May 6

”… To the faithful in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 1:1 NIV))

When Paul wrote the letter to the Christians in Ephesus he aimed his letter at ”the faithful in Christ Jesus”. This is the foundational definition of what is required to be a Christian. To live in faith means that all I do, say and am, is in some way related to this reality. If I live in Sweden, this impacts on my attitude even if I don’t give a thought to the fact that I actually live here, as I go about business on a daily basis. I pay my taxes and if I become ill I utilize the rights that are tied to the fact that I reside in Sweden. When I work the Swedish labor laws are those in effect and when I shop I do so using Swedish currency.

To be a Christian is to live in faith and that obviously bears with it certain duties and many privileges. To live in faith is not to anxiously wrestle with the question of God’s existence. It concerns instead resting in the knowledge that I can belong to Him, that I can depend on Him, and then I can also experience that He cares for me in all circumstances.

 Isaiah 7:9 says: ”If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all”. But, the reverse also holds fast, namely, if we have faith we will have peace.

Prayer
Thank you Jesus that I can belong to you. Help me to be thankful to you that I can have my true identity in You. Help me to truly live in faith in You and Your power to care for me today, in order that I can experience the assurance of peace.