Category Archives: Faith

Faith

The faith of Mary

Mary looks on as her first born son is crucified.  The price that Mary paid for her obedience was high, but the eternal joy that she now experiences far surpasses any sacrifice that she made.  What a picture of faith – in the midst of suffering!  Chosen by God to give birth as a virgin, as the rumors swirled about, a Son that the world did not understand nor embrace, the loss of a husband who was a faithful man (or else who would have left her when she was pregnant as a virgin), and ultimately the horrifying death of her first born.  No prosperity gospel here.  ““Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:26–27 ESV)

Aside, Faith

Has Jesus Been Worth It?

Aside

“you care less for God and truth than for security and comfort. Your fear of losing them powers your unbelief. Jesus once said, ‘whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?’ So I need to ask you: is security and comfort worth that,”

–Has Jesus Been Worth It?

Faith, Gospel Centrality, Growth/Pursuit

Jesus trusts in God’s Sovereign Rule & Reign

Praying according to the will of God and reveals that they were were in eternal, loving community prior to the creation of the world – why would He create?  He did not need community – as if we provide Him with anything that He is lacking!  He created to display His glory:  “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24 ESV).

How did Jesus extend mercy and grace to Judas, whom he knew would betray Him?  It is only because He trusted in God’s sovereign control over all things.  As we submit and follow God’s plans, it is easier to extend grace because we see a bigger picture, the world is no longer just about us and our plans – it is about God and His plans.  And God is in control of those plans.  “Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him” (John 18:4 ESV)

Jesus accepts God’s plan for His life – do you?  ““Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”” (John 18:11 ESV)

Caiaphas is pawn in the hands of God.  “It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.” (John 18:14 ESV)

How does the Creator of all things allow His creation to hit him.  Wow!  Power under control, meekness is portrayed.  Only powered by love, mercy and grace.  The mission was ultimate, not his own life.  Jesus is the high priest (see Hebrews 4:14-15)!  “When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”” (John 18:22–23 ESV)

Faith, Gospel Centrality, Growth/Pursuit, Quotes/Lyrics

What Motivates Your Pursuit?

“All too often, religious people view their acts of piety or moral efforts as a means of gaining acceptance with God. Check yourself now. Even if you’ve been a Christian for a long time, don’t you sometimes feel like God is more pleased with you on days when you’ve been faithful in daily devotions than those rushed days when you neglected time in the Word and prayer? Do you tend to view your relationship with God as a long list of “do’s and don’ts”? Is your obedience to God motivated by love and characterized by joy—or guilt and fear? Is it easy for you to admit your failures and take ownership of your sins? Or does the possibility of being exposed feel threatening to your sense of well-being?

Like Luther, our relationship with God can easily become based on our own performance, rather than the performance of Christ. Even good spiritual disciplines, such as Bible-reading, prayer, and worship, become in our minds, like rungs on the ladder to heaven. We may not express it this way. In fact, we might even deny it. But functionally, and practically, we live as if approval from God depended upon our obedience, instead of Christ’s obedience for us.”

–Christ Formed in You by Brian Hedges

Christianity, Faith, Growth/Pursuit

An insatiable desire

The bible paints the portrait of the soul’s panting, thirsting, yearning, longing, desiring after God.  Regardless of whether life is going well or not, there is an overarching drive to know God more deeply and walk with Him more fully.  We see in the pages of scripture a lusty, greedy, insatiable desire to get more of God.  Why is it that we are so easily content to compartmentalize our faith, to do it on Sundays and live morally clean lives in mechanical obedience?  Paul seems to be greedy for more of God and says that asking whether something is right or wrong is the wrong question to ask.  Paul, instead asks, does this get me more of Jesus or does it rob me of knowing Him more deeply?
If the biblical standard is a pursuit of God to chase Him, love Him, follow Him and be conformed into His image at all cost because of the surpassing greatness of knowing and loving Him as our ultimate Treasure, then why don’t we?  Why is it so unusual to find the man or woman in the church that has an insatiable desire to know God?

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalms 42:1–2 ESV)

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalms 63:1 ESV)

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” (Habakkuk 3:17–19 ESV)

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:8–11 ESV)

“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?” (Romans 8:19–24 ESV)

Aside, Faith, Quotes/Lyrics

As unbelief gets the upper hand in our hearts, one of the effects is anxiety. The root cause of anxiety is a failure to trust all that God has promised to be for us in Jesus.

Aside

“Jesus says that the root of anxiety is inadequate faith in our Father’s future grace.  As unbelief gets the upper hand in our hearts, one of the effects is anxiety.  The root cause of anxiety is a failure to trust all that God has promised to be for us in Jesus.”  Battling Unbelief by John Piper (page 25, see Matthew 6:25-34)