Faith and Love

Love is something I tend to struggle with. I try to be compassionate and patient, but I have trouble with it. I have a hard time loving the way that I’m supposed to. I mean, how do I love people that don’t love me? How do I love people who hurt me?

Faith is also something I struggle with. Not in the sense that I don’t believe in God or have trouble believing in God’s existence, but rather, I have a hard time letting go of control of a situation that I intend to leave in God’s hands. I don’t purposely doubt he will take care of it, I just worry that he won’t want to. But what does it truly mean to have faith? And how do we show our faith in God? 

As a young Christian, I just thought Faith was just believing in God’s existence, however, the bible defines it:

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”

Hebrews 11:6 NIV

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

From these two verses, I see that faith is not only belief in God (as stated, “assurance about what we do not see” and “ must believe that God exists”), but in his ability and (this one gets me) willingness to help or even reward his followers.

So, what does it mean to be his follower? Hebrews 11:6 states at the end that we are to “earnestly seek him.” Other verses in the bible refer to this.  Jesus himself commanded us:

Matthew 6:33 NIV

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

In the Old Testament:

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Proverbs 8:17 NIV

"I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me."

We are to seek out God and seek him with great effort. The definitions of “diligent” and “earnest” refer to intention, purpose, and constant effort. The Greek word used before translation signifies continuous, deliberate, striving, and desire. It implies an intense action of wanting to know God.

I read these verses during my study, and the words struck me in a way completely different to my understanding of it as a young boy and even a teen. The thought of the intensity of focus that is required never crossed my mind. So, I started thinking, what does Jesus, himself, command about knowing God? 1 John 2:3 states:

“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands,” NIV

To know him requires obedience to his commands. When people think of God’s commands, they think of the Ten Commandments. When I think of commands given to us that are emphasized as actions that please God, I think of a few different ones:

Matthew 22:37 NIV

Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Micah 6:8 NIV

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

The first verse is called “The Greatest Commandment” when spoken of. Jesus told us that love of God and each other is most important, even adding in verse 37, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” The entire Law of the time and the written prophet texts could be summed up by these two commands. 

In Micah, we see the same line of thinking. To act in love and be humble with God. The Greek word “humbly” in this text implies a willingness and submission to God, not just a lack of arrogance. 

So, to sum all of this up. To truly have faith means to not only believe that he exists, but that he will reward and take care of those who actively seek him, and we are to seek God and his heart with an intense devotion. To know God is to keep his commands, as stated in Proverbs. In Jeremiah, he states that those who seek him diligently will find him. His greatest command is to love him and love each other. Faith in and Love of God, and love of one another are connected. Without this faith and seeking, it is impossible to please God.