December 7
Real faith stands. Yes. Real faith stands. It isn’t shaken by adverse winds. You can’t argue real faith away. You can’t vote real faith away. You can’t legislate real faith away. You can’t discourage real faith away. You can’t rationalize real faith away. You can’t torture real faith away. Real faith stands.
Ask Moses who was willing to suffer with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of Egypt for a season (Hebrews 11:25). Ask Paul who was willing to relinquish the esteem of his nation in order to propagate the gospel under great persecution (Philippians 3:4-9).
Ask anyone who has placed faith in Christ at the pinnacle of his life and he will affirm that abiding in Him is worth the cost. And, there will be cost. Everyone who takes the yoke of the Lord upon himself gives something up—but gains so much more. One thing that will be notably discerned as part of what must be let go, is the esteem of ones fellows. Many people will consider the believer to have taken leave of his senses.
To dispute with those who do not believe is to abdicate the high ground of faith. Mark 9:14-19 tells us what Jesus said to His disciples when they found themselves arguing with doubters: “What are you arguing about...O, faithless generation! How long shall I suffer you?” It is apparent here that to engage in argumentation is to diminish the believer’s faith and his power to do what Jesus has sent him to accomplish. Jesus expects His followers to stand! To stand in real faith!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Heaven's Great Work
December 6
Some people believe that though there is indeed a Creator God who fashioned the universe, He is not involved in the affairs of the vast creation of His hand today. They subscribe to the theory that He made everything, wound it up and then pretty much left it to itself.
This erroneous notion flies in the face of all the evidence. We who have prayed and received answers to our prayers would be among those who would testify to His profound involvement in the affairs of men. Many scientists understand that concepts like gravitational pull would fail without His keeping power.
If physical evidence in the natural realm is not sufficient to convince us that God sees and hears and cares about what is going on in the universe He fashioned, we have the words of Jesus in John 5:17 that attest to the fact that the One who made us endeavors continually to accomplish His plan for His people. Here the Lord says, “My Father is still working and I am working also.”
The primary work that God is striving to complete is the salvation of souls. That is the great scheme of Heaven—to bring as many as will believe home to glory. The Holy Spirit that stirs in your heart is striving to lead you home—God’s great and glorious work then, the work that was established in Heaven (Revelation 13:8) and completed by Jesus on the cross is to share heaven with you, with me
Some people believe that though there is indeed a Creator God who fashioned the universe, He is not involved in the affairs of the vast creation of His hand today. They subscribe to the theory that He made everything, wound it up and then pretty much left it to itself.
This erroneous notion flies in the face of all the evidence. We who have prayed and received answers to our prayers would be among those who would testify to His profound involvement in the affairs of men. Many scientists understand that concepts like gravitational pull would fail without His keeping power.
If physical evidence in the natural realm is not sufficient to convince us that God sees and hears and cares about what is going on in the universe He fashioned, we have the words of Jesus in John 5:17 that attest to the fact that the One who made us endeavors continually to accomplish His plan for His people. Here the Lord says, “My Father is still working and I am working also.”
The primary work that God is striving to complete is the salvation of souls. That is the great scheme of Heaven—to bring as many as will believe home to glory. The Holy Spirit that stirs in your heart is striving to lead you home—God’s great and glorious work then, the work that was established in Heaven (Revelation 13:8) and completed by Jesus on the cross is to share heaven with you, with me
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Stand for Itself
December 5
Sometime there’s just no point in arguing. We’ve all put ourselves through the ordeal of trying to justify our words or our actions. We’ve put ourselves through the wringer in order to clarify something said or done that someone simply didn’t grasp as we’d intended it.
Though we may count ourselves to be skilled wordsmiths, we have to acknowledge that we never were able to make our point. The one who did not understand initially, still didn’t ‘get it’ when we’d gone through our hoops of attempting to explain, to clarify.
Jesus must have felt the same way when at His mockery of a trial Pontius Pilate inquired of Him, “’Don’t You have an answer to what these men are testifying against You?’ But He kept silent and did not answer anything” Mark 14:60, 61. Jesus did not argue before His accusers. He knew the futility of debate and He knew that in order for the plan of salvation to be implemented, this moment had to come.
But, beyond that, He knew that if these people had seen His miracles—blind eyes that were opened, deaf ears that were unstopped, demon-possessed lives that were set free from oppression—and yet did not believe Him, there was no point of further clarification that He could state that would change their hearts. Like Him, we must let the living epistle of our lives stand for itself.
Sometime there’s just no point in arguing. We’ve all put ourselves through the ordeal of trying to justify our words or our actions. We’ve put ourselves through the wringer in order to clarify something said or done that someone simply didn’t grasp as we’d intended it.
Though we may count ourselves to be skilled wordsmiths, we have to acknowledge that we never were able to make our point. The one who did not understand initially, still didn’t ‘get it’ when we’d gone through our hoops of attempting to explain, to clarify.
Jesus must have felt the same way when at His mockery of a trial Pontius Pilate inquired of Him, “’Don’t You have an answer to what these men are testifying against You?’ But He kept silent and did not answer anything” Mark 14:60, 61. Jesus did not argue before His accusers. He knew the futility of debate and He knew that in order for the plan of salvation to be implemented, this moment had to come.
But, beyond that, He knew that if these people had seen His miracles—blind eyes that were opened, deaf ears that were unstopped, demon-possessed lives that were set free from oppression—and yet did not believe Him, there was no point of further clarification that He could state that would change their hearts. Like Him, we must let the living epistle of our lives stand for itself.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
What Is That to You?
December 4
There is a verse in scripture (II Corinthians 10:12) that says, “….they who compare themselves among themselves are not wise.” The Bible is quite clear that if we believe in Christ, have settled in our hearts and minds that we are His and we will follow wherever He leads, there is no place in us for second guessing His choice.
There is no place for negotiation for a ‘better deal.’ If He calls us into a mission field in some far-flung corner of the world, we must trust that it is because He knows His plan for us will be best accomplished there and His plan for that part of the globe will be best accomplished because of our presence there.
If He tells us to remain in our hometown and share our faith with the people among whom we grew up, we cannot lament the lack of adventure in our lives. Again, He knows where we will be most effectively discipled and where we will be best equipped to draw new disciples to Jesus. Even Peter wrestled with the question of where he was to go in order to serve the Kingdom of Christ—and where his fellow Apostle John would go, and how he would die.
Jesus had described Peter’s martyrdom in John 21: 18, 19. When in John 21:21, Peter asked, “And what shall this man (John) do?” The Lord’s answer silenced him. It should silence us when we ponder the role of fellow believers in His Kingdom. In John 21:22, He said, “If I want him to tarry until I come, what is that to you?” His polite way of saying that another person's life and ministry are none of our business effectively shuts us up, as it did Peter.
There is a verse in scripture (II Corinthians 10:12) that says, “….they who compare themselves among themselves are not wise.” The Bible is quite clear that if we believe in Christ, have settled in our hearts and minds that we are His and we will follow wherever He leads, there is no place in us for second guessing His choice.
There is no place for negotiation for a ‘better deal.’ If He calls us into a mission field in some far-flung corner of the world, we must trust that it is because He knows His plan for us will be best accomplished there and His plan for that part of the globe will be best accomplished because of our presence there.
If He tells us to remain in our hometown and share our faith with the people among whom we grew up, we cannot lament the lack of adventure in our lives. Again, He knows where we will be most effectively discipled and where we will be best equipped to draw new disciples to Jesus. Even Peter wrestled with the question of where he was to go in order to serve the Kingdom of Christ—and where his fellow Apostle John would go, and how he would die.
Jesus had described Peter’s martyrdom in John 21: 18, 19. When in John 21:21, Peter asked, “And what shall this man (John) do?” The Lord’s answer silenced him. It should silence us when we ponder the role of fellow believers in His Kingdom. In John 21:22, He said, “If I want him to tarry until I come, what is that to you?” His polite way of saying that another person's life and ministry are none of our business effectively shuts us up, as it did Peter.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Equality
December 3
Perhaps in your field of endeavor there is a ‘pecking order.’ The most discernable evidence of such will be the salaries of the individuals employed at your place of work. The CEO or the superintendent or the president or the manager will be paid more than the lower echelon employees.
If you are one of the ‘underlings,’ you probably don’t even know what your upper management officials make. Although you’re probably convinced that they’re out of touch with the nuts and bolts of what keeps the wheels of the organization turning and the importance of the ordinary folk who keep them greased, you know in spite of that, they make way more than you do!
As the old saying goes, ‘Life ain’t fair. Get over it.’ But, in spite of the discrepancies that abound everywhere you turn—not only at work but in virtually every area of interaction with other individuals, there is one place where you will find absolute equity; and that is with God. He has no favorites. He values every individual’s contribution to the furtherance of the Kingdom of Christ.
Whether you’re Billy Graham or Billy Smith the usher at the corner church, He values you. In I Corinthians 3:8, we’re told, “The one who plants and the one who waters are equal; each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” There is no vying for favor, and no need to impress the boss. Simply do what He called you to do in the field to which He sent you—and your reward will be great.
Perhaps in your field of endeavor there is a ‘pecking order.’ The most discernable evidence of such will be the salaries of the individuals employed at your place of work. The CEO or the superintendent or the president or the manager will be paid more than the lower echelon employees.
If you are one of the ‘underlings,’ you probably don’t even know what your upper management officials make. Although you’re probably convinced that they’re out of touch with the nuts and bolts of what keeps the wheels of the organization turning and the importance of the ordinary folk who keep them greased, you know in spite of that, they make way more than you do!
As the old saying goes, ‘Life ain’t fair. Get over it.’ But, in spite of the discrepancies that abound everywhere you turn—not only at work but in virtually every area of interaction with other individuals, there is one place where you will find absolute equity; and that is with God. He has no favorites. He values every individual’s contribution to the furtherance of the Kingdom of Christ.
Whether you’re Billy Graham or Billy Smith the usher at the corner church, He values you. In I Corinthians 3:8, we’re told, “The one who plants and the one who waters are equal; each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” There is no vying for favor, and no need to impress the boss. Simply do what He called you to do in the field to which He sent you—and your reward will be great.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Demonstrate Diligence, Realize Hope
December 2
God’s expectation of Abram, that he would make the things of the Lord his top priority, is also His expectation of us. Scripture is replete with examples of the men and women who were used of God who had to first be willing to lay their own reason, their own goals, aside to simply trust the Almighty.
When Gideon was told that his army was too big, that he would have to whittle it down (Judges 7:2-7), it required profound faith for Gideon to trust that the great army of the Midianites could be defeated by the 300 men that God allowed Gideon to keep.
When we are asked to dispense with human reason, with our own prior experience and our finite understanding of how things work and how problems can best be resolved, God has a plan that exceeds our very limited scope. He has a plan that will not disappoint us, if we will but trust in His power—if we will but trust in His love.
The Word says in Hebrews 6:11, “We want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope.” Abraham trusted God in every matter of importance—from leaving his homeland to believing for his promised heir when he and his wife were beyond child-bearing years (Genesis 21:2). God wants us to evidence Abraham’s level of faith, trust and obedience in our lives.
God’s expectation of Abram, that he would make the things of the Lord his top priority, is also His expectation of us. Scripture is replete with examples of the men and women who were used of God who had to first be willing to lay their own reason, their own goals, aside to simply trust the Almighty.
When Gideon was told that his army was too big, that he would have to whittle it down (Judges 7:2-7), it required profound faith for Gideon to trust that the great army of the Midianites could be defeated by the 300 men that God allowed Gideon to keep.
When we are asked to dispense with human reason, with our own prior experience and our finite understanding of how things work and how problems can best be resolved, God has a plan that exceeds our very limited scope. He has a plan that will not disappoint us, if we will but trust in His power—if we will but trust in His love.
The Word says in Hebrews 6:11, “We want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope.” Abraham trusted God in every matter of importance—from leaving his homeland to believing for his promised heir when he and his wife were beyond child-bearing years (Genesis 21:2). God wants us to evidence Abraham’s level of faith, trust and obedience in our lives.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
So Must We
December 1
God’s promises are conditional. Much like a contractual agreement, they are contingent upon the compliance of both parties with the terms stipulated. Because God will never renege on any aspect of His word, we understand that any departure from the terms of the promises comes from man.
One of the big qualifiers for receiving the fulfillment of any promise we claim is our own faith. If we do not believe, if we do not trust God in a matter, He is no longer under any obligation to fulfill the promise we claim. Hebrews 11:6 states clearly that we cannot please God without faith.
Another very clear requirement set forth in the Word regarding our receipt of the benefits the Bible says are ours when we ask in faith is that we step out when God calls us. He does not require the same degree of compliance from every individual but He does expect that when we are asked to leave our comfort zone to follow Him in faith, we will do it.
As early as Genesis 12:1, Abram is called to, “Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land I will show you.” Here Abram demonstrated the faith that God expects from all who believe. He left all that was familiar, he left the inheritance that was his as the son of his father in order to receive the inheritance his heavenly Father, his God, had for him. So must we.
God’s promises are conditional. Much like a contractual agreement, they are contingent upon the compliance of both parties with the terms stipulated. Because God will never renege on any aspect of His word, we understand that any departure from the terms of the promises comes from man.
One of the big qualifiers for receiving the fulfillment of any promise we claim is our own faith. If we do not believe, if we do not trust God in a matter, He is no longer under any obligation to fulfill the promise we claim. Hebrews 11:6 states clearly that we cannot please God without faith.
Another very clear requirement set forth in the Word regarding our receipt of the benefits the Bible says are ours when we ask in faith is that we step out when God calls us. He does not require the same degree of compliance from every individual but He does expect that when we are asked to leave our comfort zone to follow Him in faith, we will do it.
As early as Genesis 12:1, Abram is called to, “Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land I will show you.” Here Abram demonstrated the faith that God expects from all who believe. He left all that was familiar, he left the inheritance that was his as the son of his father in order to receive the inheritance his heavenly Father, his God, had for him. So must we.
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