Faith That Goes

December 8

(Luke 2:15-16 NIV) ““When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." {16} So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.””

(Hebrews 11:8 NIV) “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

(Galatians 3:6 NIV) ““Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.””

(James 2:17 NIV) “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

The first thing the shepherds did after their angelic visitation was to take some steps of faith. They heard God, believed God, and in obedience went to Bethlehem to see what God had done -- and when they got there, they found Jesus. This is the essence of faith. God calls to us, we hear Him, in faith we obey, and we find Jesus. We leave where we are and go to Him. We may not know exactly where we are going or what we will find there, but we hear God, believe God, take steps of obedience, and in turn, we find the Lord. This is why James says that if action does not accompany faith, it is not a living faith. The shepherds could be called the first converts. They heard the angels, believed, and responded in faith. Genuine disciples today will do the same. We will believe God’s word, and follow Jesus wherever He calls us to go. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day