Earnestness of Soul

 "And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" Luke 18: 7, 8

    A young married couple fell in love with a house in which to settle and raise their little one. They made an offer to purchase it from the seller but, talk is cheap, so their words needed to be accompanied by action. A deposit of "earnest money" needed to be given. The definition of this is: "a financial pledge from the buyer that he/she will make a diligent effort to fulfill the terms of the purchase contract entered into with the seller."

    Is it enough to say, "I believe in God" if there is no earnestness of soul behind the words? Often, we want God to fight for us, to love us unconditionally, to raise His right hand against our adversary and pull us back from the pit of destruction. We crave forgiveness.

    God is faithful; He will certainly keep His end of the bargain and has given us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee. "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30) The King of Kings has pressed His signet ring into the wax of our hearts saying, "I have called you by name; you are mine" (Isaiah 43:1)

    Jesus posed a question to us in the above verse: When He comes, will He find faith on earth? Before we respond, let us recall the definition of faith, as found in Hebrews 11:1: "Now, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see." 

    Do I have an earnestness of soul? Am I making a diligent effort to follow Christ wholeheartedly, with confidence and assurance? Am I loving Him at every turn, praying without ceasing, filling myself with His word? When I took the pledge of betrothal, I promised to die to self, take up my cross daily and follow Him - no matter what. Have I kept my word?

    When the apostle Peter's declaration of earnestness was broken by his thrice denial, Jesus forgave him, reinstated him and renewed His contract to "feed my sheep." When we fail, God will forgive us, cleanse us from all unrighteousness and allow us to try again if we repent of our sin. He looks upon the heart, thankfully! 

"For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." James 2:26