Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Abraham is the father to three faith based religions, Jewish, Islam, and Christian. All three have the same faith passed down from Abraham. So why are these three religions so opposed to one another? Simply put, because of the issue of the promise. Two of these religions believe in the promise of inheritance, that this land is mine by promise. One sees the inheritor as a thief because the first born Ishmael was pushed out by the other’s mother, Sarah. The city they fight over is Jerusalem, the specific area of dispute, the Dome of the Rock. The third religion understands the promise was given to the seed of Abraham, not seeds.

Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

So where does the same faith play a role in all this? Where do you place your faith? In the law of the prophets? Israel has theirs, Islam added one more, Mohammed. You see that the prophets of Israel and Islam are the same but the understanding of the scriptures is tainted by the idea of the failed understanding of the promise. “It is mine!”

Christianity says the promise is in Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:20-22 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Yesterday I left off with this statement: Developing an ear to hear by faith can only come by the word of God.

As I closed out my posting of that devotional I heard “Why faith?” That question led me to a period of meditation upon which faith took on a much more complex role than mere belief. Faith is defined by many religions as nothing more than belief. Some might even assign action to faith, if you believe you should act upon it.

Here in Ephesians 2:8 I find faith as being a conduit or pipeline for grace to be delivered. Now grace is defined by many as unmerited favor and these favors take on many forms as God gives us what we need to have this abundant life. Yet the conduit for grace is still faith, something more substantial than mere belief.

Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

That conduit of faith exists whether you believe it or not. Faith is not dependent upon belief.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The turning point in my meditation was in this verse, that faith is pleasing to God. There is an interaction, more than mere communication, more than mere belief, this conduit isn’t one way; it is reciprocal. God receives as well as gives thru faith.

Now what can we ever give God thru faith? Since it is pleasing to God and reciprocal then I would say the answer is love.

Faith is how God receives our love for Him.