Invisible Faith?

I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will. Acts 13:22

I usually avoid writing about politics, but I saw a story in the news that sparked my interest a couple of weeks back. In the media’s coverage of a supreme court nominee, footage of a U.S. Senator questioning the nominee in 2017 resurfaced. Questioning the judge’s faith, the senator said, “The dogma lives loudly within you.” The senator meant this as a criticism. The accusation was that the judge would (unfortunately) allow her faith to influence her decisions on the bench. In reviewing her prior behavior and decisions, the senator concluded that the judge’s faith was profoundly important to her and that it shown through in all she did.

This got me thinking of my own faith. If that same senator poured over my thoughts, words, attitudes, and behaviors, what conclusion would she draw? Would she clearly see that my beliefs radically affected my life? Or would she be completely comfortable that my beliefs were confined to an hour on Sunday morning? Would my faith be invisible to anyone looking at my life Monday through Saturday?

We’re not saved by what we do. God loves us and offers us forgiveness by grace, through faith. If our faith is real though, it will lead to radical obedience. God has reached out in love. Now, he asks that we return that love by following him instead of ourselves. God loves it when we live for him. In today’s passage, we’re given a glimpse of what that looks like. Remembering the life of David, Paul described him as a man who pleased God because he did God’s will. David wasn’t perfect. He failed spectacularly at times. His faith though, lived loudly in his thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions.

I can only hope that someone, someday accuses me of the exact same thing. It would be a badge of honor if anyone looked at my life and said, “I can see that your relationship with God is profoundly important to you. It seems to affect every thought and decision you make. Your faith lives loudly in you.”

If our faith is real, it shouldn’t be invisible. If God is the most important relationship in our lives, this should be obvious to those around us. If that relationship disqualifies us for anything, then we will find peace and joy in knowing that the faith lives loudly in us.