Faith
Is Your View of God Accurate?
Do you have an accurate view of God? Why do I ask? Because some people have a wrong view of Him. For instance, some people accuse God of not being tolerant. However, the apostle Paul points out in his letter to the Romans that God has demonstrated His tolerance (or forbearance) toward sinful man.
He asks in Romans 2:4, “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”
Did you catch that? Not only has holy God been kind and patient with we who are sinful, He has been tolerant, or forbearing as Romans 3:25b states. “…in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
To clarify, God is not tolerant of sin. Rather, sin is so “intolerable” to God that He sent Jesus to die for our sins so we could be made new. God “passed over” or “paid for” sins that had been committed and would be committed. Our forbearing Lord is just. Our forbearing Lord is the justifier (just as if I’d never sinned) of the one who places their faith in Jesus.
There is no better time than now for us to share this message with others. People are dying. Many may never have heard the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Pray God will stir believers hearts to share the good news of Christ with others and the unsaved will repent and be saved.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your FORBEARANCE, for bearing with us and justifying us so we can stand before You as if we’d never sinned. We love and praise You!
Do you have a friend or family member you would like to introduce to Jesus? Share this link with them: “Meet Jesus…Experience His Grace.”
Where is Our Faith?
We talk about it. We sing about it. But, how much of it do we have? What am I talking about? Faith.
We place our faith in the person of Jesus Christ and that He substituted His body on the cross in place of ours. We stand at a distance and say, “Whew! That’s great. I didn’t have to go through the scourging and crucifixion. Thank You, Jesus. I believe.”
But when God says to exercise our faith in regard to cutting off our sin we say, “No way. Can’t do.” He says to exercise our faith and forgive as He forgives us and we say, “Not gonna do it.”
He says to lay aside our old self and put on the new self which was made in the image of Christ Jesus, and we march through our day as if we didn’t hear Him.
He says to take up our cross and follow Him by laying down our life and we go on with our day as if He wasn’t talking to us.
If we really had faith that God “calls into being that which doesn’t exist,” as Romans 4:17 states, then wouldn’t we obey Jesus’ commands and trust Him to lead us?
The question is, where is our faith…in ourself or in Jesus?
Here’s another question – how might you exercise your faith today by doing something He has told you to do that doesn’t come naturally to you?
Jesus, You CALL INTO BEING THAT WHICH DOESN’T EXIST. Call into being my obedience to all You tell me to do and say.
About Pleasing God, Being Taken Up, and Rewards
Do you ever think about pleasing God? Did you know that it’s possible to please God? Hebrews 11:5-6 states that Enoch was pleasing to God and that God is a REWARDER to those who seek Him.
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hallelujah! Does that make you want to shout in praise of God? It does me! God “took him up” before his body died. Zap! In the air. Gone from the earth. Friend, the same is going to happen to believers at the time of the rapture. Unbelievers will look around and say, “Where’s mom?” The ones left behind who have some Bible knowledge may realize that “God took us up.” Yes. Up. Let that sink in for a minute. How can we be assured God will take us up and not leave us in our morally declining, evil world that calls evil good and good evil? We can be sure because we have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins. Yes, faith. Without it, we can’t be saved. Without it, we can’t please God. Without it, we won’t go to heaven. With it, we will be saved. We will be rewarded. Are you saved? Then shout hallelujah and ready yourself for Christ’s return. He’ll be handing out rewards on the basis of what you did for His kingdom. (Remember the 10 minas story? Luke 19:11-27) If you’re not a follower of Jesus, think about the role of faith and how we exercise it all the time. We exercise faith when we get on a plane. (Is the pilot mentally stable? Will the oxygen flow correctly? Is there a terrorist on board on a suicide mission?) So, yes. Exercise your faith for the salvation of your soul. Exercise your faith that Christ is coming again just like He promised. Live in a way that pleases Him. Set your mind on the things above, not earth. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit so you walk out His kingdom’s purposes. God is a REWARDER to those who seek Him. Will you seek Him?
Lord God, REWARDER OF THOSE WHO SEEK YOU, we seek You with hallelujah in our hearts.
Friends, I’d love to have you join me beginning Wednesday, September 6th at 10 am for our weekly Bible Study of John. Or on Thursday, September 7th at 6:30 pm. Click here for more info.
Do You Need a Miracle
Do you need a miracle? Something extraordinary in your life? What do we mean when we use the word miracle? Webster defines a miracle as “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency; just as rising from the grave.” Another definition is “a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences;” such as “it was a miracle that more people hadn’t been killed or injured.” Perhaps it’s that last definition we use most often. “It’ll be a miracle if I can manage everything going on in my life.” Or, “It’ll be a miracle if our marriage makes it.” Let me ask again, “Are you in need of a miracle?” If so, our best hope for experiencing one is to bring Jesus into the equation. Galatians 3:5 describes Jesus as the MIRACLE WORKER.
So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and WORKS MIRACLES among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
As we consider Jesus, the Miracle Worker, it’s important to consider the combination of the two words: miracle and work; along with the word “faith.” Our miracle isn’t going to happen with the twitch of our nose as in the 1970’s show “I Dream of Jeannie.” When we study Jesus’s miracles we see they involved energy and power (Luke 8:46), most often required a person taking part in faith (John 5:8-9), and often took place as the person acted in obedience (John 9:6-7). Maybe Jesus is showing us that rather than having a demanding, “God, do it now,” attitude, we should thank Him for how He has already worked in our lives, thank Him that He hears us, and then take the next steps He shows us.
