The first thing God wants of us, the first thing we must do to be right with reality, is to live in faith. We cannot be right with God merely by keeping the letter of the law; we cannot be right with God simply by disciplining ourselves; we cannot be right with God just by being as good as the next person. We can be right with God only by faith. Which is to say that we must live in the constant conviction that God is good. Genuine faith involves an all-out attitude of reliance on God's goodness. It may be compared to a child's absolute trust in a wise, generous, loving father or mother. There is a world of difference in attitude, not to mention output, between a son who does things for his father out of love and respect, and that of an employee who does things merely for pay, or out of fear that he may lose his job or not get a promotion. They may do the same things, but the difference in motivation inevitably colors their work. There is a world of difference between a doctor who chose his profession because it made him an instrument of vital human service, and one who calculatingly chose the profession because it promised a large income! So it is with Christian faith: what counts is motivation, spirit. Commitment to religious law and formal observance cannot substitute for the conviction that God is good. That is where faith's reality begins. 

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