Productive Faith

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Hebrews 11:1, 6 KJV

As children of God, our faith in Christ is the anchor that grounds us. The hope and conviction we have in Christ however cannot be isolated with regards to our attitudes and behaviors. You cannot proclaim to be a child or of God or “Christ-like” if you do not portray certain traits, attributes, characteristics, attitudes and a certain overall lifestyle.

As is said in our local parlance, “The crab does not beget a bird” or “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. Both sayings insinuate that every creature produces like unto itself. Therefore if indeed we are purchased by the blood of the lamb and call ourselves children of God and joint heirs with Christ, how then do we portray attitudes that are not Christ-like?

In typing out this write-up, I had a strange encounter. Midway through, my device suddenly froze and a chunk of the thoughts I had already typed out began to erase before my very eyes. I was able to salvage the crux of my write-up which included the key scriptures. Although painful because the note had not backed up within the few minutes that this happened, the core message that this piece of writing seeks to teach us all was tested there and then. Was I going to exercise productive faith and start afresh or would I give up. Purpose prevailed and we have this blog post which I believe will impact your life.

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 1:5-8 KJV

The scripture above shows us that if you have certain “things” in you, you will not be barren, unfruitful or unproductive. Those things being referred to by Apostle Peter are in reference to specific virtues including faith, diligence, temperance and so on. A person who has these characteristics is bound to be productive and fruitful in everything they do.

Notice that people who do not demonstrate such virtues are usually very unfruitful no matter how hard they work. Because even if you manage to deploy dubious means to achieve certain feat, these victories are always short-lived. The word of God serves as a map and compass to help us navigate every aspect of our lives. Our productivity here on earth is dependent on our ability to walk in obedience to the word of God and allowing the light of ahis word lead us into all truth. These attributes are diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly love and charity.

Diligence means a the persistent and relentless effort by an individual to solve a problem, to overcome difficulties and to accomplish great things. A diligent person is most likely to become a leader because they strive to excel at everything they do. They always explore new ideas and tend to be wealthy. (Proverbs 10:4, 12:24, 21:5, 22:9)

Faith is a firm belief in something for which there is no proof. It is also a belief in God. Faith will cause you to overcome problems and obstacles and live a victorious life. It delivers you from foolishness and equips you to please God. (Mark 11:23, Psalm 14:1, Hebrews 11:6)

Virtue is the quality of doing what is good and right and avoiding wrong. Children of God must exhibit the virtues of justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope and love. A virtuous person is a good person who hates evil, is genuinely helpful and hardworking. (Romans 12:9, Proverbs 31:10)

Knowledge is the condition in which you are aware of facts and realities that are true, important and relevant. Knowledge is a treasure that should help us live a good and humble life, fill us with grace and peace and escape the corruption of this world. It increases our knowledge understanding of different situations and deal wisely with people. Unfortunately, some people become pompous when they acquire a little knowledge which is unfortunate and not Christ-like. (James 3:13)

Temperance is the trait of avoiding excesses and living in moderation. This trait helps a person to be self-disciplined and cautious in all things. A temperate person is usually one influenced by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 9:25)

Patience is the good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence. A patient person is steadfast even amidst opposition, difficulty or adversity. A patient person bears pains and trials without complaint. Patience will cause you to bear fruit and inherit good things. ( Luke 8:15, Hebrews 6:12)

Godliness is the quality of being like God. Godly people pray often and at the right time because you acknowledge God as your source. Godly people are set apart and are not carnally minded.(Psalm 4:3, 32:6)

Brotherly love is the love that a person has for a brother. This means that you humble put others before you, you prevent strife between close relationships and you sacrifice yourself for others. (Romans 12:10, 1 John 3:16)

Charity is the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another. The natural man will only love you given a reason but the love of God loves without reason. Charity leads to unity and is a good foundation in everything you do for God is love. For God so lives the world that He gave…, else we all would not be here identifying as children of God. (Colossians 3:14, Ephesians 3:17-19)

May we not be like the children of this world who deny their true selves as created by God and would rather claim to identify as personalities alien to what God has ordained them to be. Do not abandon your identity while rather seeking for the world’s pity or applause.

Some may say that doing all of this will allow people take advantage of you and use you. Would you rather please self or please God. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can walk in faith and be productive with these attributes without being destroyed by the evil one. (Psalm 23: 4). Yearn to walk in the light of God’s word in obedience to His instructions and fulfillment of His purpose. Think big! Dream big!! Attempt great things for God and watch Him launch you into fruitfulness and abundance.

With Love, Esinam.