Tag Archives: Faith

Letting Go

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walk-by-faithI want to see how everything is going to turn out. I like knowing where we are going, what we are doing, how things are heading. That’s what I like. That’s what I feel comfortable doing.

I don’t like the unknown. I like knowing. I like being in control. I don’t like letting go. So for someone like me, today’s reading is one that I need to hear a lot, because I don’t do it by nature.

Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:5-7:

He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.

We are reminded today that we walk by faith, not be sight. Faith is the key, in everything.

We are saved by faith. We walk by faith. We live by faith. Faith is it.

What is faith? Trust. Belief. Letting go. Turning over control. Letting God take the wheel. Knowing that even if we don’t know where we are going.

He does.

And that’s why we can trust and have hope and walk by faith. Because He knows where we are going. He knows what is happening. He knows where the road is headed. He sees.

Even through we don’t. We walk by faith. We can trust. We can hope. We can believe. We walk by faith and not by sight.

But, because we trust in God, we can trust in where the road is taking us.

Today, let go. Trust. Walk by faith. God’s got this.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Like a Child

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Today we read about Jesus taking the little children to Himself and blessing them. We love this image. We love this story. We’ve probably seen a million artistic interpretations of it.

But, for a minute, don’t think about the story, but listen to it as it’s found in Mark 10:13-16:

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

jesus-and-childrenBefore you get to Jesus, have you ever wondered why the disciples wanted to keep the kids away from Jesus. I mean, who doesn’t love kids? Aren’t they important?

In Jesus day? No. No, they really weren’t important. They really weren’t that valuable. They really didn’t count for much.

That’s why the disciples where trying to keep them away. Jesus was an important man. He didn’t have time to waste with children. He has important stuff to do.

And Jesus says no – let them come to me. They matter. They are important. They are mine. And in fact, not only do they matter, but if you want to enter the kingdom of heaven, you’ve got to be like them.

It isn’t just that they matter. But you can learn from them.

The person that you think is unimportant. That doesn’t matter. That you may have written off, today, you can learn from them. God can speak through them. God can reach out to you through them.

If we will listen. Everyone matters. Everyone is made in God’s image. Everyone count. Today, who have you written off that God may want to speak to you through.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

How to See

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Sometimes it can be very easy to get frustrated with others when they don’t see. I am the kind of guy that often misses things that are right under my nose, the very thing that I’ll be looking for will be right in front of me, and I’ll just miss it.

We can all miss things, not see things.

This is true with the stuff of life. And it’s also true with the stuff of the spirit. Listen to what Paul writes today in 2 Corinthians 4:3-6:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

579938003_oThere are forces working that do not want others to see the good news of the Gospel. The Gospel is freedom. The love of Jesus Christ, and His power, it is freedom. It frees the oppressed. It gives hope to the hopeless, strength to the weak.
It is life.

And as Paul says, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers. Have you ever just wondered why those that don’t believe just don’t “see?” This is why.

The devil doesn’t want them to see God’s glory. He doesn’t want them to see what life is really all about. He doesn’t want them to know the life, joy, and peace that comes from Jesus.

He wants them blinded.

So, how do they see? How do we see? Not with our eyes.

With our faith. We walk by faith, not by sight. We with faith, not with our eyes. We “see” through our faith in Jesus. He allows us see things not as we “see” them, but as we really are.

I tell folks when you look just through your eyes, you won’t always see the miracles. But when you look through faith, you see miracles everywhere.

Today, for those that are blinded and cannot see, the most important thing that you can do for them is to pray. Pray that God, through the power of His spirit opens their eyes to truth and to life.

And today, for those of us that do see, let’s walk by faith, not by sight. For in that, that’s where our sight is really found.

That’s how we really see.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones

Works

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Listen to Ephesians 2:8-10 this morning:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

faith_works_landscapeWe are not saved by works. But, we are, however, saved for works.

Wait, what?

Yep. We are not saved by our works. There is nothing that we can do to save ourselves. Our works aren’t good enough. We can’t “do” enough to save ourselves, our good will never outweigh our bad, and even the good we do will most times be plagued with pride and other sin.

It’s not that we are the scum of the earth, it’s just that we are prone to choose wrong. You are, I am, we all are. That’s ok. It just who we are.

And that’s what Jesus came to save us from. And this salvation doesn’t come from anything we “do” but what He did. We aren’t saved by our actions, but we are saved by believing by faith, which is given to us by grace, in Jesus Christ.

You don’t have to earn it. You can’t earn it. Just accept it. God loves you. Believe that. Your works to earn that.

Ok, so salvation through faith. Not works.

But, look at what it says today in verse 10 – we are created for good works. So our works don’t save us. But, when we are in Christ, we walk in faith, and good works follow.

So, there’s nothing you can do (or not do) to make God love you any more (or less). He just loves you.

But, He has made you for something. You are created for something. You were made to be faithful. To serve. To love. To be salt and light. To make a difference. To live in love, grace, mercy, and truth. That’s through Him. By Him. For Him. In His grace. For His grace. For His glory.

You aren’t saved by your works. But, His grace in you will call you to be more faithful.

You are His workmanship. You are His master piece. Today, through grace, may His love flow through us. And may all folks come to know how good He is, through His grace in our lives.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones

All of Us

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Ours is an inside out faith. For us, as Christians, it all starts on the inside. Now, what we “do” matters. Our lives matter. How we live, how we speak, what we do, where we go, all these things, they really do matter.

But, they have to start somewhere. For us, as Christians, and what Jesus wants for us today, is that is what is inside will show itself.

And here’s the thing. What is inside will show itself. It’s not that it may do it. It will do it. Our actions show what’s on the inside. Listen to what Jesus says today in Mark 7: 14-15 and 20-22:

And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” . . . And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

392290825_640Jesus says that nothing outside can defile (or make unclean) a person. It’s what is inside.

But wait, then He lists a whole bunch of stuff that we shouldn’t do. And all over the Gospels, and the Bible, there are lists of things that we should do, and things that will leave us condemned.

So, what gives?

It starts on the inside. The faith that is inside, the faith that’s in our hearts, that faith that’s really down, within us, it will show itself with our actions. Our faith will be made known in what we do. How we will. Our actions. Our “works.”

Our actions and works don’t save us.

The simply show us (and the world) what’s already there.

It starts on the inside.

I put it this way, when Jesus has our hearts, He will have our actions. Ours is an inside out faith.

Today, may Jesus have all of us.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones

Rest

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Mark is my favorite of all the Gospels. Each one of them has a different thing that they emphasize. Matthew make connections with the Old Testament. Luke looks at Jesus love and connection with the entire world. John answers the deep questions of faith.

But Mark is simple. Mark is shorter. Mark is fast. And in Mark, Jesus is always going. As someone that’s a little (or a lot) ADD, I really like the emphasis on action in Mark’s Gospel. Jesus and the disciples are always going, always acting, always on the move.

Except for the passage we read today. Listen to Mark 6: 30-32:

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

Rest_Stop_Brown_Bear-insert-in-postThe disciples had just come back from doing ministry and they were excited. The way the text describes it, I can almost see them gathered around Jesus like little children talking fast and telling Him everything that had happened.

And He said, let’s rest for a while. They had gotten so busy, they hadn’t even had time to eat.

Let’s rest.

We are supposed to go. We are supposed to be active. We are supposed to do and take the Good News everywhere. We have kingdom work to do today! We are supposed to be on the move. Time and daylight is wasting.

But, sometimes, we get ourselves worn out. We can do too much. We can get too busy. We can get off track and sideways.

And we need to rest.

Listen to me friends, you don’t have to do everything. The fate of the free world doesn’t rest of your shoulders. I know it feels that way sometimes, anyone that knows me a little can tell you that I often feel that way. So I’m preaching to me as much as I am to you.

Rest. Rest in Jesus. Breathe. Calm down. Slow down. Rest.

He has a lot for us to do for the kingdom. He has a lot that we need accomplish for His work. But have to take care of ourselves.

Today, perhaps, today you need to rest. Rest in Him. Rest in His purpose and plan for your life.

Rest.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones

Live Unafraid

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Greetings from Shiloh Camp Meeting.  My first night of preaching went great last night, I’ll be preaching today at 11 a.m. and again at 7 p.m. today, and each day through this coming Sunday.  If you’re around the Jackson area, come join us!

unafraidIn life, fear creeps up, doesn’t it? Fear of the unknown. Fear of the known. Fear of the past. Fear of the future. Fear of the present sometimes.

Fear of others. Fear of so many things.

It’s so easy for us as people to be afraid. To give into fear. To give into worry. To give into the things that terrify us.

It’s so easy. And we do it so often.

That’s why one of the main commands of scripture that we see over and over again is this – do no fear. Do not be afraid. To not give into that killer of fear.

Listen to this command in Psalm 56: 10-12:

In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.

I love that encouragement. I just in God. What can man do to me? Seriously? What can man do to me, or to you?

God has us. God has our back. God is on our side. God goes before us. He is our light, our shield, our fortress.

Why should we worry? Why should we fear?

Who should we fear?

No one. Live today unafraid. For you have no one to fear. God is for you. Who can be against you.

Live with that courage and that confidence today!

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones

Putting the Cart Before the Horse

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One of the constant battles, struggles, whatever word you want to use, that we face sometimes as Christians is this struggle between faith and works. We are saved by faith, right?

And if we are saved by faith, then our works don’t matter at all. For our works don’t save us, they don’t make God love us, they don’t do any of that.

So, we have no reason to worry about our works or really even focus on our works in any way at all, right? Our works, the stuff we do, they just don’t matter.

Well, that’s not quite right. Listen to how Paul talks about all this today in Galatians 2:15-20:

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

cart-before-the-horsePaul says, yes, we are justified or “saved” by faith, not by works. Our salvation occurs not because of anything that we have done, but totally because of what God has done for us in Christ. As he says in, because by works of the law no one will be justified (saved).

But then, after that Paul reminds us, that we if we have saved, then it is Christ who lives within us. And we die to ourselves, our desires, our flesh, our sin. Our stuff. Our works don’t save us. We are not saved by what we do or not do. We are saved by what Christ has done.

But, it is Christ that now lives within us. And if we lives within us, then it will change our lives. It will change our thoughts. It will change who we are.

We aren’t saved because we “do” stuff. But, because we are saved we “do” stuff. We put the cart before the horse. We want to get clean and then get saved. And we get frustrated because we are never clean enough.

Don’t worry about cleaning yourself. Come to Jesus. And He will clean you. He will wash it all away. He will take care of it.

Don’t put the cart before the horse. Focus on Jesus. And He will take care of your actions. For we are saved by grace through faith.

But that salvation will truly change us.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones

This World

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What are we do with those that doubt? What are we to with those that cause divisions? That cause trouble? That cause all manner of problems?

What are we, as Christians, as believers, as Christ followers, what are we to do with them? How should we feel?

How should we act?

What should we do?

Jude is one of my favorite books in the bible. It’s a book that is written to Christians in a time where they feel under attack. A book written to Christians to encourage them to stand strong, to hold onto their faith, but to be aware that the world will try to attack, destroy and mock their faith.

What does Jude tell Christian to do with “them” when we are under attack.

Listen to what it says in 17-23:

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

top_photoFirst – know “they” are coming. They will come causing division. It will happen. Jesus promised it will happen (John 15:18). Paul tells us it will happen. And here Jude shares with us that it will happen.

Be aware. Don’t be shocked. Don’t be stunned.

We were not promised a rose garden. In fact, just the opposite. We were promised trouble.

Second – build yourself up. If it’s going to be tough, we need to be strong. If we will face troubles, then we had better be ready for it.

Are you doing the things that will allow you to have strength in times of trouble? Are you praying? Are you reading your Bible? Are you going to Church? Are you building yourself up for these things?

And last – have mercy on those who doubt. Those who attack you, those who persecute you, those that mock you, those that despise you, you know what God wants to happen to them?

He wants them to get saved. He wants them as part of His kingdom. He wants them to be your brother or sister.

So, as Christians, our job is to have mercy. Even when it’s hard.

But, if we aren’t ready and aren’t prepared, we can’t.

This is the world we live in. That is what we can expect. Let’s not be surprised, let’s be ready, and let’s let His grace make all the difference.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

How’s Your Heart

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One of the things that I love about the Christian faith is this. Actions start with the heart. What is on the outside starts with what is on the inside.

Our hearts shape our actions.

If you want to “act” right, you need to “get” right. For what is done/thought/believed in the heart will show it’s self in our actions.

Listen what is said this morning in Deuteronomy 30:4-6:

If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

heart_circumcisionIn Deuteronomy God is giving the law for the second time. In this book, He is giving the law to the children of Israelites that left Egypt. The parents had disobeyed God, and because of that, they were not allowed into the promised land.

Now, the children are getting ready to cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land. But before, God gives them the Law. And tells them that there will come a time when God will not just mark them outwardly, but He will circumcise their hearts.

He will change their hearts. And when their hearts are changed, it will change their actions, it will change their lives. It will start from the inside. And what starts on the inside will change the outside.

We are an inside out religion. What happens on the inside changes the outside.

So, if your actions are not what you’d like them to be, or what God would like them to be, let me ask you a question. How’s your heart?

If He has your heart, He will have your actions. That’s the way that it works.

Today, for our lives, our families, our everything, how is your heart. Your heart will determine your actions. In that, that’s the way it flows.

Today, may God make our hearts in new. And in that, may we live the life of grace that He wants us to live!

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.