Faith –  a simple word that can have many interpretations and meanings.

In the Lutheran church we say that faith is a gift from God, given to us most particularly at baptism. God instills us with faith that is necessary to believe in God. When we say that we are growing in faith, we mean that we are growing in our understanding of the nature of God. We mean that we are growing more intimate in our relationship with God. We mean that we are taking a step closer to the heart of God.

  We grow in faith – are formed in faith – when we sing a hymn, or pray a prayer, or share in servanthood activities. Our faith is being formed when we hear a Bible story, or spend time with other Christians, or meditate quietly by ourselves. Faith is formed during Vacation Bible School, or Sunday School, or in choir rehearsals. Faith is also formed with family devotions, conversations between parents and children about how God works in their family’s life, or in times of forgiveness.

 God demonstrated faithfulness when Jesus went to the cross to offer us salvation, freedom from the consequence of Sin, and eternal relationship with God. There are places in the Bible when we read about having faith in Jesus, when we could just as easily read it as having faith of Jesus.

 So, as grace is given freely to us for our relationship to God, faith is also given to us by God. And it is faith that we exercise and use and develop as we grow as a Christian. Our faith will help us understand how God is present in times of crisis. Our faith will motivate and encourage us, leading us to be bold in our actions for Christ’s sake.

Faith is not ours to hold on to. Rather, faith is ours to share with others. The amount of our faith is not nearly important as the faithfulness of the One who saves, sanctifies and sustains us.