Equity

            What if we viewed the investment in our faith as we view home equity?  Equity of course is that part of something we truly own.  Do we really own our faith?  Owning something requires taking responsibility for it and maintaining it.  If you have ever gone from renting to owning a home, you know that there is satisfaction and a bit of burden that comes with home ownership. You can no longer call the landlord to fix the broken things.  With home ownership, it is obvious when something is not working or if it needs updating.  Faith in need of updating, on the other hand, is not always so obvious.  It requires maintenance, for if we are not growing in faith we are shrinking.
            Martin Luther said: “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”  Faith is living; living things require nourishment and nurturing.  The Holy Spirit instills faith in us, he provides us with the materials to not just maintain it but to build some faith equity too.  If we take ownership of our faith and spend time in the word, in prayer, in worship, in meditation, we can be strong Christians changing the world for the better. 
            My prayer for all of us is to build our faith equity, for it is an investment with eternal returns!
            1 Corinthians 16: 13-14: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.  14 Do everything in love.”


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