Nod a Fading Faith

   The vine pattern on my table runner that sets by the window has been faded by the sun over the years. Most things do fade over time; but not our faith. Our faith becomes stronger, more vibrant, and a more brilliant reflection of our Lord as we grow older spiritually. This is one of the very things that confirms our faith is a saving faith -- it grows; producing fruit. Like a fruit tree, our boughs are bent down in worship, laden with the fruit grown in grace and faith -- a fragrant offering. 
   So, what if your faith hasn’t grown? 2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you -- unless, of course, you fail the test? Test your faith -- make sure it is a live, real, saving faith.”
   Sometimes we are discouraged after we come to salvation through faith and recognize there are still sins to be dealt with in our life. We might even question ‘can I really be saved if I still have this sin?’ But awareness is a first step. We must recognize bad apples on the tree. One of the ways we test our faith is in our response to sins we become aware of. What we do from that point is critical in either growing our faith or stunting it.
   Ridding our life of the ‘bad apples’ of sin is wonderful spiritual progress. Through repentance we come into salvation and through continued repentanc ...