Faith, Is It Necessary?

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. ~ Hebrews 11:1-10 (ESV)

As we look around we see a desperate people looking for something to my their trust in. They look to the government, they look to booze and drugs, they look to money. They seek for anything but God to have faith in. Then there are those who say they only have faith in themselves. We see those who say, “There is no God!” Yet their actions show that they despise Him, how can you hate what does not exist? My heart truly goes out to these people; they are lost in a godless world, seeking a reason that cannot be found.

The author of Hebrews, (some believe it to be Paul, but it is unknown for sure), shows us here the need to have faith in our Lord and Creator. I love the definition of faith: “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” In our faith to God we are assured that what He promised He will deliver! In our faith we are promised that we will see Him again! That Christ is going to come back to us!

Just look at a few of the examples here, Abel offered to God is very best in the faith that God was going to take care of Him. It says that even though Cain killed Abel, he still speaks, meaning that he will be raised in the resurrection. Enoch, being in faith was found righteous by God and was taken to be with God without having to die, that my friends is faith!

How can you please God if you do not have faith in Him? You cannot draw near to God if you do not believe He exists, how do you expect to be taken care of by someone who is not there? The reward comes to those who actively seek Him, not for show but for love.

Look at Noah, his faith lead him to build a huge ark based solely on the Word of God. Noah had never seen rain nor floods had no idea what God was talking about but based on his Faith and love of God, Noah took Him at His word and followed the instructions with a “conviction of the things not seen.” (V1) IN doing this Noah condemned the entire word, all those who had not faith to become the heir of the righteousness that can only come by faith in a Living God. Then there was Abraham, obeying God when he was called to leave his home and all he knew and travel out to a place that was foreign to him. Abraham did not know what God’s intentions or plans were he just knew that God called him to go and out of faith Abraham went. Living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise that they would be God’s people. Abraham believed God and with the love and faith he had for God, Abraham looked forward to the city that has eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

Faith and love go hand in hand, you cannot have faith unless you love. Turn to God and His word to see the love He has for us. Look at the promises that He has already kept and the promises of the future, you will see a trustworthy God, a God of conviction, a righteous God, a God of love and mercy, a God we can and must put all our faith in. After all He is our Father. Amen. <><

Love, the very nature of God

Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Here we see that faith, hope and love are elevated above spiritual gifts because they “will last forever.” It seems that almost everything I have read in the past few weeks has talked about love and how this is a commandment from God. Faith and hope are indispensable but “love” is the “greatest,” we are commanded to love one another just as Christ has loved us (read, John 13:24). We are not advised to, or encouraged to… we are commanded to love. This is an enormous responsibility, but as Christ followers we are obligated to live according to this command from God.

I have learned through scripture that love is the quintessential nature of God himself. Jesus Christ demonstrated this at Cavalry, when He gave His life on the Cross opening a door for us granting us access to the Father. We are called upon to return His love by sharing it. Starting today, let us share the love of Christ with our families, friends, lets even share it with total strangers! If we do this others might come to know Him, who chose us. What a powerful way to love God, allow Him to reach others through us. I can think of no better way to bring glory to my Savior than to share Him.

Loving Father,
I understand that loving you and one another is a command from you. Father, I do not have the strength or the wisdom to carry out this commandment on my own. Please Father; help me to always remember that love is a gift from You, a costly gift, and one that I can never earn or repay. Give me the guidance I need to cultivate love and to treasure this precious gift, now and always. I pray this in the name of the one who showed us how to love, Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Joy through Obedience

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s own life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.” (John 15:9-17)

Jesus is preparing the disciples to continue His work once He has returned to His Father. Jesus is describing His commandment to love each other and how this love needs to manifest. In the verse just before this paragraph, verse 8, Jesus says, “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” True disciples experience transformed lives bearing fruit as a direct result of living in a relationship of love with Jesus and the Father. Therefore if we live a life in a loving relationship with Jesus and the Father, this will transform us into fruit bearing disciples.

Verse 13 has always been one of my favorites Jesus says, “There is no great love that to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” Although Jesus is preparing to literally lay down his life for us, here I think Jesus is telling us that we need to put ourselves last, that we need to put our lives aside for others. Starting with our friends and family. Are we prepared to give up that Sunday golf game to go watch our son play baseball or soccer? Are we enthusiastic to give up that $4 cup of coffee every morning to give the homeless man on the corner a $20 or, are we eager to give up an evening of watching television to go to a bible study? Are we willing to “lay down” to put aside, ourselves for the good of another?

Through out this passage Jesus uses’ “obey…commands” several times. Do you think He is trying to tell us something? If we follow Christ command to love Him and the Father, then to love one another, all other commands will fall into place and we will be His disciples and we will bear must fruit and bring glory to the Father. Straightforward to say, difficult to follow!

Jesus goes on to talk about how we are not His slaves, back then a rabbi’s disciples were considered servants or “slaves”, but here Jesus has elevated us to friends. Jesus says that we are His friends because He has shared with us all that the Father has told Him, and we did not choose Him but He chose us! I don’t know about you but when I read this I get goose bumps! God in flesh says that He chose me! The Word from the beginning that was with and was God chose me! Hallelujah! No I must go and produce lasting fruit so the Father will give me whatever I ask for in Christ name, and obey His command to: LOVE EACH OTHER!

Father, you have given me so much to be grateful for that I just want to celebrate my life in you. Your gifts and blessings make me thankful, I need your strength to make me loving and wise. Make me responsible; fill me with your joy! Make me a loving Christian, a valuable example to all who I come into contact with. Lord I want to be your devoted servant this day forward. In the name of Your Son, my friend… Jesus Christ. Amen.

Spiritual Maturity

When I was a child. I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:11-13)

One thing I have learned is that spiritual maturity is a life long progression we have to continue to grow in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ until we have the benefit of meeting him face to face. Here in the 13th chapter of Corinthians, Paul is telling the people of Corinth that love is what defines our worth to God and the church, not the spiritual gifts we have received from God, in fact without love our spiritual gifts are of no value. Verse 11 Paul explains the process of maturity and how as God’s children we must be ever growing in our faith and knowledge, or as Norman Vincent Peale put it, “Ask the God who made you to keep remaking you.”

As we read on into verse 12 Paul talks about how our knowledge of God is limited here in this life, but how we will know everything once Christ establishes his eternal kingdom, then we will see everything with perfect clarity. Verse 13 Paul explains to us that faith, hope and love are more important than spiritual gifts because they last forever and of these three the greatest is love, because love is the exemplary nature of God himself. Read 1 John 4:7-12.

Abba Father, I have so many more things to learn, I ask that you give me the will and courage to never give up, to never stop want to learn more about you and to know you more. I need you to keep me yearning to grow Father and I need your strength to develop me into the man you desire me to be. I pray this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.