Tag Archives: Faith

Salvation Issues

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What’s most important to the faith?

What matters the most?   What is the essentials of faith?

There a lot of things that faith encompasses.  There a lot of different things that we as Christians believe.

But, what’s most important?

What are these things I call salvation issues? These essentials that we are called to gold together over?

We can “discuss” (i.e. argue) baptism or beliefs or worship, but what matters? What is most important?

What are salvation issues?

We see this crop up today in the book of Acts. They were discussing what matters the most, today, what is essential. This is what the text says:

11On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’

Jesus.

That’s what it all comes down to. We can argue about a lot things. There are a lot of things we can disagree over.  We can have a lot of different interpretations of scripture.

And that’s ok.

But, what it all comes down to is Jesus.  These things we often disagree over, in the end, they aren’t that important.

What matters is Jesus.

If we believe in Him, have faith in Him, have Him as our Lord, then that’s what matters the most.  Everything else fades into the back.

Today, don’t worry as much about these things. Don’t focus on these things that distract.

It’s all about Jesus. That’s what matters most.

May we focus on what’s most important.  May we focus on what matters.

And may we find the life that comes only through Jesus.

There Ain’t No Stopping Us!

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I’ve mentioned before that one of my favorite Christian Artists is Rich Mullins.  He did a song we all know and we’ve sung a million times, “Awesome God.”  In worship Sunday at Asbury Church we sang a song “He Reigns” which takes Awesome God and adds to it these words:

There ain’t no stopping us (naw)
Devil there ain’t no blocking us (naw)

I was thinking about that song this morning as I read this passage from Acts:

34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. 35 Then he said to them, “Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them-in that case you may even be found fighting against God!”

If it is of God, there is no stopping it.

Their ain’t no stopping God. There’s nothing that can stop God. Their’s nothing that can stop God’s people from doing what He wants to accomplish.

Nothing.

There’s nothing in front of you this morning that can’t be worked out by God’s plan and God’s grace. Nothing.

As Jesus told Peter, even the Gates of Hell will not stop the Church!

If God is for us, who can be against us.

You don’t have to live a life of defeat this morning.  You don’t have to live a life as it’s always been this morning. This is a new day. This is a new beginning.  This is a new gift from God!

Live in it.  Live this day to the fullest. Live this life to the fullest. There’s nothing that God can’t accomplish.

If it’s of God, nothing will stop it.  Or stop you.  You can live with courage and boldness today.

Don’t live defeated.  Live victorious.  There ain’t no stopping us! Though God.

Lights and Lamps

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Today in Psalm 119, I read on of my favorite passages of in all the Bible.  It says in verse 105

Your word is a lantern to my feet *
and a light upon my path.

I remember hearing this passage when I was a kid at Johnston Chapel UMC when we did Vacation Bible School and did the pledge to the Bible during each day’s opening ceremony.  It’s one of those verses that always stuck with me.

And that verse makes us feel good when we are thinking about trusting in God, because it promises that God will be a light to us and show us where we are going.

There is something about that text, though. Look what it promises. The word is a lantern (lamp) unto my feet and light unto my path.

A lamp and light are great. But, they are not spotlights.  They simply shine enough light for us to take the next step.

God does not always given us enough light for 10 steps from now. He gives us enough life for the very next step and tell us to trust Him.

He will show us the next step. And the next step.  And the next step.  And will lead us where we need to be.

But, we have to trust in Him in that.  We may see what is next. We may not see what is come.

So, we trust.

Today, take that next step that the Lord has given you enough light to see. And trust Him for the step 10 steps from now. He will lead you where you need to be.

Good Reminders

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What is it in life that worries you?

What scares you?

What robs your sleep?

We’ve all got something.  Something that makes us uneasy, something that makes us fearful, something that keeps our hearts afraid.

What is that for you.

I’ve got a list of things that worry me.  I’m a worrier, it’s just how I’m wired.  I worry about church, I worry about family, I worry about friends. It’s just what I do.

So, I need to the words of Psalm 71 quite often

3 Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; *
you are my crag and my stronghold.
4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, *
from of the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.
5 For you are my hope, O LORD God, *
my confidence since I was young.

As big as my worries are, God is bigger.  As big as my problems are, God is bigger. As big as my stresses are, God is bigger.

And God is at work in all our lives. Do we really believe God led us to this point to leave us here?  Do we really think that God will abandon us after all these years?

God is with us. He is now, He has always been. He will be with us today and will be with us tomorrow.

What do we have to worry about?  What do we have to fear? Why do we have to be afraid?

We don’t.  God is with us.

I need to be reminded of that every once in a while.  Like today.

I don’t know if you needed this word this morning, but I did.

Thanks be to God, who is bigger than whatever it is we face.

Now, go out and live today with the confidence of being a child of God!

Waiting

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I don’t sit still well. Never have, never will.  I don’t like waiting. If I’ve got an appointment of some sort that I feel like will take a while, I bring things to do.  I don’t like waiting.

Not many of us do. It’s kind of a helpless feeling. You’re there, waiting on someone else, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Listen to the words from Psalm 62

1 For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken.

There are in scriptures, particularly in the Psalms, this command to wait. To wait upon the Lord.

Why? Why would God want us to wait upon Him? Why is that something we should do?

For the reason we don’t like to wait.  It reminds us that it is not about us. We are not in control. It’s not, in the end, all up to us.

There is a God more powerful than us that does not conform to our schedule and our will, but will conform us to His schedule and to His will.

No one likes waiting. I detest it. But, in, the end, we need to learn to wait upon the Lord. For it teaches us who is really God. Who is really in control. Who is really at work.

It’s all about God.  It’s all about His will.  It’s all about what He wants to do.  May we have the grace today to wait upon Him.

And may we know the freedom and life that comes from waiting upon Him.

Do Not Fear Them

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Some days when I come into prayer, I really need to hear a specific word from God. Somedays I’ve got something on my heart that’s really bothering me.  Something that’s worrying me, taking my joy and taking my peace.

There are some days when there is just something heavy on my heart that I need the Lord to speak to.

We’ve all been there, haven’t we?  We’ve all brought our stuff to God and said – God I need to know you are here with this.  I need to hear your voice, I need your word, I need your assurance.

Today was a day like that for me.  Nothing major, I just had a couple of things I was praying about, both personal and church related, a couple of things I was trying to figure out, some things I needed discernment over.

And as I read through some of the readings this morning, I read a verse in Deuteronomy (yes, Deuteronomy!) that really hit home with me and gave me some assurance.  It says there in chapter 3:22

22 Do not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you.”

A simple verse, a short verse. How can that say what I needed to hear this morning?

Well, it reminds me to be brave and that God is bigger than whatever it is I face. I reminds me that no matter what challenges I may face, God is bigger.  God is stronger.  God is more mighty.

I don’t fight alone – God fights for me.

And because of that, I have no reason to fear. For, God is with me.  If God is for us, who can be against us, as Paul reminds us!

What have we to fear?  What have we to fret about? What have we to worry about? For, God is with us. God fights for us. God strengthens us!  God is our might and power and hope.

Why do we worry?  Why do we fear?  God fights for us.

Today, no matter what you face, God is bigger.  Today, no matter what you are worried about, God is bigger. Today, no matter what is in your future, God is bigger.

Do not fear. God is with you. And He fights for you.

What is Not

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One of the things that is always most inspiring, and honestly, intimidating, to me about the saints of scripture is the amazing faith they had.  They had an ability to trust, to see, to hope, that is without a doubt, other-worldly.  Today, look at Abraham.  This is what Paul says in Romans 4

19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Think about that for a second.  How easy would it have been to give for Abraham?  How easy would it have been to say, ok, that’s enough. Check please.  I’m done.  I’m headed back to Ur.

But, he didn’t.  He still had faith. Now, we know if we go back and read his story in Genesis, we’ll see he wasn’t perfect.  He did some dumb things.  He made some bad mistakes.

There were times when struggled and had doubts.

But, we see in the end, he had faith. He trusted. He believed. He trusted.  Even when he didn’t see.  He about the faith to see what is not there. And know that it will be there.  One day.

In our lives, on the roads we walk, there will be times we doubt.  There will be times we struggle. There will be times when we are down cast.

So in those times, hold fast to your faith. Hold fast to what is good and noble and true.  Hold fast to what you believe. The doubts and trials and struggles and darkness will come.

Hold onto what is of God. What is of faith. What matters.

Don’t lose sight of what God is doing. Sometimes faith is the ability to see what is not there.  But know that it will be there.

And remember, that God is bigger than all we face.  God is bigger than our doubts, our fears, our hopes, our dreams.  God is bigger than our vision.  God is bigger than our sight. That’s why we walk by faith, not by sight.

We see with the eyes of faith.  We see not just what is there.  We see what will be there. Hope. Trust. Have faith.

God is at work. Today, and always.  Hold onto Him.

Payday

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One of my first real jobs was as a camp counselor during the summers at Twin Lakes, in Florence, MS.  I worked their two summers and some of the best times of my life there. I made friends there that I will treasure forever.

One of the things I remember most, though, about camp, was getting that my first paycheck.  Looking back now, it wasn’t much. But at the time, I thought I’d won the lottery.  I thought I was the richest man I knew.

I’d worked hard for that check. I loved my job, but I’d worked really hard. I’d earned what I had.  And, honestly, if I’d have worked that hard, and the camp had not paid me, when they promised to, I’d have been upset.  You want what’s coming to you!  What you deserve!

Sometimes, I think we tie ourselves in a knot with God.  Just like in our job, be it our first job, or our current job, we feel like we have to earn God’s love. We feel like we have to “do” something to make God love us. Just like at camp I had certain things I had to do as part of my job, as Christians, we sometimes feel like we have to “do” something to make God love us.

Forgive us.

Care for us.

And, here’s the problem. We can’t ever do things just perfect. We mess up. We fall down.  We make mistakes. We sin.  It gets ugly.

And then, because we’ve mess up, we feel like we haven’t earned that love we want.

Today in Roman’s we see Paul talk about Abraham.  He writes this:

1 What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.

God didn’t love or accept Abraham because he was perfect.  In fact, if we look back it his story, he did some pretty dumb things.

He loved Abraham because He’s God. And that’s what He does. What God wanted from Abraham was this.  Faith.  Trust. Relationship.

We don’t have to earn God’s love. We just have to accept it.  We have have to make God love us. We just have to understand He does.

We don’t have to wait for payday.  Payday is here, today. We just have to have faith.

Today, God loves you. Believe that.  No matter where you or what you’ve done.  God loves you. Have faith. And find that love and acceptance you’ve been seeking.

Check List

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Believe it or not, I’ve always felt like religion was easy.  To be religious can mean, at it’s most simple just a collection of things that we should and shouldn’t do.  Religion, at it’s most simple, is a check list.

That’s what a lot of folks think about faith. And honestly, that’s what a lot of believers think about faith.  If I just do this, do that, don’t do this, don’t do that, than it’s all taken care of.

Today, in Psalm 50, the Psalmist says this

13 Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls, *
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and make good your vows to the Most High.
15 Call upon me in the day of trouble; *
I will deliver you, and you shall honor me.”

We are reminded that faith is not, in the end, about what we do, or don’t do.

Now, there are things we are supposed to do and not do. But, it doesn’t start with that.

It starts with that heart for God.  It starts with that relationship.  It starts with a desire to know and be known, to love and be loved.

It’s not about a check list.  It’s not about making God love us.  It’s not about doing what Christians are “supposed” to do.

It’s about understanding that we are loved more than we’ll ever know. That an awesome, holy, and righteous God simply loves us.

And it’s about knowing that we are supposed to love God, and love each other in that same way.

So, if there is a check list, it’s not “religion.”  It’s love.  Love God. Love each other. That’s it, that’s the list.

Crucified with Christ?

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I don’t always want what is best for me. The things that I desire are not always in my best interest and for my best life. They may look really, really appealing, but in the end, can be my doom. Today, Paul talks about the need to understand how our desires might not always be best.  In Galatians, he says:

I have been crucified with Christ; 20 and it is no longer I who live, but it is 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.

What does that mean, to be crucified with Christ? That’s a nice phrase that sounds good and holy and Christian, but what does that mean?

I think, or at least I’ve found out for me, that in some ways, it just means realizing that life is not about me.  Life, in the end is not about what I want or what I desire, but it is about what God wants.

In life I, and you, have two choices. We can spend our lives chasing our desires and our “stuff,” or we can spend our lives chasing God’s desires and God’s dreams for us.

The more we chase our “stuff” the more we will find a joyous, abundant life slipping through our fingers like sand. The more we chase God’s dreams, the more we will find life, even if it isn’t the life that we “want,” we will find that life that is abundant.  Life giving. Amazing.  Fulfilling.

So, which life will we chase? Will we chase ours and maybe, get what we want, but not what we need?

Or will we be crucified with Christ, and chase after His dream and His vision and His life?  In that find life?

Which life will we chase after today?