Tag Archives: Faith

Where Is Your Trust

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The Psalms have a way of getting to the heart of what is most important sometimes.

They can ask questions that cut to the chase and hit us with what is really most important. They address the root issue of the problem.

Today, in Psalm 62, the Psalmist talks about who we trust when he writes this:

9 Put your trust in him always, O people, *
pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.
10 Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath, *
even those of low estate cannot be trusted.
11 On the scales they are lighter than a breath, *
all of them together.

Our security comes from God. Our hope comes from God.  Our very lives come from God.  He is the author of it all, and He is the one that we trust.

In all of our lives.

It is tempting to put our trust in other things, people, power, places. This tempting and easy to do.

But, life is not found there.

And, in the end, security is not found there.  One of my favorite Psalms says that only in God do we find safety.

This Psalm echoes that theme today.

Our ultimate safety, strength, hope, peace, joy, all of this, lies not in ourselves, or in others, or anything else.

It lies in God.  He is our hope.  Safety. Security.  Life.

Place your trust in Him today.

Where is your trust today?  What do you place it in?

Today, and each day, may we place out faith in the rock that is higher than us. May we be reminded that our life, in the, rests in God.

May we trust Him today, and each day.

In a Vacuum

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In 1 Peter today, Peter talks about the importance of faith.

How without faith, we don’t have a lot to stand on.  It is faith that gives us up in this world, and hope for the next.  It is faith that keeps us going when life gets hard.  It is faith that dusts us off, picks us up, dries our eyes, comforts us in our sorrows.

Faith makes it all possible.

And, because faith is so important, we must take care of our faith. We must nurture our faith. We must allow our faith to grow.

We must support our faith through our actions.

Peter writes these words this morning:

5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.

Peter tell us to make sure we are doing the kind of things in our life to support our faith.

Our faith does not exist in a vacuum.  Our faith does not exist on an island.  Our faith is a gift to us from God. God calls us to faith because He knows we need faith to fully live.

But, in our lives, what are we doing to support our faith? What are we doing see our faith grow?

Are we reading?  Praying?  Serving? Worshiping?

Are we doing the things that our faith needs to grow?

Our faith will not grow on its own.  We will not become a stronger Christian by just “wanting” to be one.

Our faith is the most precious gift we’ve been given.  Faith is one of God’s great gifts to us.

What are we doing support it?

Waiting

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I’m not a fan of waiting.  I told my Small Group at Asbury last night while I don’t like worrying, I do it, and at least doing it makes me feel productive.

I just don’t like that feeling of doing nothing.

Of waiting.

Of not being able to “do” something.

That’s why it’s good for me to read Psalm 37. The Psalmist in this passage says this:

7 Be still before the Lord *
and wait patiently for him.

In this passage, the Psalmist mentions several times waiting upon God. Waiting for Him. Being patient.

Things I don’t like.

But, he stresses several times, we wait upon God because we have faith in God.

The reason we can wait is because we have faith in God.

That His plan is not our plan. . . .

His schedule is not our schedule. . . .

His time is not our time. . .

We have to trust. When we trust, we can wait. When we have faith, we can wait.

When we want to do what we want when we want it how we want it, we don’t want to wait.

When we trust in ourselves over God, we don’t want to wait.

We we doubt, we don’t want to wait.

So, in the end, it’s not about waiting, it’s about faith.

Today, do we have faith? Do we trust our God?  Today, may we have the faith to wait on God, even if His schedule is not ours.

Waiting on God

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Habakkuk is a book of Scripture that we don’t talk about all that much. It’s one of those Old Testament Minor Prophets, one of those small books in the back before you get to the New Testament.

Easy to ignore, easy to not think about.

Plus it’s got a hard to pronounce and spell title.

(Please, those of you that know me, please refrain from making any jokes about my ability to spell.  Or use basic grammar.)

In this book, Habakkuk makes his complaint before God. And it’s a complaint we all understand.

Why, God?  Why are things wrong?  Why is their evil? Why do the evil triumph?  Why are the good harmed?

Why?

And he waits for God’s response.  And it finally comes in this passage from today:

20 But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him!

The Lord is Lord.  Yes, there are a lot of things I don’t understand. There are a lot of things that don’t make sense to me.

Yes, there is evil.  Yes, there is pain. Yes, there are things that my finite mind just can’t work out and work through.

Yes, there are things that I don’t know how to deal with.

But, God is God.

And He is in His Holy Temple.

And while I don’t understand all, and know all, and fathom all, God does.

And while I don’t know everything, I know this.

I can trust God.  He is able.  He is worthy.

He can be trusted.

He is in His Holy Temple today.  He remains on the throne.  You can trust.

No matter what you’re going through today, you can trust.

Habakkuk waited on God. And that was the response he received: Wait. He is God.

He is God.  He can handle it.  He is God.

Trust, today.

All Joy

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There are lots of things that we can be happy about.

I tell folks I’m about a lot things.

Time with family.

A good song.

A good jog.

Getting stuff checked of my to do list.

An Ole  Miss victory (ok, I’ve been sad a lot recently 🙂 )

We all have things in life that make us happy, that bring joy to our lives, that are things that just make our life better. Things we look forward to. Things we treasure.

James writes today in his letter (one of my favorite books of the bible, by the way) these words about what should bring joy:

2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

Of all things that bring me joy, I don’t tend to think of them as trials. Well, other than the 2010 Ole Miss football team.  But the things that bring me joy of those moments of life

My children. . . . my family. . . . . my church. . . . the good things. . . .

But James reminds us to be thankful in trials, because these time of trials produce endurance. These moments of trials and troubles bring forth maturity.

It’s old, it’s corny, but it’s true. That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

It’s hard to praise God in a storm. It’s hard to rejoice in a trial. It’s hard to laugh in the midst of tears. It’s hard to find that silver lining in the dark cloud.

But, it’s there. God is there. His strength is there.

He will never leave or forsake His children. He loves you. Today.  He will not leave you. Today.

No matter what you’re going through. No matter how dark the valley.  No matter what is happening.

You.  Will.  Survive.

God is with you. He will strengthen you.

Whatever trial you are going through right now, God will bring you through it.

He will.

He promised.

Count it all joy today. God will bring you through the fire today.  He is true to His word.

God is at Work

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Preparation is important.

I’m a guy that believes in preparation and planning.

I’m a guy that will leave early for a meeting and drive around just so that I know where I’m going so I won’t be late.

I’m a guy that likes to know what is going to happen before it happens.

I’m a planner, someone who prepares, and, by my nature, someone who worries.

And that’s a problem.  When you’re wired like that, you think it’s all up to you.

You’ve got to dot every “i” and cross every “t.”

And if you make a mistake, boom, it’s over.

Today, listen to what the Psalmist says to God in Psalm 80:

9 You prepared the ground for it; *
it took root and filled the land.

God prepared the land for the root. God did the work. God made things ready.

Not the Psalmist.  Not Israel.  Not the prophet.  Not the King.

God made it ready.

God did the work.

So is it for you today. There’s not a situation you are going to encounter that God wasn’t already at work at.

God is preparing things for you today. God is making things ready.

God is at work.

He is making a way, making a plan.

He’s at work.

It’s not all up to you. Trust.  Listen.  Follow.

God is at work.

You can trust Him.

Keep Running

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One of things that is tempting to do is just give up.

Sometimes we are tired. Sometimes we are stressed.  Sometimes we just feel like this is the Monday that we are not getting out of bed.

This is the day that we are just pulling the covers over our head and a not getting out.

We can look at our problems, look at our concerns, look at all the things that surround us and just want to check out.

Today, listen to these words from Hebrews:

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Don’t give up.

No matter what you are going through.

Don’t quit, no matter hard it may be.

Don’t stop, no matter how hard the road may look.

Don’t lose hope, no matter hard dark it may seem.

For, today, God is with you.  Jesus is pulling for you.  You are surrounded by a mighty cloud of witnesses that is pulling for you.

Saying, keep going!  Keep running!  Keep striving!

You can do it!

Today, don’t give us.  Today, keep running. Better things lie ahead.

Don’t give up. God is with you.

Help is on the Way

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I’m not a big fan of Westerns.  I don’t know why. I should love them.  My daddy loved them.  He loved the books.  He loved the movies.  I watched them a ton when I was a kid.

I should like them.

But, for some reason, I just don’t.

Except for Tombstone.  One of the greatest movies ever.

I’ll tell you what I do like though, in all the Westerns I’ve seen.

That moment when I looks bad. The guys in the black hats are going to win. It looks bad for the good guys. They are going to be defeated.  They are going to lose. Evil is going to triumph.

And then, from nowhere, here comes the Calvary! And the good guys win!

Help is one the way!

I thought of that as I read from Psalm 71 today:

14 But I shall always wait in patience, *
and shall praise you more and more.
15 My mouth shall recount your mighty acts
and saving deeds all day long; *
though I cannot know the number of them.

The Psalmist is waiting. Things are bad.  It doesn’t look good.  It looks like evil will win.

But, he recounts God’s saving acts in the past.  He recalls how God has been there.

How God has won before in the end.

And how God will win again the future.

It may look bad, but help is on the way.

It’s true for us today as well.  No matter what you are going through today, help is one the way.

Don’t worry.

God won in the past and God will win in the future. Don’t give up.

God will win.

Help in on the way.

Trust. Hope.  Believe.  God will win.  Help is on the way.

It’s All About Timing

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God hears every prayer.

And God answers every prayer.

We like that notion. We like that truth.

There’s only one problem.

Sometimes, the answer is not the one that we’d like. Sometimes, the answer to our prayer is not the answer that we would wish for or that we would hope for.

Sometimes the answer is no.

Sometimes the answer is even harder to hear.

Sometimes it’s wait.  No is not the time or the moment. The time or the moment may be coming.  But now, now may not be the time.

We see an example of that in Acts today:

6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;

They were forbidden (by God) from speaking.

Why? Why would God do that?

Why would God keep them from speaking?

That may not have been the time. That may not have been the moment.

It’s all about timing.  What you think is the right time might not be the right time. What you think is the right moment might not be the right moment.

God’s time and God’s moment may be very, very different from ours.

So, even if the answer is no, have faith. This may not be the right time. Don’t give up. Don’t lose hope. Don’t quit.

Even if the answer is wait.  Even if it’s no.

Now may not be the time.

It’s ok. God is at work. Believe. Have faith. God will not leave you.

Trust in God’s timing.  Even if it’s not your own. Trust in God.

Today.

There is a God

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I used to be the token Methodist at the old Baptist Bookstore in Jackson, MS.  Now, Lifeway Christian Store. Anyway, when I was the token Methodist there, I always enjoyed the Christian shirts were used to sell. Some were good, some were pointed, some made you think.

And some were just goofy.

But there was one that we sold that always stuck with me.

On the front it said – There is a God.  And on the back it said, And you’re not it.

I always think of that shirt when I read Job 40 and we see God finally respond to Job and Job’s questions. This is what God says:

6 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 “Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.

8 “Will you discredit my justice
and condemn me just to prove you are right?
9 Are you as strong as God?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 All right, put on your glory and splendor,
your honor and majesty.
11 Give vent to your anger.
Let it overflow against the proud.
12 Humiliate the proud with a glance;
walk on the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them in the dust.
Imprison them in the world of the dead.
14 Then even I would praise you,
for your own strength would save you.

God basically says, Oh yeah?  You think you’ve got it all figured out?  You think you know everything?

What about this? Were you there when I made it all?  Were you there in creation? Can you answer these things?  Do you know it all?  Are you aware of everything.

There is a God.  And we are not it.

You.  Are.  Not.  God.

Relax.  The world doesn’t depend on you.  You are a part of the bigger whole. Everything is not life or death.

Relax. Breathe.  Listen.  Focus.  Look.

God is God.  You’re not.  You don’t have to live with the weight of the world on your shoulders.  You are just one person.

There’s a God bigger than you in control.  Relax.  He will take care you.  He will not leave or forsake you.

He loves you.

Trust in Him today. There is a God bigger than you are I.  Relax. Trust.

Even if it doesn’t look like it, He knows what He’s doing.

Trust.

Today.