Category Archives: faith

Irreverent Faith – Mark 10:46-52

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“Jesus_Looking_BackAnd Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.’ And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus” (Mark 10:49-50, ESV).

Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease!” This story from the gospel of Mark is a case in point for that saying.

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large entourage, blind Bartimaeus was sitting by the roadside. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was approaching, he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47).

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The Unbelieving Believer – Mark 9:14-29

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prayer2“And he answered them, ‘O faithless generations, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?” (Mark 9:20, ESV)

The story of Jesus healing a boy with an unclean spirit demonstrates the dilemma many Christians face when trying to live out their faith. They may find themselves become unbelieving believers!

Jesus finds some of his disciples arguing with some Jewish religious leaders and a crowd had gathered around them. A man in the crowd explains to Jesus that since childhood his son has been possessed by a demon that causes the boy to have seizures, convulsions, and not be able to talk.

Jesus’s disciples were unable to cast out the demon, so the father pleaded with Jesus to help the boy if He could.

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Bad Weather Farmers – Psalm 126:5-6

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badweatherfarmer“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest” (Psalm 126:5-6, NLT).

Do you sometimes seem to be doing everything right and everything goes wrong?

You are faithful to God, planting seed for His Kingdom by serving and obeying Him in every way. Then, in the middle of your faithfulness and obedience, first one problem or tragedy strikes, then another, and then another.

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Stop Complaining – Exodus 16:8

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“Yes, your complaints are against the Lord,not against us.”  (Exodus 16:8, NLT)

When the Israelites escaped from Egypt, God did not lead them straight to the promised land because they weren’t prepared for war with the Canaanites: “God said, If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt” (vs. 13:17).

Instead of going north towards Canaan, Moses led them south into the wilderness or desert region of the Sinai peninsula. After three days they came to an oasis but the water there was not potable.

The people complained against Moses and he threw a piece of wood into the water, which made it drinkable (vs. 15:24-25).

Then after a month of traveling south down the Sinai peninsula the people began to complain about the lack of food: “There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron” (vs. 2). They even went so far as to say they wished they were back in Egypt.

God heard their complaints and instructed Moses to tell them that He would rain down food from heaven each day and they should gather just enough food for the day. God wanted the Israelites to learn to depend on Him to supply their needs on a daily basis.

Moses announced to the Israelites what God was going to do, including a stern warning about complaining: “In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us” (vs. 7).

One of the great dangers of complaining is that it distorts our perception of reality.

The Israelites complained for the “good old days” in Egypt when they had plenty to eat, yet somehow forgot the severity of human bondage they suffered there.

Like the Israelites, God wants us to develop a lifestyle of dependence on Him to supply our daily needs–a lifestyle of hope vested in God’s provision.

When you complain, you are not depending on God to supply your needs so your complaint is really against God.

Hope is the fruit of faith while complaining is the fruit of unbelief.

Complaining focuses on what is wrong with the present and glorifies a distorted view of the past while hope focuses on making the best of the present reality in anticipation of a glorious future.

Complaining demonstrates a lack of faith or confidence that God is in control of the circumstances of your daily life and of His ability to carry you through or supernaturally intervene.

Complaining can become a bad habit. And, the best way to rid yourself of a bad habit is to replace it with a good one.

Giving praise and thanksgiving to God acknowledges His sovereignty over the circumstances of your daily life and over all His creation.

So, stop complaining and start praising God!

When Futility Gives Way To Hope – Psalm 39:6-7

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“Certainly, man walks about like a mere shadow. Indeed, they frantically rush around in vain, gathering possessions without knowing who will get them. Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You” (Psalm 39:6-7, HCSB).

The psalmist realized that in the grand scheme of things his life was fleeting and short-lived, like a vapor or shadow.

People try to find meaning for their lives by gathering possessions as if more stuff will give more significance to their lives.

But, all our accomplishments, all our wealth, all our possessions fade away and are forgotten over time.

If our life in this world is to have any meaning, it must be that it is a preparation for eternal life.

For when we trust in God, we are trusting in God for eternal life.

And, if there’s nothing more than the span of our life on Earth, then our lives are lived in futility and our whole existence is meaningless.

But, when we trust in God, futility gives way to hope. And hope gives our lives meaning.

For those whose hope and trust is in God, life is meaningful and significant because it is not tied to earthly achievements but rather to a heavenly existence!

“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21, HCSB).

Just Do It – Matthew 25:40

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“And the King will say, I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me” (Matthew 25:40, NLT).

In Matthew 25 Jesus told His disciples several object lessons when asked by them when the end of the world would come.

In one object lesson recorded in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus referred to the time when He, the Coming King, will return to Earth to judge all nations.

Jesus told His disciples that on that judgement day, the King will separate all people into two groups in much the same way a shepherd separates sheep from goats.

He will reward those on his right with co-ownership of his Kingdom because during their lives on Earth they were benevolent toward other people in need. He will send those on his left into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels because during their lives on Earth they were not benevolent toward other people in need.

So, the moral of the story was that you should help disenfranchised and desperate people because helping them is the same as helping the King, and not helping them is the same as not helping the King.

And, the message we should take from this somewhat ominous story is that serving God is not just a state of mind–it’s something you do!

Here’s what I mean…

The amazing thing about the righteous ones was that they didn’t know they were performing these good deeds or that they would receive a heavenly reward—they just did it because they were the loyal subjects of the King and wanted to please Him.

And the identifying characteristic of the unrighteous ones was that they just didn’t! They were repugnant to the King because they didn’t do anything to help those in need.

They were so self-referenced that they weren’t aware or didn’t care! And so they had no desire to serve or please the King.

So, this story mitigates some of the tension between faith and works because it illustrates that faith that does not result in works is not saving faith (James 2:14-26).

But those who focus on the reality of God’s invisible Kingdom by faith begin to live out their future life in the present by works without even knowing they are doing it—they just do it!

Who’s Looking Out For You? – Psalms 4:6-8

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“Many people say, Who will show us better times? Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe” (Psalms 4:6-8, NLT).

Psalm 4 is actually a lament that includes a plea for rescue, a rebuke of the ungodly, some good advice for godliness, and then concludes with these verses, which are an expression of confidence in God.

In this psalm of David he observed that in times of trouble, people prayed to God to send His blessings and make things better for them.

But David found fulfillment in God Himself, not just His blessings.

In fact, God had given him greater joy than those who lived in prosperity.

He had happiness and joy always because God was looking out for him!

He was at peace and didn’t stay awake at night worrying because he knew that God had his back!

You can have joy when you find fulfillment in God,
     when you trust in Him and live for Him,
           then you can be confident that God is greater than your troubles,
                because God is looking out for you!

You can have joy and peace even in times of trouble by replacing your worry with expressions of confidence in God’s watchfulness over your life through praise and thanksgiving.

Who’s looking out for you? God is!

“The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life” (Psalm 121:7, NLT)

A Tenth of Everything? – Genesis 14:19

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“And Abram gave him a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:19, HCSB).

When an alliance of kings from the north captured Lot and took him prisoner in a war with the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah where Lot lived, Abram (Abraham) and his 300 fighting men mounted a surprise attack and rescued Lot and his family and recovered all of Lot’s possessions.

The king of Sodom and Melchizedek, the king of Jerusalem and a priest of God, celebrated Abram’s triumph.

Although Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he owned, he refused to take anything from the king of Sodom. Abram did not want the king of Sodom to take any credit for his prosperity because Abram knew it was God that blessed him.

Abram recognized God was the enabler of his victory and the provider of his prosperity. Abram recognized that his blessedness was by the power and sovereign will of God.

If you want to be totally and completely in God’s will, then you can’t just give Jesus your heart. You also have to give him your money!

You can’t separate one from the other and Jesus made that perfectly clear: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, HCSB).

Some people may not tithe because they don’t really understand how God provides and meets our needs.

God does not provide for us by giving us more and more of what we already have or think we need.

If we are experiencing financial difficulties, we think that more money is the solution to our problem.
     If our home is too small, we pray for a bigger one.
          If our car is too old, we pray for a newer one.
               If we are sick, we pray for good health.

But the biblical pattern for receiving God’s provision and blessing is for Him to extend the resources we already have to meet our needs as they are offered totally and willingly to God.

Tithing is a way of doing that with our financial resources. Tithing demonstrates that we, like Abram, recognize God’s sovereignty over our lives, especially our finances.

When you tithe, you offer the basic needs of your life totally and willingly to God and by having less resources you actually give God more space to enact His supernatural care over your life.

Then God extends the 90% to cover 100% of your needs!

I know it seems contrary to good sense and everything we understand about economics, but in the economy of God’s Kingdom, less is really more!

By having less of our own resources, we make room for more of God’s provision!

It’s a faith thing!.

When you give a tenth of everything you have to God, He makes available all of everything He has to you!

“Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,” says the Lord of Hosts. See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure” (Malachi 3:10, HCSB).

Fragile: Handle With Care – Job 3:20

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“Why is light given to one burdened with grief, and life to those whose existence is bitter?” (Job 3:20, HCSB)

In the well-known story of Job, adversity came upon him to the extent that he lost everything including his wealth, family, and health. When his three friends came to sympathize and comfort him, Job posed the question in this verse.

In Job’s bout with depression he was unable to see any good or meaning to his past or future life.

And the grief counseling provided by his friends quickly degraded to faultfinding that seemed to drive Job to self-indulgent self-righteousness.

Like Job, for most of my life I had enjoyed the benefits of a “successful” lifestyle and had never really encountered significant personal tragedy. Until I experienced personal tragedy for myself, I never realized how fragile a person’s psyche can be in confronting adversity.

I always supposed myself to have a high level of mental and emotional toughness that made me invulnerable to the despondency caused by the misfortunes of life.

So I never dreamed I would be able to relate to Job!

When adversity came upon me, I often found myself falling into despair over some insignificant event of the day or by recalling some previously forgotten memory. Sometimes, I even imagined how things might have been had the tragedy not occurred or had God intervened according to my specifications.

So maybe I’m more psychologically fragile and not as well-adjusted as I had supposed I was! I had to throw myself on God’s mercy!

But, in searching for my own mental and emotional stability in adversity, I discovered an answer to Job’s question:

Faith grows and develops somewhere in the tension between vulnerability and invulnerability. When we are most vulnerable is when we can best receive God’s light and life.

But there is a dark side to vulnerability, because it also makes us susceptible to other voices that may include our own despair or the well-intentioned but maladroit advice of others like Job received from his friends.

That’s why it’s not a place we can stay for long.

Yet, neither should we be impervious to the overwhelming emotions that the tragic realities of life can stir up.

Faith is the spiritual interplay between these opposing psychological forces and faith is how we find resolution to our distress.

Through your vulnerability you receive God’s grace, and then God can develop your faith into an invulnerable faithfulness that helps you endure life’s difficulties.

Furthermore, God grows your faith so it can be shared with others.

Experiencing the pathos of personal tragedy elicits God’s overwhelming lovingkindness to sustain you past your anguish. And in so doing, you will then be empowered to share God’s grace with other suffering ones.

“The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:3-4, HCSB).

Faith-Confidently Looking Forward – Hebrews 11:8-10

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“Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.”Hebrews 11:8-10

In Hebrews 11, the “faith” chapter, the Hebrews writer defines faith and provides several biblical examples.

One outstanding example of faith the Hebrews writer describes is Abraham. The Hebrews writer reminds us how Abraham left his native land in obedience to God’s calling and went to Canaan where the nation of Israel was ultimately settled.

While Abraham traveled the full extent of the “promised” land, he never settled in one of the Canaanite cities but lived as a nomadic herdsman. Abraham’s son, Isaac, and grandson, Jacob, both lived the same way.

Since Abraham was promised the land of Canaan by God but never possessed it, the Hebrew writer says Isaac and Jacob inherited the promise of the land (vs. 9). Of course, we know that Abraham’s descendants never actually possessed the land of Canaan until after being a slave nation of Egypt for hundreds of years.

So what do we learn about faith from Abraham’s example? Faith is a confidence based on: (1) hope–confidence in a promise that has a future fulfillment, and (2) obedience–confident action in response to what God has made known.

Faith gives life purpose and meaning because faith allows us to live our lives confidently looking forward to what God has promised us in Christ regardless of present circumstances or events.