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Jesus said, when the son of man returns, will he find faith?
In its simplest form, faith is the belief and assurance that God is God and will do what He says He will do.
It takes trust to operate in faith, and trust comes from the heart—the emotional side of humanity.
The wisdom of Solomon, Israel’s king, says to trust in the Lord with your whole heart, which means the heart is the key to trusting God.
In other words, everything humanity does is tied to the heart.
I saw something while reading the Old Testament book of Job that opened my eyes to this element of humanity and our walk with God.
In this Old Testament poetry book, satan is permitted by God to attack Job in a variety of ways.
His logic was that Job only followed God because of the “good” things God did for him.
In other words, (according to satan) Job’s heart was not in it.
If you know the story, Job proved satan wrong by crying out to God rather than shaking an angry fist at him.
Job’s friends show up to comfort their friend and are not prepared for what they find.
Job tells them, “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.” Job 3:33 The New International Version.
When one of Job’s friends responds to Job’s words, he (unwittingly) reveals a great truth about humanity.
“Consider now: who, being innocent has ever perished?” Job 4:7, the New International Version.
The answer is no one, but it reveals the reason behind this righteous man’s troubles.
Remember, God is and has no need to prove himself. So when satan attacked Job because of God’s protection over him, God was not proving to satan that he was wrong; he was exposing a matter of Job’s heart.
Job declared that what he feared had happened.
Like trust, fear stems from the heart of humanity. It can show up for many reasons, but at its core is a lack of trust—in this case, in God.
Without trust there can be no faith, and without faith you cannot please God, which means the door is open for satan to do his bidding—which is never for the benefit of humanity.
This is why people fall away from their first love.
Job was a righteous man, but he let fear dictate his actions, leading him to become religious.
” ” arly in the morning, he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them (his children), thinking, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s regular custom.: Job 1:5, The New International Version.
His actions seemed noble, but were motivated by fear—perhaps they had sinned.
“Then Samuel said, Do you think all God wants are sacrifices – empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production.” I Samuel 15:22, The Message
The question becomes this:
Is doing the right thing enough?
The answer is, it depends.
If you are doing the right thing with the wrong heart (attitude, or motivation), then NO, doing the right thing isn’t enough.
If you are doing the right thing with the right heart (surrendered to God), then YES, doing the right thing is enough.
Job was doing the right thing by making an offering for sin, but only if a sin was committed.
Job was acting out of fear and obedience to God’s word.
People fall away from their first love because the actions of the heart will always reveal God’s plans.
God allowed satan to attack Job to expose the sin in Job’s heart, not to prove a point to a defeated foe.
People walk away from their first love when their heart’s actions reveal their true intent.
In other words, when things do not go the way they prayed to God for them to go, they get angry and (sometimes) walk away.
This is also why Jesus asked, ” Will I find faith when I return?
When our hearts are pure before the Lord, we readily accept whatever the Lord has.
Jesus gave this example while in the garden before his suffering (passion). When he prayed, if it is your will, he was expressing his desire for an outcome.
When he prayed, Your will be done, he was exposing the intent of his heart—pure and surrendered to God.
Job revealed the intent of his heart when he said, ” What I feared happened. Humanity reveals the intent of their hearts when they act with their mouths (cursing), their feet (walking away), and with their hands (violence).
Humanity is in a very dangerous time. The return of Christ is on the horizon, which means evil things are set in motion that cannot be undone. They impact just and unjust alike.
The difference between succeeding and failing is your faith, which comes from the heart.
If you have stepped away from your first love, then you have placed yourself in a position of failure.
If you have stayed close to your first love, then you have placed yourself in a position to succeed (but not without experiencing trials, tests, and tribulations.
In the end, Job came around, which means there is hope for humanity.
At the end, Jesus will find faith, because those who have clung to their first love will be standing to receive him when he comes.
The Psalmist King David said,
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” Psalms 139:23 The New International Version
Returning to your first love begins by praying David’s prayer.
Your walk will grow as you spend time with him daily.
It will strengthen as you find a community of like Christ-followers to walk with.
Humanity has entered a time of historical proportions, and being close to God will mean the difference between finding spiritual freedom and deepening spiritual bondage.
Stay close.