Genuine Faith

Jesus told a parable about a persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8 read about it, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: ‘There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’

Then the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?’”

When I think about this story, and put it into reality in my mind, about this lady and this judge who didn’t fear God or regard man, my way of thinking is this lady was like a burr under this judge’s collar, you might say she was just a plain irritation.  But this lady was not going to let him off the hook that easy, she was going to, and did, pester him and try to bring him to some accountability in this case until she got what she wanted, she was not taking no for an answer.  He got so fed up with her that he started getting weary of this pest that kept coming back, maybe like a fly that you swat at over and over again and you keep missing it and it just keeps landing on the same spot, so he finally granted her request.  

Then Jesus goes on to say that God will much more avenge His elect who cry out to Him day and night and He will avenge them speedily.  When a born-again believer seeks God for help, God is only a prayer away.  We don’t have to beg or plead but there are some guidelines, and one is we need to ask Him in faith, believing we will get what we ask for, and for many that is much easier said than done.  How many times have you prayed but didn’t really believe you would receive your request?  Be honest!

Another thing is how many times do we pray selfish prayers, in other words prayers that will only benefit us?  The next thing I will bring up is, how many times have we prayed with unconfessed sin in our lives?  And two more, although there are probably other things that could be mentioned, how many times do we pray God’s will to be done and not ours?  The last thing is, we don’t get our prayers answered because we don’t ask.  Like I said not everything we pray for is God’s will for our lives.

Think about the apostle Paul, he prayed three times that the thorn in his flesh would be removed but it wasn’t because it wasn’t God’s will.  Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  

God could have taken care of that situation, but it was for Paul’s own good, so He didn’t.  Sometimes God has to humble us because that is the best thing for us at the time.  Sin always separates us from God so that will hinder our prayers.  At times we don’t ask so we cannot expect to get our request from God and sometimes we ask with the wrong motives.  Then there are times we ask without believing we will receive, which is called a lack of faith and we, more than likely, won’t receive what we ask for.

This is a question everyone should ask themselves; when the Lord comes will He really find faith on the earth?  I think many people lack faith because on various occasions they have prayed and didn’t receive because of one or more of these things I mentioned above, and then we blame God because He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want Him to.  If we do our part God will do His part because He loves us and wants the best for us.  Something to think about!   Have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!   

Rediscovering God

My journey goes on and it is a learning process which takes a lot of time.  I wonder how many people have had to take this journey before.  It seems like when we think we have God somewhat figured out we find out that our preconceived ideas are not always correct.

Read Isaiah 55:8-9, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’”

The footnotes in my Bible explain this verse better than I would and what it says is true, it says something like this: the people of God, the Israelites at the time, foolishly acted like they knew what God was thinking and what He was planning to do.  It is foolish to try to make God fit into our plans; what we need to do is fit into His plans.  

Think about this; how many times have you and I been guilty of this?  We can study and read God’s Word for years and years but something we don’t expect will happen and we will have no explanation for it and it may leave us scratching our heads in wonder and amazement or sometimes perplexed and sad, wondering why.  Sometimes we are joyful and praise the Lord then other times we can be angry and shake our fists at God, maybe not always literally but in our thinking.   

Did you ever think that if you were God you would do things a lot differently than He is doing them?  Like you would heal all the sick people in the world, or at least all your friends and family, or that you would do away with all evil and all wars and that you would make everyone good so that they would all love you and go to heaven, or that there would be peace in all the world.  I am sure I am not the only one that has ever thought of these things.  

Have you ever thought of what it would be like to be God, having an unconditional love for people and still allow them to go to hell?  We can think this way at times and have no idea of the complexity of the situation that we would face.  I think the best way to deal with this kind of thinking is to realize that God is sovereign and omniscient, knowing all things; nothing takes Him by surprise and He knows what is best for every person and every person will reap what they sow, whether good or bad, in the end or before that takes place.  God is a just God and He is loving and fair.

Read what it says Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death.”

I don’t want to take this out of context but in many of our decisions and our choices we may think we are right but we may end up being wrong.  The same thing can happen with our religious experiences and our view of God.    

Read what Genesis 18:25 says, “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

The Judge of all the earth will always do right even when we don’t understand the end of the matter.  You may read some of the stories in the Old Testament and think that God is and was unfair, but look at the story of Nineveh, God could have destroyed it and been justified because of their wickedness but He showed His mercy by sending Jonah there to warn them of the impending judgment that was about to take place.  Then He forgave them when they repented and didn’t destroy them.  Who ended up angry about God’s decision?  Jonah, he wanted them all destroyed, it is a good thing he wasn’t calling the shots.  I think the best thing we can do is just let God be God and know that He will do the right thing, no matter what the situation or circumstance.  

The greatest story that was ever told was the redemption story when God came to earth as a man to save mankind from their sinful ways and desires and to set them free from the bondage of sin that they were in, which they could never have escaped on their own.  A man could not redeem man, only the God man could do that.  He had to be fully God to be sinless in order to set men free of sin and bondage, and fully man to experience the pain, suffering and trials that we experience and to experience all of it without sin and Jesus did just that, Praise the Lord!!  This is the good news and the greatest story ever told and as far as I am concerned it is the truth and multitudes of others will agree with me.

And not only these things, but He showed us how faithful, kind, merciful and loving He was.  Jesus suffered a horrible death for us, allowing himself to be beaten, whipped and spat upon, stripped naked, and He also allowed a crown of thorns to be jammed down on His head and nails driven into His hands and feet like a criminal but He never committed a crime, He was completely sinless but was crucified for us so that we could be set free and forgiven for our sins. Why wouldn’t anyone want to know a Savior like that personally?  If you are reading this and you would like to know Him in a personal way, repent of your sins, which means to turn from them and ask Him to be the Lord of your life and if you are truly sincere you will be a child of God!!  Don’t be in a big hurry, let Him fill You with His perfect peace, love and joy then go and share with others what you have done and start growing in your new found faith.  Something to think about!  I hope you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!

Reference

I listen to Dr. Ravi Zacharias quite often and I would recommend that anyone who claims to be a believer should also listen to him.  I think he brings a fresh perspective in his teaching, not only in the way he presents the gospel, but also in the way he defends it and the way he lives his life according to it.  He seems to be a very humble man and adheres to accountability.  As he presents his case, he is not pushy and arrogant but patient and loving, totally aware that he is accountable to God for what he says and does.  He is also very knowledgeable in worldly matters and many other religions and also theology and psychology.  I believe he is a modern day man that is after God’s own heart and I think his pursuit in life is saving, with the Lord’s help, the souls of every man, woman and child that he can and also gives good evidence of why the Christian faith is the truth.  He has put himself in many situations and circumstances where he could have been killed, imprisoned and even tortured or all of these things and he has still been faithful to the Word and to his God.

There are also many other people that are in his ministry that you can listen to that he has mentored and are held to the same high standards that he is.  They have been a real encouragement and a help to me, I just regret that I didn’t know about his ministry much earlier in my Christian walk.  His ministry is called RZIM.org (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries).  

I have heard him talk about needing a reference point where one can begin in any endeavor they try to accomplish and also in life itself as well as in the Christian walk.  He gives an example of being in a car waiting at a red light and sometimes you think you are moving so you push down on the brake harder but it still seems like you are moving so you look for a pole or something that is stationary so you can tell if you are moving or the car next to you is; that is called your point of reference.  In the Christian walk your point of reference is in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and that His Son came to earth as a babe, grew up and lived a sinless life, was crucified, died and was buried and rose again, not to make bad people good but to make dead people live and that it is only through Jesus Christ that you can be saved because He was the only way that you could be redeemed and forgiven of your sins.

Jesus said this in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus also said many other things, so either you believe them or you will lose you reference point and wander in all kinds of directions.  I am not trying to offend anyone, but this is what the Word of God says, in His love letter to us.  I would suggest if someone is truly seeking to know the truth of why we are here and the purpose for it, that they would get a copy of God’s Word and read it, humbly asking God to help you understand what is being said.  I think a good place to start is the book of John in the New Testament.  He loves you so much that He made a way where there was no way that you and I could be right with Him.  His purpose is to prosper us and not to harm us but to give us a hope and a future.  He didn’t send His Son into the world to condemn us but that through Him we might be saved.  He wasn’t willing that any be lost but that all would come to repentance and turn to Him.

So humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up, in His time.  If you are ready to start a brand new journey in life and you choose to seek the truth, look for the source of truth and that is the Word of God.  The Lord said if you seek me with all your heart you will find me and if you know the truth, the truth will set you free.  He has made it so easy to find Him; He is only a prayer away!!  

If you are ready, repent of your sins, which means to turn away from your sins, and be sorry for them, then ask the Lord to forgive you and cleanse you with His precious blood and to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior and if you are sincere I believe you will be born-again.  Then go and share your faith with others and start fellowshipping with other believers and start growing in your faith!!  Let the peace of God rule in your heart and you will never be the same.  Something to think about and have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!

Who’s Image

The religious leaders tried to trick Jesus so that they would get Him in trouble with the Romans over paying taxes.  But Jesus saw through their deceit and answered their question in a way that they marveled at Him.  Read Matthew 22:15-22, “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.’ So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’

And He said to them, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.”

The religious leaders thought they had Jesus trapped by the question they asked because the Pharisees would accuse Jesus of not being loyal to God if He gave the wrong answer and the Herodians would accuse Him of rebellion against Rome if He was to say that they shouldn’t pay taxes, they were opposing parties and for the most part enemies.

I listen to Ravi Zacharias quite often and I have heard him say that the man should have asked him this question, whose image is on you?  Read what it says in Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

We know from the Word that God’s image is on us, so if that is true and I believe it is, then we belong to God.  That must be the reason that no one can really be happy, content and satisfied without a personal relationship with God.  We are not here to die with the most toys or even to be an idol or to have the most money or the most power or prestige or popularity, we are here to honor and love God above everything else and to love our families and neighbors, which even includes our enemies and to be an example of Jesus.  God loved us so much that He made us in His image and likeness and even when we rebel against Him and sin, which we all have, He still loves us and wants us to have a relationship with Him.  

Our sins separate us from God because he is so pure and holy, so in our unregenerate state we could never meet His standards, so He made a way that we could be in right standing with Him.  There had to be the shedding of blood for a sin sacrifice, for without it there could be no forgiveness of sins and we, being born in sin, had to have a way for our sins to be atoned for because we have all sinned and fell short of the glory of God.  So God sent His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be that atonement for our sins.  

All down through the ages animals were sacrificed for sins, but read what it says in Hebrews 9:11-29, “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”

Read 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Now read John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

So if you are reading this and have never committed your life to Christ or maybe you have been backsliding for a while make things right today.  Repent, by turning away from your sins, and ask the Lord to forgive you and to be the Lord of your life.  Then find a friend and share what you have done and start growing in your new found faith, reading and studying God’s Word and spending time in prayer.  Start fellowshipping with other believers.  When you make this commitment, don’t be in a hurry; let the Lord fill you with His peace, love and joy.  I think this is the most important choice you will ever make and if you are sincere it will change your life forever for the better.  

Have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!