Rather than use the closing “Faithfully yours,” many Ugandans end their correspondence with “Faith full,” followed by their name. Each time I’m the recipient of a letter with that closing (which is often in a country where many people still communicate with pen and paper), I ponder what it truly looks like to be “faith full”—to have a heart that brims with confidence in the Lord.
While faithfulness describes the quality of being loyal to someone or something, “faith full” implies being filled with the utmost faith in someone or something. With that in mind, according to Galatians 3:9, it’s not our good works or attempts at faithfulness that make us right with God, but it’s our reliance and trust in Jesus.
“Let me put it another way,” wrote the apostle Paul. “The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:24-26).
In Acts, Stephen was “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). It was because of his faith in Christ and not merely his faithfulness to God’s Word that Stephen was chosen by the disciples to engage in important work.
If our good deeds or faithfulness in keeping the law made us acceptable to God, we could boast in ourselves. But the gospel points us to a relationship with Him and being made righteous by Him through faith in Christ as modeled by Abraham (Romans 4:1-3).
As we are “faith full,” God will bring us to “this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing [His] glory” (Romans 5:2).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Isaiah 53:1-12
More:
What are you told to cling to in 1 Timothy 1:19?
Next:
How can you explain to someone that “from start to finish,” we are made right in God’s sight by faith (Romans 1:17)? How are you living a “faith full” life?
Gary Shultz on May 23, 2015 at 7:01 am
Good thoughts. God loves choice. From the beginning choice was on the menu we all love choice. Faith is a choice, it is a choice with degrees we can invest much or little. The full part is our choice on how much do we really believe what God has said. Are we willing to put these words into a relationship and fill our life full. Hey, we can actually do something in this faith walk. Have faith, have it to the fullest, choose God and He fills and fuels faith. What a great reminder on how God is faithful to His Word and those that chose Him. Thanks
susieq23 on May 23, 2015 at 3:32 pm
As I continue in my personal walk with the Lord ( for over 40 years ) this is what I want to see deepen and grow, the trust in God in all things, it makes such a difference to be able to say “God, this (whatever circumstance you are in) is Yours, I lay it in Your hands, and I trust You with it, You are God.”
Marlena Graves on May 23, 2015 at 10:05 pm
I marvel at Stephen’s faith. As a child and teenager I longed for his faith. I want to be faith full. But it could entail martyrdom. I don’t have quite that faith yet. But maybe if something like that should ever happen, I would at the time. May we all be faith-full. That way others will see the beauty and love of God.
Winn Collier on May 29, 2015 at 3:27 pm
so your Ugandan friends are saying that are full of faith in you – I think that’s quite a remarkable salutation. Those are words our soul needs to hear.