Tag: faith

January 16, 2023 – Matthew 17 – We of Little Faith

In Matthew 17, Jesus fresh from being transfigured, his appearance changed, his face shone and clothes white as light, encounters a crowd gathered around his disciples. A man approached requesting that he heal his demon possessed son. In his request, he tells on the disciples that were not on the mountain top with Jesus. He says, “I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” Matthew17:16NIV

Jesus’ reply gives us an idea of why the disciples could not drive the demon out. He says, “You unbelieving and perverse generation…  …how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Matthew17:17NIV After he has driven the demon out and the crowd had gone, the disciples came to Jesus privately for more information. “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew17:20NIV

Once I attended a church that would give each member a mustard seed when they joined the church. That was a process. If you don’t know, mustard seeds are tiny. Trying to give someone one seed took a second or two. Also, if you put it in your pocket to keep it, it was almost irretrievable. It got lost in the pocket lint and took some serious searching to find.

If only mountain moving faith were as simple as having someone hand you a tiny mustard seed. I wish Matthew had given us more details. How do we develop such faith? Is there a program or a step by step process to developing this kind of faith?

I believe the fact that Jesus used something as small as a mustard seed and that it was, in fact, a seed gives us some ideas. We come to be saved by receiving the grace of God offered to us in Jesus Christ with the smallest of faith. If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans10:9NIV  “…Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans10:13NIV

If we take that seed and plant it and nurture it, it will grow. We nurture our faith by trusting God with our cares and concerns. We in faith offer those to God in prayer. As we see God respond and answer those prayers, our faith and trust in God grows. We nurture our faith by believing what Jesus has told us about this life we have been born into. Embracing the power and promise of new life in Christ, grows our faith. The more we nurture our faith by trusting God with our cares and concerns and the more we embrace the power and promises of new life in Jesus, the more our faith grows. If we don’t nurture our faith, it doesn’t grow.

Jesus said, “…The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Matthew13:31–32NIV We start with very small faith. However, if we plant that faith in our lives and nurture it, what started so small can grow to be as large as a tree.

We all have doubts and unbelief. When we doubt and our faith is small, nurture it even then by asking Jesus to help our unbelief.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for calling me to faith in you. Help me to take that small seed of faith and grow it by believing the power and promises you offer in my new life in you. Help me to nurture my faith by bringing to you every care and concern. Amen.

January 14, 2023 – Matthew 15 – Obstacles to Faith

Leviticus 15, Matthew 15, 1 Timothy 5

When I was being called to preach, I did not want to be a preacher. I looked for loopholes. I found many reasons to disqualify myself and I told God about those. They were, what seemed to me, insurmountable obstacles. Obviously, God thought I was making mountains out of molehills. He said, through scripture and prayer, something like what he said to Paul, my strength is made perfect in weakness. I answered the call and have never been more fulfilled than I am as a pastor. At the time, this was a real spiritual struggle for me. My reasons for not answering were real obstacles.

I believe some people have real obstacles to coming to faith too. For the rich young ruler it was his wealth. Jesus told him to sell everything he had and follow him. Jesus didn’t tell everyone he encountered to sell everything they had, give their money to the poor, and follow him. It was too great an obstacle for the rich young ruler. He went away sad.

In Matthew 15, Jesus meets a Canaanite woman who has a demon-possessed daughter. She comes to Jesus for healing. Jesus says some things to her that seem callous. “I was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel.” And when she persisted and came kneeling before him, he replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Matthew15:26NIV  I believe this was Jesus highlighting this woman’s obstacle to faith. Maybe she hated Israelites… maybe she felt like Canaanites were superior to Israelites. Scripture isn’t specific so we can only imagine. No one else in the gospels was called a dog when asking for help.

The Canaanite woman overcame her obstacle to faith.  She replied to the insinuation that she was a dog with, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” She affirmed Jesus as her master and was begging for even the crumbs. She passed the test! Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. Matthew15:28NIV  

It is not the Spirit of God that gives us obstacles to faith and doing the will of God. It is the Spirit of God that helps us to realize, with God all things are possible. What has the devil convinced you is an obstacle to faith or in doing the will of God?

Prayer:

Father, thank you that all things are possible in you! Thank you for making your strength perfect in our weaknesses. Help me to recognize the devils temptation to set up obstacles to faith in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

January 7, 2023 – Matthew 8 – The Storms of Life

Leviticus 8, Matthew 8, 2 Thessalonians 1

We live in a world where we are driven by fear. It must be the best psychological motivator because you can’t turn on the television, listen to the radio, or get online without being inundated by fear driven messaging. There is a high terror alert… there are life-threatening storms… we are in danger of dying from life-threatening diseases… we are on the verge of financial calamity… we are surrounded by violent criminals… and on and on.

Fear wears us down. It makes us apathetic. Living in fear sucks all the joy out of life for us. We lose our ability to make rational decisions. We develop health issues because of fear and the ensuing worry.

Fear is a natural reaction to danger. It is part of how God created us. It helps us stay alive. However, we were not made to live in continual fear. Fear is a tool of the devil. You see it all the way back in the garden of Eden. He used the fear of missing out on something to deceive Eve. He, and his minions use fear to manipulate and keep us down.

Understanding that we are in God, because there is no place in the universe that God is not, and God is in us through his indwelling Holy Spirit, can give us peace in the storms of life when waves of fear are washing over us. In Matthew 8, Jesus was asleep in a boat with the disciples when a “furious storm came up.” The waves were sweeping over the boat, yet Jesus slept on. He must have been exhausted.

When he was awakened his response seems harsh. He said, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” Matthew8:26NIV  Fear is a natural response to danger and threats. Jesus’ response in this situation is more about their lack of faith than their fear. Having seen all of the miracles Jesus did, the disciples still did not feel safe with him. To their credit, when it got so bad that the waves were sweeping over the boat, they woke Jesus up saying, “Lord, save us!”

In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone.”1 There is no place in the universe where God is not. God is in us through the presence of his indwelling Holy Spirit. Fear is a natural reaction to danger, but we were not made to live in it. When you realize you are living in fear, cry out, “Lord, save me! Help me to be at peace in You!”

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I am grateful that I can trust myself to your care, in this world, and in the world to come! Thank you for always being with me! Help me to catch myself when I am living in fear and call out to you. Lord help me to live in your peace that passes all understanding. Amen.

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[1] A Statement of Faith of the United Church of Canada, A New Creed (1968; rev. 1980, 1995).

January 6, 2023 – Matthew 7 – Ask, Seek, Knock

The lottery jackpot sometimes goes so high that it boggles the mind. The latest one to be mind boggling is a whopping $940 million dollars. There are lots of views about whether a Christian can or should play the lottery. This post is not about the ethics of playing the lottery, so I won’t weigh in there. One thing for sure, if you are interested in winning the lottery, you have to play. If you don’t play, you can’t win.

The same kind of thinking comes out in Jesus’ teaching on faith and prayer in Matthew 7. He says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew7:7-8NIV

God knows what we need. God knows what we want. He could give us what we want and need without us asking. However, he chooses to have us step out in faith and ask, seek, and knock for those things.

If he gave us everything we needed or wanted without us asking, we may chalk it up as coincidence. But when we step out in faith and ask, when God answers, we know it was Him. Then we give him the glory and we grow in our faith and love for Him because of it.

If you want something or need something. Step out in faith, asking, seeking, and knocking. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew7:11NIV

Prayer:

Father, thank you for the gift of prayer! Help me to not assume you will answer according to the desires of my heart. Help me to ask, seek, and knock to see your glory in answering. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

January 2, 2023 – 1 Thessalonians 1 – What Your Motivation?

Leviticus 3, Matthew 3, 1 Thessalonians 1

There are lots of reasons we do something for someone else. In the case of our employers, we do what we do for the reward of a paycheck. In school, we would do what we were told for the grade, or as in my case, out of fear of the consequences. We may do something for someone thinking it will be good for our reputation.

What is our motivation for what we do for God? Do we do what we are doing because we are trying to prove ourselves worthy? That is a gross misunderstanding of the Gospel. Jesus Christ alone and our faith in him makes us worthy. Do we do what we do for treasure in heaven? I don’t think there are literal piles of gold waiting for us as a reward for our good deeds. What waits for us in eternity with God and our loved ones is far more valuable than gold. Do we do what we do out of the fear of the eternal fires of hell?

In giving thanks for the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul remembers their kingdom work and the motivation for it. “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians1:3NIV

In giving thanks for their kingdom efforts of work, labor, and endurance he mentions their motivation… faith, love, and hope. The best motivators for what we do for the kingdom are faith, love, and hope. We may have began this journey motivated by other reasons, for instance you may have been moved out of a fear of hell to receive Jesus, but as we grow in the faith, our motivations for what we do become purer. The purest is faith, love, and hope.

As we become more and more like Jesus our Lord, our motivations continue to develop until ultimately we are motivated entirely by love, love for God and love for our neighbor. If that happens in this lifetime, we will have been perfected in love.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians13:13NIV

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for making me worthy through your life, death, and resurrection. As I seek to please you by joining you in the work of your kingdom, help me to grow in my motivations. Help me to operate out of faith, love, and hope, moving on to being perfected in love. Amen.

December 31, 2022 – Leviticus 1 – Identified With Christ

Leviticus 1, Matthew 1, Colossians 3

Some churches want to deemphasize the blood of Christ. They think people don’t understand it. They think too much talk of blood will be offensive and some people won’t come to their churches. That may be true, but the solution is not to deemphasize the atoning blood of Christ. Rather, it is to help people understand why it is so important.

There has been some speculation about the origins of blood atonement. Some have suggested it goes all the way back to the garden of Eden and the original sin. In Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve realized they were naked after their sin, they tried to cover themselves with leaves. God made garments of skin for Adam and Eve to cover themselves. In order for there to be garments of skin, another animal had to die. Perhaps this was where the concept of atonement began. They did begin to die slowly, but the Lord did not immediately destroy them for their sin. Some have suggested that the animal that was killed to make their garments of skin was a lamb.

In Leviticus 1, Moses is being instructed about the system of atonement that the Lord set up for the people to be clean in his presence. “If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect.” Leviticus1:3NIV  A male without defect from your herd… these qualifiers point to the future when God’s own perfect Son would make atonement for all humanity.

“You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you.” Leviticus1:4NIV  Laying their hand on the animal’s head was a way of identifying themselves with the animal that was dying for their sin. We identify ourselves with Christ, who shed his blood for our sin. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians2:20NIV

One other thing took place when making atonement for sin in the Old Testament. The person being atoned for, slaughtered the animal. “You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord…” Leviticus1:5NIV  In our identification with Christ, although the Roman soldiers literally nailed Jesus to the Cross, we recognize that through our sinfulness, we nailed him to the cross.

The atoning blood of Christ is important. We need to learn to recognize it’s importance. Rather than shunning it, we need to identify with Christ through it, and rejoice that it covered our sin, once for all!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for your perfect life! Thank you for taking my place on the cross. Help me to live everyday for you as I identify myself with you through your atoning death and resurrection! Amen.