My Daily Pause

Tag: Faith

  • Unbelief

    Jesus teaching in the Temple, from the book Standard Bible Story Readers, Book Five (1928) Authors O. A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland
    Jesus teaching in the Temple, from the book Standard Bible Story Readers, Book Five (1928) Authors O. A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland

    Matthew 13:58 makes me sad.

    The people of Jesus’ hometown did not get the benefit of his blessings because of their unbelief. If you let that sink in and then read Hebrews 3, we see a similar statement at the end of that chapter:

    ” … they were unable to enter because of their unbelief.” – Hebrews 3:19

    The children of Israel failed to enter the rest because of their lack of faith  – even after all of the signs and miracles they witnessed.

    So many that were born and raised in a Christian family turn away from the God. They have been given the knowledge and lived the lifestyle, but they choose to believe something else.

    They have been warned and God has turned away from them without offering a single blessing. Why bless them when there is no desire for blessings? Why fill needs when they think they don’t need anything?

    There are so many in that precarious state right now – What are some things you can do to help the ones you know?

     

     

     

  • Obedience of Faith

    Romans ends the same way it started – the description of faith as something to be obeyed. (Romans 1:5, 16:26) Almost like bookends, Paul defines the faith he says is needed to get salvation.

    I wonder if the convenient chapter headings make it difficult to see these verses. In my Bible, Romans 1:5 is in a section called Greeting and Romans 16:26 is  in a section called Doxology. While these handy subheadings are great for helping us find stuff in the Bible, they are not part of the Bible and should not be trusted as if they are.

    Since these are essentially sections called “hello” and “goodbye,” it seems like it is ok to skim them. Those who do miss the two verses describing the faith needed for salvation. Take a look at Romans 1:5:

    through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations

    This verse is chock full of information:

    • The Gospel is from the Christ (The “through whom” is continued from v4)
    • An apostle empowered to preach it is delivering it
    • The requirement of faith in Jesus
    • Obedience, the consequence of faith
    • The gospel is for all nations

    Absolute, unwavering faith is required for salvation. We see Paul discuss it throughout the book of Romans (and his other letters for that matter.) The faith of Jesus Christ is a lot more than just making a statement of belief – it requires action. It requires response. It requires obedience. To get a sense of the extent we might have to go, take a look at the people in Hebrews 11. Now answer this: What if one of those people said to God, “I believe you can, but I’m not going to do that”?

  • Where is Your Faith?

    Where is Your Faith?

    Worry, Fear, Panic. Just a few of the symptoms of one that doesn’t trust. If we lack faith in something, then we do not expect to be able rely on it.

    How do you supposed Jesus felt when he had to ask his disciples where their faith was? (Luke 8:25) Jesus had demonstrated his power to them time and time again, but they still feared the storm. (Luke 8:22-24)

    Faith in God is how to avoid worry.
    The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt, 1632.

    Every day will bring new challenges. This might be especially true for those trying to be faithful to God. When we allow those challenges to consume our attention, we will eventually overthink the situation. Fear and worry can use that to get a foothold.

    To get a head start on the day, we have to expect the unexpected. Sure, that’s a little cliché, but preparing ourselves to handle anything that life throws at us is how we deal with it. Here are a few things we can do get that head start:

    • Bible reading – an excellent way to build faith (Romans 10:17)
    • Prayer – The prayers of a righteous person gets results (James 5:16)
    • Review our priorities – Seek God’s kingdom first (Luke 12:31) and select our treasure wisely (Luke 12:34)

    Faith in God is the first step (and often the only step) needed to avoid worry and fear.

    Daily Bible reading for September 12

    Psalm 41
    2 Samuel 2
    Ezekiel 1
    Luke 8:22-56

  • Look For the Centurions

    Jesus healing the servant of a Centurion - Paolo Veronese (1528–1588)
    Jesus healing the servant of a Centurion – Paolo Veronese (1528–1588)

    In Luke 7:1-10, the centurion’s servant is healed. Jesus marveled at his faith compared to what he was finding among the Jews.

    The centurion had good references (Luke 7:4) from the Jewish elders even though he was a Gentile. He was also an officer in the hated army of Rome. He built the synagogue for the Jews and as far as we can tell, he believed in Jesus as soon as he knew about him.

    It might be human nature to size people up based on external factors, but it is not God’s nature to do so. (cf. Acts 10:34, James 2:1) As today’s call to action, try to reach out to someone that others might have written off because of who they are.

    We might find a centurion.

    We might even be impressed like Jesus was. (Luke 7:9)

  • A Faith Lesson from Daniel

    A Faith Lesson from Daniel

    As Daniel noted the new decree that no one should be worshiped except the king, he went straight to his room and prayed. (Daniel 6:10)

    Daniel’s attitude is a model for all Christians, no matter how God and his followers are attacked.

    • He was not defiant – we see that he didn’t make a big deal out the fact he was going to worship his God. He just went about it as was his habit.
    • He was not a coward – we do not see Daniel hiding his worship either. In fact, the folks that set him up to commit a “crime” easily caught him in the act of worshiping.
    • He continued as always – It is difficult to fight for the right to practice something when we failed to exercise that right before it was threatened.
    • His window was open toward Jerusalem – We send mixed messages when we claim to put God first but “open our windows” toward money, fashions, government or any other type of secular concern.
    • He was faithful – Daniel didn’t have any concern for what his enemies thought, what the government legislated or his personal safety. Trusting God always works out in the long run

    By the end of Daniel 6, God was recognized by the kingdom and the freedom to worship not only was preserved, but was enhanced.

    Through Daniel’s example of faith, we see that God’s plan will prevail without our having to force it. We just need to …

    • keep living faithful lives
    • worship regularly without apology but without an air of defiance
    • teach others when we can
    • be an influence that makes others notice

    … and let God use us to complete his work.

    E10413.jpg
    Daniel in the Lions’ Den circa 1614/1616 – Sir Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577 – 1640 )

    Daily Bible reading for September 5

    Psalm 34
    1 Samuel 25
    Daniel 6
    Luke 3:23-4:13

  • Fruit of the Spirit: Faith

    Fruit of the Spirit: Faith

    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance – Gal 5:22-23

    The underlying Greek word here is pistis defined as assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

    When asked to describe faith or faithfulness, we often think:

    • fidelityOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
    • loyalty
    • trustworthy
    • steadfast
    • dependable

    These are some excellent words to describe what we see in faithful people, but they are not what makes them faithful. Faith is a belief  in something so strong that we will take an action based on it. For instance I believe my boss will write me a paycheck, therefore I go to work each day.

    Hebrews 11 teaches us the essence of that kind of faith:

    • Able offered his sacrifices the way God wanted them
    • Enoch did things in a way that pleased God
    • Noah built an ark with only a warning
    • Abraham moved his family to an unfamiliar land
    • An angel had to stop the knife in Abraham’s hand so he wouldn’t sacrifice his son
    • Moses chose to be numbered among his people and not the Egyptians

    …the list goes on. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without this kind of faith, we can’t please him.

    Here are some ways we need to respond once we understand that God is who the Bible says he is:

    • Obey his Gospel plan
    • Live in a way that demonstrates your faith (James 2:14-26)
    • Supplement it with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and with love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)

    There are those that tell you that God’s salvation is available through faith only. This concept is foreign to the Bible.  When the Bible tells you that faith saves you, it is talking about a faith so strong that you are willing to move and do something.  It means that when you have gotten into Christ, you are living and acting in a Christ-Like manner all the time. This kind of faith takes a lot of maintenance, so keep reading your Bible and it will grow! (Romans 10:17)

     Daily Bible reading for July 15

    Ecclesiastes 9:1-10
    Joshua 15
    Jeremiah 8:4-9:22
    Matthew 23