Faith is the lynch pin upon which hangs our salvation. The author of Hebrews spent an entire chapter illustrating this (Hebrews 11), which he summarized as follows.

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) 

Faith is the central thing God is looking for in us. We really don’t bring a whole lot to the table when we approach God besides faith. As we covered in the first article in this series, faith is loyalty to God because we are convinced that he is absolutely trustworthy. Faith honors God. Our faith opens the door for everything else. God sends his Spirit to indwell and transform those who believe, propelling us toward God’s goal for our lives – that we become like Jesus.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29  For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:28-29 (NLT) 

God’s honor and glory is always the most important thing, but, since our Lord is the kindest and most loving Being, he always chooses to share what he has with those who trust in him.

Faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8) administered by the Spirit of God, who is also called the Spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). We cooperate with God’s gift and Spirit by choosing to believe the gospel message of his resurrection from our hearts and giving Christ our full allegiance.

The Christian life can be thought of as an opportunity to display our loyalty to Christ, no matter what we may encounter.

Thinking of faith as allegiance helps make sense of why God allows us to face and endure difficulties, tests, and trials of our faith. As we maintain our faithfulness in the midst of these things, it brings great glory to God. And God, the most generous beings of all, will not let such allegiance go unrewarded.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4  and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5  And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 6  So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 7  These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 1:3-7 (NLT)  

Therefore, the difficulties and tests we face in life are not pointless exercises in frustration and futility. Quite the opposite, seen in the correct light, they are God-given opportunities to earn eternal reward by maintaining loyalty to our unseen God.

Jesus accomplished this when he died on the cross. He kept his eyes on the reward by faith, which gave him the strength and endurance to continue faithful to the end.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3  Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. Hebrews 12:1-3 (NLT)  

Never cast away your faith. It has a great reward.

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36  Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT)