1:18)

Father, once again I am confronted with the reality that the task is completely beyond me, but You supply all I need there, too. Help me be faithful to recognize and apply Your supply to each situation, so that many may be brought not just to eternal life, but also to the joy, peace, and liberty of a vital, trusting relationship with You, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!