The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith

At five years old, my niece’s daughter was already very tall for her age. I am also tall and it was no surprise that she climbed onto my long-enough lap during a family gathering. She sat there, content and quiet, for most of the afternoon. In the normal course of life, children do not have to be taught to trust. They routinely exercise trust, even with people they don’t know and without a thought, because of their simple dependency on others for everything.

That child-like simplicity is the hallmark of our faith. In Mark 10:15, Jesus said, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Like a trusting child, we are called to climb into His lap and rest there, watching the confusion of whatever else is going on around us from the safety of His protective perspective. When we unburden ourselves from the pride of trying to do it all ourselves, we find in Him all that we need.

First, He provides us with rest and unburdens us from the effects of life’s complexities: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Second, we walk in His light: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). As Matthew 5:14-16 tells us, we are, in fact, the bearers of His light to the world: “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Third, nothing about our relationship with Jesus is “God-and”. Our faith is the simplicity of only believe, only trust, and follow only Him in obedience. That obedience comes from knowledge of Him found in His Word, the Bible, and in meditation on His Word.

Like the priestly tribe of Levi, we represent God’s kingdom on earth, motivated by His Spirit. When Canaan was divided to the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Levi had no portion of the land given to them. Instead, their inheritance was God Himself. They were the designated priests, liaisons between God and man. As such, their needs were supported by the tithes and contributions of the rest of the tribes of Israel. God proclaimed, “I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel” (Numbers 18:20).

A. W. Tozer describes this spiritual principle for us with “The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One…having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight.” (A. W. Tozer. The Pursuit of God, Aneko Press, 2015. p 9)

[All Scripture Quotations are from the ESV]

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