O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust. Ps. 7:1.

A person can have faith in many things. Most of us do. We have faith in our friends, in our doctor, in the businesses that sell shoes, clothing, food. We have faith in the car that takes us to work or to church. We believe that the created wonders of our age will do for us what they have always done. This faith endures in spite of the fact that people, machines, and organizations often fail.

Yet how little faith we seem to have in God at times, in the One who has never failed, who has never let us down. The Bible continually calls upon us to "trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Prov. 3:5).

The human heart is the only spot on earth that can properly be called the dwelling place of God. "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit" (Isa. 57:15). Our greatest honor is to be the dwelling place of God.

To live by faith means we cannot be holy at a distance from God. We cannot be righteous and live apart from God. Faith means we have accepted Christ as the center of our life and living. We are to be noted in heaven for our firm faith, not for wealth; for righteousness by faith, not for ritual. Faith means we consent to allow Christ to renew us in spirit and in mind, to wash us from the power of sin. Faith unites us to God. We cannot be sons and daughters of God without belonging to God.

We may conceive of God as an easygoing, lax, and kindly Deity--a good-natured Being who bends over His rebellious children and says, "My children, it does not matter. I forgive you." That would probably make it easy, but it would never make us holy and victorious over sin. When by faith the presence of Christ abides in us, there is the fullness of spiritual life like unto that of our Lord. Our living, exalted Lord restores in us the essential greatness of humanity. The whole secret of salvation and redemption is disclosed in Him who sends forth His Spirit for our restoration to the image of God.