I recently received this thoughtful comment from my good friend Bobby in response to my post “Ask Backward.” His reflections expand beautifully on the heart of what I was trying to express—turning faith from a transaction into a relationship of trust.

Ask Backward

Bobby’s Comment

The article states:

“Faith was never meant to be a transaction. It is not a barter system where we trade promises for blessings. It is a relationship of trust—trust that the One who set the stars in motion already knows what we need and has already placed gifts in our hands.”

I would expand that thought:

The relationship with God is based on trust developed by knowing and loving him – and kept in place and matured by being filled with the holy Spirit.

As Christians we are agents of Gods grace – every generosity and help we give be it spiritual or physical should be born out of Agape, which you can truly only have from God. Hence why the Holy Spirit is so important.

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. – Acts 13:52

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, – Ephesians 5:18

Bobby

Reflection

I couldn’t agree more. The essence of faithfulness is not only trust but love—agape—the kind that overflows from God Himself. Our stewardship, our obedience, even our generosity are empty without that divine love as their source.

Bobby’s insight also connects perfectly with the book we’re currently reading together, Perichoretic Salvation by James D. Gifford Jr. In it, Gifford reminds us that the Spirit’s indwelling is not just a theological concept but the very participation in God’s life—the ongoing dance of love between Father, Son, and Spirit into which we are invited.

Faith is not about bartering for blessings. It’s about being drawn into that divine fellowship of love and letting it shape how we live, give, and serve.

In that sense, Ask Backward wasn’t just about misplaced expectations—it was an invitation to step forward into faithful love, where trust and agape move together in rhythm with the Spirit.

Excerpt

A friend’s reflection deepens the message of Ask Backward: faith isn’t a transaction but a relationship sustained by the Holy Spirit. True stewardship flows from agape—divine love that moves us to act, give, and trust. When love leads, faith stops bartering and begins to become.