August 19

“Have faith in God,” Jesus said to them. — Mark 11:22 BSB

God calls us to have a perfect faith, telling us that if we believe and do not doubt, we will have whatever we ask. Even the smallest hint of unbelief can negate our trust in Him.

But how can we have such perfect faith? Is it truly possible for human nature? No, but it is possible through the divine nature of Christ within us. God can give us this kind of faith. Christ is both the author and the finisher of our faith, and He tells us to have the faith of God. As we receive the Spirit of Christ, we begin to believe as He believes.

We pray in His name, and live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us. The love He asks of us is not merely human love or even the love commanded in the Old Testament, but something far greater. The new commandment is: "Love one another as I have loved you."

How can such love be made possible? Our love is made perfect in this: "As He is, so are we in this world." Our love is simply His love, worked in and through us by His Spirit.