Tag Archives: Faith

You Ask Me How I Know He Lives

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One of the old songs that many of us grew up singing asks this question about Jesus: “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.”

Some folks really stress, worry and strain about faith. How can we believe? How can we know? How can we trust in a God that we can’t see? How can we put our faith in that?

Jesus, in John 5:36, deals with this. He talks about witnesses and testimonies. He talks about how folks can trust what He is saying and trust who He is. He tells how we can trust Him and trust His work. Listen to what He says.

“But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.”

He says my works give witness to me. My works give witness to the fact that I am who I say that I am. My works point to the truth of my proclamation.

Jesus’ works prove that He is Lord.

What works, you may be asking. Well, of course we have the works of scripture. We have what we see there, what we read there, what we know there.

But, we also have the works of His body – the church. The church that loves, that serves, that glorifies Christ, that points to Him, that lives for Him, that worships Him. The church that seeks to love and serve others as Jesus would have us to love and serve. The lives of millions of individual Christians that make up His body give witness.

But it isn’t just that. Think of a time in your life when you felt Him move, when you experienced Him, when you knew Him in a powerful, life-changing way. Think of the times when you loved, served, and cared. Didn’t you feel alive? Didn’t you feel more alive at that moment than in any other time in your life?

That’s the witness of His spirit showing you, pointing to you, calling to you that He is who He says He is.

That’s His witness.

You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

May we all feel that witness today in our hearts!

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.

Keeping Perspective

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Sometimes in life, we can think that the stress of this exact moment is the worst thing in all of human history and in all of creation. Nothing, nothing, nothing could ever be worse that this.

The world is ended. It is over. It is finished. It just is.

Sometimes in that moment, we loose the gift of perspective. We really cane lose that and forget how things really are, and how things really work.

Now there are some things that are truly and utterly life changing, things that rock our world, shake our core and change the direction of our lives.

There are those moments.

And there are the other moments, the rest of the moments that define our lives. And these moments that cause of great stress, stop and think for a moment. This event. This time, this thing.

Will it matter in a year? Will you remember it in a year? Will it be important in a year. What will it matter in the scope of eternity.

Listen to what it says in Psalm 102:11-12:

My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass. But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations.

Our days are finite. Our days are limited. We are just a shadow that is here for a moment, and then is gone. What are our lives in the scope of eternity.

So, this issue that you are worried about, what is it in the scope of eternity?

Keep your perspective. Remember what is important. Remember what counts. Don’t get bogged down on these things.

And here’s the really cool thing. Yes, our lives are fleeting. They are short. They are small. And God Almighty that knows all, sees all, understands all, knows you.

Knows the hairs upon your head. Knows your thoughts, your dreams, your hopes.

Knows and loves you.

We may seem insignificant. But to the God of the universe, we matter a great deal. So, keep your problems in perspective. And know that the God of creation knows you, loves you, and will be with you.

And that’s bigger than any problem we face!

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.

Finding Our Own Story

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I love hearing testimonies of what God is doing in other folks lives. The Bible says that the power of the testimony is one of the best things that we have to use against the evil one.

I love to know what God is doing in your and through you. I love to hear stories of His goodness and mercy, to hear how He is impacting your lives in amazing ways.

Your testimony, your story, it makes a huge difference in my life. In my faith. In who I am.

And that’s the power of testimony. It’s when YOUR faith impacts MY faith. It’s not just enough for the stories to remain with you, the must impact and become a part of my life and my story.

Listen to what happens in John 4:39-42:

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

The Samaritans heard the women’s testimony. The saw and heard what Jesus had done for her. And that was nice. That was awesome.

But, they say at the end, the believe now not because of what she has told them, but they believe, they have heard for themselves who Jesus is.

Today, you will have the chance to hear of the goodness of God through many, many means. Devotionals like this. Music. Conversations with friends. And these are all important, needful things.

But, is it yours? Are you making that faith your own? It has to impact you. It has to change you, at the core of who you. Your life, your faith, it must be your own.

You must hear for yourself, let it impact yourself, and let it change yourself.

I don’t want to just hear your testimony of how Jesus has impacted your life. I want to have my own testimony of how Jesus has impacted my life.

Today’s let’s hear the story. And let’s make that story our own. Let’s each make that faith our own faith.

May we each hear and believe for ourselves!

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.

Trials and Blessings

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How ya doing today? How is your week going so far?

I hope good, but if you are like most of us, there are times of trial and worry and work and fret. Things that are tough to deal with. Things that are tough to understand. Things we don’t want to deal with.

What are we to do? How are we to deal? If we are looking down the barrel of a tough week, a trying time, a moment of fear and worry and stress, what are we to do?

Give up? Quit? Stop?

Listen to what James 1:2-4 tells us to do this morning:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

We are told to count our trials as a joy. That’s nearly impossible to do, to me. I don’t like my trials. I don’t like dealing with them. I wish they would go away. I wish they weren’t a reality in my life.

So, why should these trials be counted as joy? Why should I value them? Why should they be seen as good things?

Because they make us turn to Jesus. They make us turn closer to God. They make us reply on His strength, not ours. On His power, not ours. On Him. Not us.

Today, no matter what you are facing, allow it to turn you to God, not away from God. Allow it to draw you closer to Him, to His mercy, to His grace, to His power.

Allow it to be something that will bind you closer to God.

And then, it’s a blessing. Today, count these trials as a joy. They can, if we allow, draw us closer to God.

May everything in our lives today be a chance for us to get closer to God!

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.

God is Able

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In life, it doesn’t always look like things will turn out our way. It may look like the road we are walking down will lead to the place we’d like to be.

We feel hopeless and we feel like it won’t work out for our best and for the way that we would like.

We think, man how can God fix this? How can this turn around? How can God make something good out of this.

What can God do?

Today, friends, I tell you, God is able. No matter what is happening in your world, in your life, no matter how bad it may look, God is able.

Listen to what Paul says today in Romans 4:18-21 about Abraham.

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”  He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Abraham was promised that he would be the father of many nations. He was promised by God that he would be a light to the Gentiles.

But, it took a long time coming. He was promised a son, but it didn’t come on his schedule, it came on God’s schedule. It didn’t come on his time, it came on God’s time.

And he still believed. He still believed that God would keep His word, and do what He said He would do, even when the timing and schedule was not what he wanted.

He knew, that no matter what, God is able. He trusted God.

Today, no matter what is going on in your life, God is able. He is.

Trust. God is good, He is merciful, He is good. Have faith.

Even if it looks hard and tough ahead, God is able. Believe in Him. Trust in Him.

He will not fail you. He won’t. He is able.

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.

Who Am I?

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The God of creation loves you.

The very God that spoke all things into creation, the very sovereign Lord of the Ages, the very God that is the King of all the universe, the Almighty God.

He loves you.

Really.

He gave His son for your sake, and for mine. He made you, He formed you, and He longs for a relationship with you.

He desires to see your salvation and completion redemption in heaven. He desires for you to be the person that He has created you to be.

Really. He does.

And what you, or me, or any of us done for this? Nothing. Who am I, that God almighty would feel this way. Or who are any of us that God would feel that way?

Yeah, it’s humbling. But we aren’t the only ones to feel that way. Listen to what David says today in 2 Samuel 7:18-19:

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God!

Who am I? Who are you? Who are any of us?

This is who we are. We are the beloved children of God, loved for no reason other than the fact that God loves us. He formed us, He made us, and He loves us.

No matter where you are, what you are doing, or what is going on, you are loved. Yes, you are. You are His beloved child.

Remember that. As the old saying goes, remember who you are. And remember whose you are. You are God’s. You belong to Him.

He loves you. No matter what.

Who are you? You are a beloved child of God.

Today, live like the beloved child that you are.

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.

The Unknown

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Sometimes in life, we don’t know what the future holds. Well, actually, at all times in life, we don’t know what the future holds.

None of us have an understanding of what is in store for us in the days to come. We may have an idea. We may have a notion. But none of us are sure as to what the future may hold.

And that can be scary. That can worrisome. I may not like what the future holds. It may be something that I’m unsure of.

Even if I’m in a situation that I may not like. Even if I know I’m somewhere that I don’t need to be.

Sometimes the fear of the unknown is greater than the fear or the pain of where we may be.

Sometimes we are afraid to jump because we don’t know where we will land.

Listen to what happens to the people of God today in Exodus 16:2-3:

And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

They didn’t like slavery. But, they were now afraid of the future. And as much as they didn’t like being slaves, they were afraid of the future and afraid of the unknown. And they were willing to go back to slavery, instead of jumping to the unknown.

Today, I don’t know the future. I don’t know all the details of what will happen. I’m unsure of the future. There are many, many things that I don’t know. That are unknown.

But, there is this that is known. God. He is good. He loves us. He will not forsake us. We are His. He will not leave.

So, even in the unknown, trust what is known. God.

Today, even if you are afraid, and don’t know what the future holds, know who holds that future. God.

Trust in Him, even in the unknown.

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.

Personal Not Private

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One of my professors in seminary, Dr. Knick, once said something in class that at first left you scratching your head saying – what?

He said this – your faith is personal, but it is not private. When he said it, we were all quiet, because we knew he had just said something pretty deep.

Which just didn’t know what he meant!

He went on to explain it this way. Faith is a personal thing. We are called to have a deeply personal faith. Your faith is your faith. Your faith forms you and it shapes you.

It makes you who you are.

And it needs to be your faith. We each need our own faith. My faith is not sufficient for you. You need your own living faith for yourself.

This faith is personal.

But it is not private. This faith is to be lived out publicly. It has public effects. It is not to kept in the dark. It is not to be kept away from how live, how we serve, how we live our lives.

Our faith is personal, in that it is deeply ours. But our faith is never private. It much change the way that we live.

Look at what the writer of Hebrews says today in Hebrews 10:24-25:

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Do not neglect meeting together. Encourage one another. Effect one another.

Have a personal faith that deeply molds you. But, never let that faith be private. Let is also mold other people.

So, today, in your life, chase after God with all that you are. Seek to live your life by His calling and His Word.

And like that faith affect every part of your life today. May that faith affect your words, your actions your life.

May our faith be personal. But never private!

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

Wait

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I’ve said it a million times, but it’s a true as it was the last time, every time I say it.

I have no patience. I don’t like to wait. I despise waiting.

I’m a hurry up, get it done, stop lolly-gagging, get to it, and do it, type of guy.

I can’t stand waiting. I’ve got a schedule that I’m sticking too, and waiting just drives me up the wall!

So, then, listen to the words of Psalm 62: 5-8. They are really good for me to hear this morning, and every morning:

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

Wait. Wait on God. Wait in silence. Trust in Him. Rest in Him. Rely on Him.

Ok, sounds good. But why? Why do we have to wait? Why do we have to do this? Well, here’s my feeling?

Waiting reminds us that we aren’t in control. That it’s not up us. That we are not the end all and be all of creation and life.

God is in control. We are not. We are not God. Really. We aren’t. There are plans and powers higher than us. There are things that are going on that we can’t understand and won’t understand.

And so, we have to trust. And wait.

And know that God is good. God is love. God has this.

So today, you may have to wait. I’m sorry about that. Believe me, I am.

But God will bring something good out of this. That’s what He does. Today, trust, and wait.

Because God is good.

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.

Not Satisfied

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One of the things that I know deep, deep down in my heart is this. We are all sinful. We are all broken. We are all frail. We are all weak.

That’s who we are. That’s who you are. That’s who I am. I am not big on judging others, because I know my weakness. We all have work to do in our lives.

I think this one fact is one of the things that draws people to Asbury, it’s a place where you can be loved on and not beat up on. It’s a place where we all admit that we are imperfect.

I know that, and I believe that.

Now, that said, there’s something else I believe. I know I’m sinful and broken.

And I’m not satisfied to stay that way. I know that there is more than my sin and my brokenness. I know that God has to have more than that.

I’m satisfied with staying the same. I want more.

Listen to what Paul says in Galatians 2:17-20 today:

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.

We are sinners, yes, but Christ is not a servant to sin. We die to ourselves, and to our sin, so that we may live in Christ.

But it’s not really us living, but Christ living in us and through us.

If you are not satisfied this morning, this is the answer. It’s not about you (or me) or our frailties and sin. It’s about Jesus living in us and through us.

It’s about Jesus changing and transforming us. It’s about us getting out of the way, and devoting ourselves to Him. And knowing that life through Him.

Today, there is more. Today, you are more. There is more than life as you’ve always known it, more that life as it’s always been. There is hope, joy and peace.

Today, don’t be satisfied. Today, strive after something bigger and better. Today, life in and through Him.

Today, 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.