Shield (of Faith)

God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right. [Psalm 7.10]

Yet again today, we see that David refers to God as his shield.

Yet again today, I am drawn to some necessary conclusion about the fact that David, on record as "a man after God's own heart," (1 Samuel 13.14) referred to God as his shield here again - and that the Apostle Paul referred to faith as a shield (Ephesians 6.16) - and that the Bible states that faith is planted in every human by God (Romans 12.3). See the correlation?

If God, Who speaks things that are not as though they were (Romans 4.16-18), gives faith to man, then that faith is a piece of God installed into every human being by which that human being might please God by obeying it (Romans 16.25-27). In fact, there is no way to please God apart from acting from that God-installed faith in man (Hebrews 11.6).

So, again, if God is our shield and faith is our shield (faith that comes from God), then it is pretty conclusive that faith is indeed the God-nature installed in every human being by which every human being might please God. And, if faith works by love (Galatians 5.6) and God is love (1 John 4.8) then our duty is simply to love as God loves, demonstrated for our example in no higher fashion than Jesus Christ on the Cross...

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” [Luke 23.34a]

God has given us the tool to do Kingdom work. However, the operation of that tool, faith, can only be achieved in our willful determination to not act like God in faith, but to act like God in love. Love activates faith. And, there is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends (John 15.13). Laying down our pride for others (can you say, "forgiveness"?) is the act of love that manifests in faith to do the works of Jesus.

Faith does not need our help. Why? Because faith is from God! Faith is that part of God installed in us and therefore needs nothing of our effort except only to love so that that faith in us might be unleashed and unhindered. Our judgment of others is a dead-short on faith working in our lives. 

Our obedience to faith is selfless love for God and man. Jesus said it like this:

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” [Mark 12.29-31]

Faith in man can only lie dormant apart from the catalyst of love. This is precisely why Jesus placed such emphasis on our forgiveness of others:

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. [Matthew 6.14-15]

For David to recognize God as his shield was for David to recognize that God was in him.

Something to think about...

Father, help me to better comprehend your faith in me that works by love...