Don’t Worry — Exercise Faith

I’m stressed with large tasks on my to-do list that I have no idea how to accomplish. Today, God speaks to my worries, not by solving them but by pointing to the root problem.

He reminds me that eternal life begins with faith, and that faith is not only the beginning but the characteristic of eternal living. I know that faith is the foundation of being a Christian because it affects where I go when I die, but it also affects what I do while I am here. This passage begins a description of those who lived by faith and shows me what that means for my life:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. 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. 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. 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. 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. (Hebrews 11:1–6)

This passage says that faith is just knowing. I cannot see God or eternity but faith is the conviction that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. Faith is also a gift. It is not conjured up without the Holy Spirit granting it. This faith knows that God is creator, no matter what people without faith decide. It also offers to God what God asks, not what human thinking supposes He wants. Faith knows that God can do whatever He wants to do. It also knows that death is not the end.

Abraham is an OT example of faith, but James gives one more example:

In the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead (James 2:25–26).

Rahab was a Gentile, a prostitute, a liar, and lived in the pagan city of Jericho. How could such a person illustrate true faith? Unlike the Jews, she didn’t know much about God, but what she knew, she believed, and what she believed, she acted on. She said to the Israeli spies:

“I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:9–11)

Faith and obedience are partners. If anyone believes God, Jew or Gentile, man or woman, an Abraham or a Rahab — if faith is there, so is obeying God. It begins a life of walking with Him. I believed and was adopted into His family. I believe and that faith is involved in all of life, where I go, what I do, how I speak and behave.

The Bible calls me to make sure I have a living faith, not only for salvation but in all of life. Am I believing God and relying on Him for wisdom in relationships? For words when called upon to speak? For ideas when I design a quilt? For help in writing job descriptions? For guidance in planning a family reunion? Or plan a brainstorming session? Or for being salt and light in the people I meet? Living faith and obedience go hand in hand, otherwise the ‘faith’ I claim is dead and useless.

PRAY: Jesus, I realize that dead faith is like offering pious words to the needy but refusing to meet their needs. It is like demons who believe the truth about God but are eternally lost. A living faith is vibrant, exciting, and often very scary. The devil whispers, ‘God does not want the best for you’ and other lies. The world believes him and shakes their fist at His sovereign rule. Living for You in this lifeless environment is a challenge yet Your grace assures me, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) Even as I write this verse, the stresses of this day begin to fade. You are an amazing God!

PONDER: Read Matthew 7:7; 17:20; 21:21-22 and Luke 18:26-27. Compare these words to what I worry about!

 

 

 

Being a Friend of God

 

Multiple choice question: Does my belief system change reality?

G   A psychologist and philosopher says that thoughts become perception, perception becomes reality, that our thoughts alter our reality. The world which we live in is nothing but a reflection of our own minds.

G   Evidence of unconscious causes for behavior proves that conscious thought has little or no impact on behavior.

G   Thoughts impact on how we act. If I am happy, angry, or creative, these affect what I do. However, just because I have a thought doesn't mean it's true.

G   Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:21–24)

The first choice means my world is only my imagination. The second makes me a victim of my subconscious mind and takes away the power of conscious choice. The third means my thoughts do affect what I do, but only if those thoughts are true. The last says that if a person believes God, then their life is changed because they do what God says even if it contradicts their own thinking. Trusting God and being His friend does not change reality or truth, but it does change what I do.

Abraham went where God told him to go and did what God told him to do. He was not perfect in his obedience, but his actions flowed out of his thoughts of God. He believed God speaks truth because He is reality and true. He also seeks friendship with us. If a friend is “someone who knows everything about you and loves you anyway, He fills that perfectly:

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. (Psalm 139:1–6)

When I read the Word of God, He speaks to me about human thinking and motivations. If I am downcast, He tells me why and what to do about it. If I am joyful, He speaks to that joy and is its source. Every day He gives me what I need for that day. He knows me and knows how to illuminate my thinking so I am blessed and drawn closer to Him and His power to save me from sin. This is a friendship that surpasses all definitions of human friendship because He died for me, lives for me, is with me all the time and accepts me because of who He is. Obedience is easy when I think this way:

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15:13–16)

He died for me; I live for Him. He makes the Father known to me; I pass on to others what He says. He picks me for His team so I can be like Him; I respond by giving my best efforts. He promises to answer my prayers; I pray in His name. The key to this friendship is living just as Jesus did — doing what His Father commanded. That’s the kind of friendship Abraham demonstrated when he obeyed God and prepared to offer Isaac as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:3–10).

Psychology and philosophies try to divorce belief from reality or make reality depend on belief. These ideas are contrary to trusting God. I trust God because He opens my eyes to reality, the reality of His nature, His goodness, His power to save from sin and to help me understand His ways and His will. That understanding is not my imagination; it is given through faith and verified by obedience.

PRAY: I thank You Jesus that You are my friend and call me Your friend. You picked me. You give me whatever I need so I can do whatever You ask. I do not need to live in selfish sinfulness nor be concerned about anything. You reveal what I need to know yet assure me that You are sovereign in that which I do not yet understand. I treasure our relationship, our friendship, and praise You for it.

PONDER: Look for the traits of friendship with Jesus in His people. Be thankful that their relationship with You (and my relationship with You) means we can be friends together in Your forever family.