"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Rom. 10:17)
I heard someone define faith as simply taking God at His word and acting on it. Stop and think for just a moment. God is completely outside of time. He is the Everlasting God, the Beginning and the End, and all that the Bible says of Him. Time is simply an accomodation for us. The past and the future are pretty much the same to God. God can see all of time like you and I look at a picture or a photograph. That means from God's perspective, past history and future prophecy are pretty much the same. They are all reality. Whatever God says will be, is.
So it is not particularly extraordinary to exercise faith, although it may be uncommon. Normal faith is taking God at His Word and living on the basis of that. Trusting that God is going to do exactly as He says that He will do. In that sense, Simon Peter did not so much walk on the water, as He walked on the platform of the Word of Christ, who said, "Come".
I once heard someone say, "Faith is believing something to be so, when it isn't so, in order for it to be so." I disagree. We cannot will something to happen just because we believe it hard enough.
That statement needs a qualifier. "Faith is believing something to be so, when it isn't so, in order for it to be so, when God has said it is so."
Faith is cultivated by living in the Word of God and then choosing to believe what God has said. God always keeps His promises, and He is always right on time, everytime. Believing God is normal faith, not extraordinary. It may not be average or common, but it is the normal reality for a believer walking with God.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Turning Blessings into Praise
"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 21b)
The day started out like any other day. Just an ordinary day in the life of a man by the name of Job. But on this day all of his sons and daughters were gathered together and sharing a meal at the oldest son's home. Job had many livestock, donkeys, camels, and oxen being tended in the fields.
Suddenly a servant came into the room with Job and said an enemy has attacked and killed all the oxen and donkeys, and all your servants working with them. I escaped alone. Before he finished speaking, another servant came in and said another enemy has taken your camels and killed all the servants watching them. Shortly another servant came in and said a great wind has blown down your oldest son's house and killed all of your children. What an incredible day of sorrow it had become for Job.
And yet Job says, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." We all like it when the Lord gives, but we are not so fond of those moments when He takes away. The question is, how much do we really trust God. It is easy to overlook Him in the good times and to take every blessing that comes our way for granted. And, it is easy to blame God in the bad times and to be upset and angry. Do we believe that God is for us, as the Bible says, and that He loves us unconditionally?
There is a song among christian contemporary singers, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." It is a reflection of this passage. It says, "Every blessing He pours out, I'll turn back to praise." And it goes on to say, "When the darkness comes Lord, still I will say, 'Blessed be the name of the Lord." Can you determine today to praise God in the good times and in the bad times? Will you give Him the credit and the glory He deserves when He blesses your life? When things go bad, will you give Him honor and trust Him to lead you through the valley of the shadow of death?
The day started out like any other day. Just an ordinary day in the life of a man by the name of Job. But on this day all of his sons and daughters were gathered together and sharing a meal at the oldest son's home. Job had many livestock, donkeys, camels, and oxen being tended in the fields.
Suddenly a servant came into the room with Job and said an enemy has attacked and killed all the oxen and donkeys, and all your servants working with them. I escaped alone. Before he finished speaking, another servant came in and said another enemy has taken your camels and killed all the servants watching them. Shortly another servant came in and said a great wind has blown down your oldest son's house and killed all of your children. What an incredible day of sorrow it had become for Job.
And yet Job says, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." We all like it when the Lord gives, but we are not so fond of those moments when He takes away. The question is, how much do we really trust God. It is easy to overlook Him in the good times and to take every blessing that comes our way for granted. And, it is easy to blame God in the bad times and to be upset and angry. Do we believe that God is for us, as the Bible says, and that He loves us unconditionally?
There is a song among christian contemporary singers, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." It is a reflection of this passage. It says, "Every blessing He pours out, I'll turn back to praise." And it goes on to say, "When the darkness comes Lord, still I will say, 'Blessed be the name of the Lord." Can you determine today to praise God in the good times and in the bad times? Will you give Him the credit and the glory He deserves when He blesses your life? When things go bad, will you give Him honor and trust Him to lead you through the valley of the shadow of death?
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