Believe in Jesus

Believe in Jesus

Our world has totally changed the meaning of what it means to believe in Jesus. What is widely believed is that when I simply say a “sinner’s prayer,” I have become a child of Christ. Those who teach that also believe that when one says that prayer he can never be lost again. How does the Bible use the word “faith”? How does God define it? Is faith simply saying a prayer written by a man, not by God?

James says that the manifestation of faith is not by saying, “I have faith,” but by showing faith in obedience to what God says. Read James 2:17-26 carefully. Faith without obedience to what God says is dead faith, and James says that dead faith will not save.

Hebrews chapter eleven is the chapter which emphasizes faith more than any other place in the Bible. There is a list which describes the heroes of faith and then shows that faith was far more than just saying words. There is not enough space to fully discuss this in this article, but open your Bible and see what these heroes of faith did, not what they said.

Verse 4. Abel’s faith offered the worship God specified. He did not just say, “I believe in God.” He worshiped.

Verse 7. Noah’s faith prepared the ark to save his entire family. He did not say, “I believe God; I put my trust in Him.” His faith built the ark.

Verse 8. Abraham’s faith went out from Ur. He did not say, “God spoke to me, I heard His voice.” His faith moved him a thousand miles from the land of his birth.

Verse 9. Abraham’s faith dwelt in tents, and he lived as a sojourner, never again in a house like he could have had in Ur. His faith made him to be a “gypsy.”

Verse 9. Isaac and Jacob’s faith stayed in tents. They could have at any moment returned to the land from which Abraham had come. They stayed (verse 15).

Verses 20-21. Isaac and Jacob’s faith blessed their children, knowing God would use them. Faith is not words said; it is action based on obedience, not just words.

Verses 24-29. Moses’ faith refused to be an Egyptian; chose to suffer; forsook Egypt; kept the Passover; and walked through the Red Sea. It was not just a simple prayer!

Verse 30. Joshua and Israel’s faith marched around Jericho. It was not just words saying, “I believe God has given us this city as a gift of grace.” Faith alone is a dead faith.

What about you? What has your faith brought about in your life? Do you have a living, saving faith?

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Who Are We Trying to Please?

Who Are We Trying to Please?

There were several times in Paul’s letters that he had to defend his apostleship and authenticity. On one such occasion he wrote, “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). This raises a good question for us. Who are we trying to please? It is easy to see how this motivation could change the perspective we have on so many things.

If we are living to please God, then our lives and thought processes would be oriented in that direction. There would be several things that I would be putting first, no matter the circumstances. I would be seeking what was best for the advancement and promotion of the kingdom (Matt. 6:33). I would be seeking to establish God’s righteousness and not my own (Matt. 6:33; Rom. 10:1-3). I would “keep seeking the things above” and “set [my] mind” on those things (Col. 3:1-2). I would be thinking and pondering on those things that have the highest moral value (Phil. 4:8). I would make every effort to be pleasing to God. “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Cor. 5:9).

By orienting my life in this way, God has made assurances to us. He has assured us that He has our best interest at heart, not wanting any to perish (2 Pet. 3:9). He has proven Himself over and over again to be faithful in His promises, even when mankind hasn’t been (Heb. 10:23). He has shown us loving kindness that we do not deserve (Eph. 2:7). He has forgiven us when we didn’t deserve it (1 John 1:9). He has given us grace through His Son (2 Tim. 1:9). He even has promised us a reward after already doing so much for us. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:3-5).

If we are trying to please man, we would be given none of those assurances. By pleasing man, I am not serving God. I am a slave to the whim and will of mankind. They can promise me nothing that would be eternal. The ramifications are staggering. I am still in my sin. I have no eternal hope. My life is patterned after a shifting, fleeting form of morality. It leaves my life in a lurch. My family life is like some reality TV show. I would be powerless to do anything about it. Living to please others puts them in the driver’s seat of our lives. Who do you want in control of your life? God is the only one who has proven Himself to be capable of guiding us.

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Jonah Chapter 4

Jonah Chapter 4

Jonah Chapter 4 takes a look at the days after Jonah’s proclamation throughout Nineveh.  He rests outside the city waiting to see what will happen.  He is angry God has spared Nineveh.  The anger seems irrational if you have in your heart the salvation of all mankind.  Jonah did not want this outcome.

Jonah Chapter 4 focuses upon the compassion God has for mankind.  Assyria had been a wicked people.  Yet, all mankind has or will engage in actions which are evil in the eyes of God.  When we cross that line, do we not wish the compassion of God upon our very souls?

As Jonah sits outside the city, the Lord provides a shade plant for Jonah in an attempt to illustrate His compassion.  Sadly, Jonah seems unmoved in his frustration.  His feelings toward the Assyrian people cause him to wish his own life were extinguished.  Of course, it could have been when he was cast overboard from the ship to Tarshish.  Yet, God showed compassion.  How longsuffering our Lord is.  How good and kind and gracias He is.  Let us not be lost in the myopia of our minds and reject His kind provision.

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“He That Sweareth To His Own Hurt”

“He That Sweareth To His Own Hurt”

“LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? . . .  He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.”  (Psalm 15:1, 4)hurt psalms

In the year 2000 I lost my job at EDS and began searching for employment.  I picked up some part time work in the interim.  While I was committed to a project, I got a call from the Compaq Corporation.  I scheduled the interview and met with a manager.

The job they wanted me to do was a “dream job” in the computer industry.  I would be technical support for the outside sales department.  I would get a company car, have access to a large computer lab facility, be able to take clients out for lunches on a regular basis at the company’s expense, and all the perks.

At the end of the interview, the manager looked at me and said, “I would like to hire you.  When can you start?”

I replied, “I have a previous commitment with another company to do a temporary project and in two weeks after that project is done, I can start.”  He said that he appreciated my honesty and character; we parted company and he never called back.

We live in a society that by and large values compromise above principle, subjectivity over objectivity, and relatives over absolutes.  It would be an understatement to say that it is easy to get away with not keeping one’s promises in our society.

“Things happen.”

The weather changes.  We don’t feel good.  Other people don’t follow through.  There are any number of reasons that we could enumerate, and by and large most would accept our excuse.

In contrast to our society, God’s people, God’s society, are called to a higher standard.  It is a standard that transcends the bounds of society, time, and culture.  It is a standard based upon the eternal character of God.  It is a standard upon which God expects us to live (Romans 12:1-2).

Our God is a God who always keeps his promises (Hebrews 6:17-18, Titus 1:2).  If we desire to dwell in His holy hill, His tabernacle, His church today, we must practice His standard of righteousness.  When we are willing to suffer to keep our promises, God says that is when we are most like Him.

May we, as God’s people, resolve to keep our word and dwell in unity with our God.

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America, Hope, and the Valley of Achor

America, Hope, and the Valley of Achor

The parallel between the demise of the Jewish nation as they headed for captivity and the demise in our land is so striking. We know specifically that God had chosen the nation of Israel and brought them into a land flowing with milk and honey. The remarkable history of America and its elevation to being a world power in it such a short time is almost unheard of in world history. We are not God’s chosen nation, but we have been brought into our land of blessings.

Look carefully at how the Jews responded to their blessings. They lived in the abundance He gave to them, but almost immediately forgot about the One who gave them such blessings. Our land was born under the banner being one nation under God. Isn’t it remarkable how our nation is now doing all it can to be one nation out from under God!

As the northern kingdom of Israel was about to be destroyed God sent His messenger, Hosea, to make a final appeal. What was that message? Where could that nation who had left God find in hope of reconciliation? Hear the words of Hosea. “I will give her…the valley of Achor as a door of hope” (Hos. 2:17). The hope of Israel was to be found in a valley that was part of the birth of that nation (Josh. 7).

The young nation of Israel had just captured the city of Jericho as God collapsed the walls of that fortified city. He was with them! The joyful prospect of now conquering the rest of the land with God’s help was within the heart of every Jew. God had promised that land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and now He was giving it to them. The pagan nations seemed powerless before Him. To the Jews’ amazement, they came to the next city, Ai, and were soundly defeated. What had happened? The answer is found in the valley of Achor.

The nation was not aware that one man had taken some of the spoils of Jericho which had been sanctified as belonging to God and hid them in his tent. The small village of Ai had routed the mighty army of God. Why? Because of the sin of one man. How did God look at that sin? He made it an example for every Jew as they conquered the rest of the land.

What did they do to this man? More importantly, where were they when they dealt with the sin? They stoned that man, Achan, and his entire family. They burned all his possessions and raised a heap of stones as a “memorial” to the importance of dealing with sin. Where was the monument? It was in the valley of Achor (Josh. 7:25-26).

That valley was the only hope Israel had of surviving in Hosea’s day. Their failure to deal with sin was their demise. America has left God. Perhaps it is time we go the valley of Achor and find the only hope we have!

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