Compelling Love

Faith is a gift from God more precious than gold.  Job exemplified this truth when he explained to his friends that though he did not see God in the midst of his hard circumstances, he knew God saw him.  He then declares, “When He has tested me,
I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

Job 23 (NKJV)
⁸  “Look, I go forward, but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
⁹ When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;
When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.
¹⁰ But He knows the way that I take;
When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.

In chapter 19, Job declares, “I know that my Redeemer lives”, and then expresses his faith in a bodily resurrection when he would meet his Redeemer face to face.  He yearned for that great day.

Job 19 (NKJV)
²⁵ For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
²⁶ And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
²⁷ Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/katherine-kehler_pure-gold/
“Father, purify our hearts. Make us wholly Yours.
May our lives reflect Your radiance wherever we go. Amen.”
(Katherine Kehler)

Peter describes how the genuineness of one’s faith is much more precious than gold:

1 Peter 1:7 (NKJV)
that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

Faith in Jesus Christ is a precious gift from God, as 2 Peter 1 describes.  Through faith we receive the promise of eternal life, and the power to walk with God here and now.

2 Peter 1 (NKJV)
¹ Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Peter goes on to describe qualities of character to be added to our faith for fruitful growth in our walk with God.

2 Peter 1 (NKJV)
⁵ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Paul, like Job, fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4 (NKJV)
⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Hebrews 11 describes the assurance of faith, the foundation of faith, and the importance of faith in God’s eyes.

Hebrews 11 (NKJV)
¹ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ² For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
³ By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

By grace through faith we receive the gift of eternal life.

John 3:16 (NKJV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

David Krause, dhkrause@neteze.com, 7/6/2019, https://compellinglove.net/

Photo credits:
(1) http://angiesthatsthat.blogspot.com/2017/05/
(2) https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/katherine-kehler_pure-gold/
(3) https://images.knowing-jesus.com/i/2-peter-1-1-like-precious-faith-yellow
(4) http://www.untilsheflies.com/?p=1526
(5) https://jorieswallofword.wordpress.com/tag/2-timothy-47-niv/