What does Faith Do?

​When we believe in God, we say that HE is the center of our life, but what does that really mean? How does that look and what does it mean in our daily actions?

Whenever we take a vow in our life it is a voluntary obligation or promise made to God. This promise is made with the plea to have God give us the strength to live into the vow through the events and Grace that God will give to us. Let us look at the vows that we take in our life. Baptism we promise up front that we want to be part of God’s family and we want to grow into this vow by the way we live our faith out in our lives. Confirmation- We confirm the vows that were made for us at baptism, and we say that we want to live our baptismal vows out in our own lives. Marriage – we take marriage vows and promise to live into these vows as we live our lives out together. With our best friend and partner by our side. Ordination- When we are ordained as a deacon, minister, or session member, we again make our promise to live into God’s calling for our lives.

So vows are important, and they continuously call us to keep the promise at the center of our lives. We need to always remember that God is the one that is giving us the strength and dedication to live into the vow. God was the author of the vow, and HE called us into it. You see when we make a vow to God, it is really at HIS invitation, and we live into it only because of the strength that HE gives us. So, our faith and our Vows are really not about us. They are really our response to the calling and gift that God has given to us. They are not an obligation like other promises that we make. Vows are really a gift from God that allows us to turn have-to’s into get-to’s. God is giving us the ability to participate in what He is doing in the world. What a privilege it is to make a vow to a God who loves us so dearly and a God who is with us every day in every situation. We need to remember those vows every day and make our decisions around them. God remembers them and he wants nothing more than for us to live into them and enjoy the gifts that He is giving us daily.

Our Faith makes a difference in everything that we do. We remember that it is a gift from God and that faith should shape every decision that we make, every thought that we have and every action that we do. It is always good to keep God at the center of our lives because we are the center of HIS. Never forget to always thank God for the gift of faith, and the vows that he has called us into. We have an awesome God and one that not only loves us beyond anything that we could imagine. We have a God who wants to be part of everything that we do.

May The Lord Bless and Keep You,
Rev. Stephen W. Barch