Tag Archives: Faith

Which Way to Go?

Posted on by

0

One of the things we hear a lot with faith is this – we don’t know which way to go.

We don’t know what decision to make. We we don’t know how to proceed, what to choose, what to do.

And, we don’t just hear that, do we? We experience it. Everyone one of us today, reading these thoughts, we’ve experienced that feeling. We’ve experienced that struggle. We’ve experienced that moment of looking up to the heavens and shouting – God what do I do!?!

We are not alone. One of the reasons why I love the Bible is that it contains every emotion, every thought, every feeling we go through. You and I are not the only folks in the history of creation to not know which way to go or to understand where God is taking us.

Many, many, many Christians through history have felt that and experienced that.  We are not alone.

And, this problem will not stay forever.  Today, if you are struggling through a decision, through a problem, through a choice,listen to what God says this morning through Isaiah:

He will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

God will tell you.  God will speak.  God will show you.

He will.  It will happen.  You can trust.  You will know what to do.

So, today, if you are trying to make a decision, if you have a choice to make, perhaps the thing you need to worry about isn’t that choice.  Perhaps the thing you need worry about it is listening.

Are you listening to God?  I’m not asking are you telling God what you’d “like” to do.  But, are you making yourself quiet?  Are you blocking out all other noises and voices?  Are you making yourself still?

And listening for the voice of God?

He will speak.  He will lead.  He will show.

Today, if you are in the midst of a choice, listen.  Listen. God will speak.  God will lead.

Don’t Worry

Posted on by

0

Today, don’t worry.

I don’t know about the be happy part. That may depend on how much coffee you get this morning as to whether are not you are happy. But, you don’t have to worry.

Listen to what Paul writes to us in Philippians 4:6 this morning:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Great words, powerful words. Words we need to hear! don’t worry about anything!  Big or small.  Important or unimportant.  Don’t worry about it!

Well that was easy!  I guess we are all done!

Wait, you mean there’s more? That’s right. Don’t worry about it.  Instead, pray about it.

I like to joke that the reason I worry so much is that it makes me feel productive. If I’m worrying, I’m able to “do” something.  If I’m worrying, I feel like I’m doing my part to help God out.  He takes care of  it all and I worry. We’re partners that way!

Paul tells us not to worry. And to do our part. Pray.

See, when we take time to stop worrying and start praying, we find something. We find that we don’t need to worry. Because of all the things that prayer does, perhaps the most amazing thing that it does is this – it draws us closer to God.

And when we are drawn close to God, we find this out.  We really don’t have to worry.

Because God is good. And God is with us. And God will never leave not forsake us. And, as corny as it sounds, we don’t have to worry about.  Because God is for us. So, who can be against us.

And have peace and hope and joy and peace.

But, this all comes, only when we take it God in prayer.

Today, don’t worry.  Pray. And in prayer, you’ll find that, in the end, you’ve got nothing to worry about anyway.

What Are Christians To Do?

Posted on by

2

What are Christians to do?

That’s a big, important question.  What are we to do?

Well Scripture tells us a lot – Jesus gives us the great command – Love the Lord with all your heart, your mind, your soul, your strength, and your neighbor as yourself.

He gives us the great commission – go into all the world, making disciples and baptizing them in my name.

We are told by the prophets to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

We are told to forgive. To pray.  To take care of the less fortunate.  There are a lot of thing we are supposed to “do.”

But what are supposed to do first? It all, every last bit of it, starts today with what Paul writes in Romans 4:

For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

Abraham literally left everything that he had to follow God.  He left his home, his people, his family, his very life to follow God to a place that he did not even know.  He was obedient.  He did stuff for God!

But, for him, and for us, it all starts with this. Faith. It all starts with faith in God.  It all starts with belief. Everything.

Ever act of goodness, mercy, justice, truth. All these things – they are all birthed in faith.

For the Christian, for our lives, it all starts with faith. We are in an “inside-out” religion. The first thing that God wants to change is our hearts. As He changes our hearts, He will have our actions and our lives.

What is the sacrifice God desires? A broken and a contrite heart. God wants our hearts. He wants our faith. He wants our belief. He wants our love.

And if He has that, He will have our actions.

What are we to do? Place our full faith and hope in Jesus Christ.  And in doing that, God will have all our lives and all our actions.

Don’t Worry About it

Posted on by

0

First, two points of personal privilege, if you’ll allow.

Today is my 10th wedding anniversary.  Ten years ago Holly made me the luckiest man on the face of the earth.  I don’t know what I did right to deserve her and what she did wrong to be stuck with me 🙂

Second, because of that, I’m doing something I hate to do. Next Monday – Friday we are going to take a trip. I hate traveling, but I love my wife. So, no devotionals next week. We’ll start back the following Monday.

Today’s reflection could really just be scripture.  There’s nothing more I can really add to something as powerful as Psalm 37.  Listen to these words:

Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Good stuff.

Don’t worry about “them.”  Or whatever “they” are doing. Don’t worry about the wicked.  Don’t worry about their lives and what happens.

The Lord sees them. The Lord sees us.  The Lord sees all.

Don’t live your life with eyes focused on other people.  Don’t live your life with your eyes focused on “them.”  Live you life with your eyes focused on God.  Live your life with your eyes, your heart, your soul, all that you are, focused on God.

On knowing Him.

Serving Him.

Seeking Him.

Living for Him.

Don’t worry about what other folks are living for, what they are chasing, what they are choosing. The Lord knows. The Lord is aware.

Don’t worry about it.

Today, and each day, seek after God.  Live for Him. Chase after Him.  Follow Him.

And He will take care of you. You can trust after Him. Today, and each day.

Already Taken Care of

Posted on by

0

Paul today in 2 Corinthians is talking about his struggles to return and see his friends.  He told the folks in Corinth that he would be back through, that he would be able to share with them teaching and fellowship.

And it didn’t happen.

Why?

Did he not keep his word? Was he just lying? Did he not intend to do it?

No, something just happened that kept him from doing what he wanted to do. We’ve all been there, huh?  When what we want to do just can’t take place.  And since Paul was unable to do what he wanted to do, he began to talk about how God isn’t like that.

God’s “yeses” are always yes. God’s word is always true. God’s promises are always kept.

Listen to what Paul says in verse 20:

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

God’s promises are already fulfilled. God has already done what He said He would do. It’s done.  It’s taken care of.  You can trust.

You can trust God to do what He said He would do. You can trust God to keep His promises.  You can trust God to keep His word.

He will be faithful.  Others may not.  Others may not kept keep their promises.

God will.

Today, you can trust. It’s taken care of.  You have no worries.  You can trust.

God will be true to each of the promises in His word.

Relax.  Trust.  He is faithful and true.

It’s already taken care of.

Two Things

Posted on by

0

We hear stories of people’s faith and think to ourselves, really? Really?

That can’t be true. There’s no way folks experience faith like that.

Not when our faith seems so dry. We so want to know the faith that others folks have. We want to experience that type of faith and belief that others folks know. We want that peace. We want that joy.  We want that hope.

We want to do more than just go through the motions.

It can happen. That type of faith and belief and life is actually there. It is possible to live a life a life of faith that impacts your life.  Listen to what Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:

For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes

It is real.  The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ actually happened.

For real.

You can trust it.  You can believe it.  You can have hope in it.  It can change your life.

But, the have that life that faith truly impacts, two things must happen. One is an action, one is a belief.

First , we must be faithful each day.  It’s one thing to talk about having faith. It’s another thing to live out that faith. The lives that faith truly impacts are not the lives that just talk about their faith. It’s the lives that seek to live out that faith.

Seek to live out today what you say you believe.

And second, just because you have faith, it doesn’t mean everything is easy. There are tough times. There will be tears. There will be troubles. God still loves you, in spite that.

You can believe that.  Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean that God has forgotten you.

Have faith.  Live it. Don’t lose hope. And in this, we will find the power of God.

 

Rest

Posted on by

1

I love the book of Psalms. I just do.

I try to read from them every day.  I had a wise preacher tell me once that reading 3 Psalms and 1 Proverb a day will really shape and change your life, and I have found in my life, there is a lot of wisdom in that statement.

The reason why I love the Psalms is they have everything we experience in our lives there. There is worship of God. There is disappointment. There is anger. There is pain. There is joy. There is laughter. There is, well, everything we know.

And I love that, because it shows that life is full of all these things. Not every day is perfect. Not everything is clean and easy. Sometimes, it’s hard. sometimes it’s not fun.

Sometimes, we are just hanging on.

Listen to Psalm 116:3

Death wrapped its ropes around me;
the terrors of the grave overtook me.
I saw only trouble and sorrow.

Now, that’s someone having a bad day.  And, you know what?

We’ve all been there. We’ve all had that type of pain or terror or frustration. We’ve all been so beat down, each of us at some point have a day like that.  We’ve had these times where we’ve thought – this day, this season, this time, that it will not end.  It will be like this forever.

It will not get better.

We have been so beaten down and exhausted to the point that we feel like there is no hope.

Listen to verses 5-6

The Lord protects those of childlike faith;
I was facing death, and he saved me.
Let my soul be at rest again,
for the Lord has been good to me.

Childlike faith. That simple belief that God is there, that He loves His children, and that He will not leave us.

That He is good.

And, if we believe these things, in that childlike faith, we can have rest.  Because we know God will take care of us.

Today, no matter what season we are going through, we can have rest.  When we have faith.

No matter what is going in your life today, have faith. Trust.  Believe. Hope. God has not left you and will not leave you.

Have that faith today.

And, in that, you will find rest.

 

Trust

Posted on by

1

Trust is the kind of thing that is hard to earn, and very, very easy to lose. It takes a lot for us to trust people sometimes.  Some of us are just more naturally trusting that others.

But, when someone has broken that trust, no matter how trusting or not we may be, it’s hard to trust them again.  It’s hard, once we’ve been burned to not look at the situation the same.

But, trust is a powerful thing. When we trust someone, we can let go. We don’t have to worry. We just “know” it will be there.  We just “know” it will be done. We just trust.

And that is a great feeling.

Many of us do not trust easily.  I understand. But, all us, whether we do, or not, listen to the words written in Hebrews 13 this morning:

God has said,
“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”
So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper,
so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?”

People have failed us.  It happens to all of us.

Even family and friends have failed us. That is part of the human experience. We have all felt let down by those that we love, and trust, the most.

Even the church, even preachers, many of us have been let down by them. One of the things that makes me the happiest in ministry is when I hear someone talk about how the are enjoying going to church again for the first time in a long time.

We have been let down by a  lot of people.

But, not by God.  Today He says – I will not fail you. I will not abandon you.

You can trust.  You can trust God. He will not forget or forsake His children.   He will not fail us.  He is with us.

We can trust in Him to be who He says He will be.  His word is true.  He will not let us down.

Today, no matter what you are going through, trust.  He will not fail you. But your faith in Him.  He will not fail.  You can rest easy in Him. Trust today.

You will not be disappointed.

Intentional Faith Development Podcast

Posted on by

0

The sermon podcast for January 23, 2011 is up on Asbury Church’s website. It is entitled “Intentional Faith Development” and it’s the third in our series “The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.   The text is Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12.   You can listen to it by clicking here, or you can listen to it here on this blog by clicking below. And, as always, you can subscribe to my sermon podcasts through iTunes.

 

The Faith of Mary

Posted on by

0

I’ve always been fascinated with the faith of Mary during this time of year.  It really is amazing.

I’ve always like to say that Bible characters weren’t always Bible characters. They were real people like you and me. It’s easy to for us to think that they were not human, that they were supernatural spiritual beings.

When we do that, it makes it easier for us, because it means that there is no way that we can do what they did. We are just ordinary folk. We don’t have super abilities. We are just common people.

There’s no way we can do the things that they did.

But, they weren’t supernatural. They were as we are. Ordinary folk,that God used.

And that means we can be faithful, as they were faithful.  We can life lives of faith as they lived lives of faith. We can do great things for God as they did great things for God.

And so, I love Mary. She was given a great honor, but it was going to have a TON of hardship. It was going to change her life. It was going to make everything different for her.  Nothing would ever be the same.

It wasn’t the road she’d planned. It was different from the way she thought it would be.

But, when the angel came to her and told her that she would give birth to a son and call him Jesus, this is her response:

38 Then Mary said, Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. Then the angel departed from her.

She didn’t fight, she didn’t fuss. She had faith. She knew things may be hard. She knew there would be challenges.

But she also knew God was with her.

Her fear was great.

Her faith was greater.

She trusted in God.

Today, may we have that same type of faith. That faith that says, let it be unto me, according to thy word.

The faith that trusts, no matter what.

God has great plans for us today, and each day. Today, may we have faith in what He is doing.  As Mary did, may we do. May we have faith.