Believe It Or Not, Part Two

Whenever someone says, “I’m a person of faith,” what do they mean? Faith and works create balance in our spiritual life, but have you heard this expression?  Don’t get the cart before the horse.

Let’s label the cart “works” and the horse “faith.” Good works can never save us. Ephesians 2:8-10 clearly teaches we are saved by faith, not by works. Good works are to follow faith and bring glory to God.  So, for Godly progress to be made, the horse (faith) has to come first, then the cart (works).

Our goal should be he same as Paul’s. Knowing his death was near, he wrote: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Faith is the source of many blessings in our present life. Let’s look at a few examples:

• Salvation (John 3:16-19)
• Healing (Mark 10:46-52)
• Wisdom (James 1:5-8)
• Spiritual Armor (Ephesians 6:10-17)
• Eternal Reward (Revelation 20:11-15)

Paul often prayed for believers. He asked God to: (1) help them live worthy of God’s calling, (2) give them power to do the good things their faith prompted them to do, and (3) that God would be honored by the way they lived (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12). 

These things are still important.

As a believer, how committed are you? Do you follow these scriptural guidelines? Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

What About These Three Important Words?

1. Effort: That requires an output of energy; no sitting around wishing we knew the Scriptures better
2. Workman: Workers are not rewarded for non-effort; unashamed workmen report to work regularly
3. Handles: That means a personal reading of your Bible every day; Asking the Holy Spirit to help you understand its truth

Maybe you’ve heard this song: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus . . . No Turning Back. Jesus said, “The one who perseveres to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).

Believe it (endure and persevere), or not!

Pixabay: Search, Find, News; mohamed_hassen.  

Believe It Or Not, Part 1

Did you ever hear of Ripley’s Believe It or Not? In my early years, it was a newspaper panel that shared natural oddities and artifacts, some so strange that people questioned their validity.

His simple newspaper item became so popular that he expanded it into many genres. We have many ways to check the validity of his outrageous claims today; however, his original challenge still rings true: Believe It or Not.

The same challenge appears in Scripture: Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30-31).

Our lives are propelled by what we believe, or don’t believe. Belief in God’s Word causes us to: (1) be strong in the Lord, (2) persevere, and (3) put our faith into action. Why do I say that? I’ll give you three examples:

1. JOB: His friends misunderstood and wrongly judged the reason for his suffering, though Job consistently declared he had not sinned, and God confirmed it. (Job 34:5-6, 42:7-8)
2. DAVID: God had the prophet Samuel anoint David to be king, but he spent years running for his life before Samuel’s prophecy came true. (1 Samuel 16, 19-31).
3. THE WOMAN WITH A HEALTH PROBLEM: She had spent all her money, pursuing medical care without success. She saw the crowds following Jesus and thought, If I could just touch His robe, I’ll be healed. She did, and Jesus publicly affirmed, “Your faith has healed you.” (Mark 5:24-34).

What is faith? Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1) The whole chapter tells of marvelous things accomplished by men and women of faith.

Years ago, my husband bought a wooden plaque that says: FAITH DOES NOT MAKE THINGS EASY, IT MAKES THEM POSSIBLE. I think the people listed in Hebrews 11 would agree.

Just like our two feet give us physical balance, faith and works give us spiritual balance. (James 2:14-26)

Believe it or not!   

(Next Week:  Believe It or Not, Part 2)

Pixabay: Search, Find, News; mohamed_hassen.

The Pin That Opened Doors

For years, I had that pin tucked away in my jewelry collection. I must have lost it in one of my moves, but my memories remain intact.

In my younger years, our denomination had the Gold Crown challenge. The goal was to miss no more than two Sundays in a year. Imagine that!

At the end of the first year, you earned a small round white pin. The second year, it was a gold wreath to put around it. Each year after that, you received a tiny bar to attach below.

Vacations presented a challenge, but my family values included Sunday worship Arriving in town on a Saturday night, my parents would check a phone book or newspaper for information. If that didn’t work, we would drive the area looking for a nearby church.

We visited many different denominations. As they sang hymns, prayed, received tithes and offerings, and listened to sermons, I felt at home.

The Gold Crown years were far behind when I married; however, my husband and I chose to keep the vacation tradition. We enjoyed worshiping in national parks, RV parks, home groups, country churches, and city cathedrals.

The Gold Crown challenge would not work today. There’s a laissez-faire attitude toward church attendance in general. COVID didn’t help with its isolation requirements. Watching church online, a blessing at the time, was not meant to be a permanent solution for people healthy enough to get out again.

Scripture says, “Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day (of Christ’s return) approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

It’s too easy to sleep in, lounge about, and watch online. I often remind myself to get a move on. For example: (1) It’s a blessing to be able to meet freely, (2) I have brothers and sisters around the world forced to meet in secret, and (3) I remember how I longed to attend church when I was a caregiver, but couldn’t do so.

That little pin is still opening doors . . . to the church I currently call home.

What is your spiritual goal on the Lord’s Day?

Pixabay: Calendar, Months, Wood Image; Alexas_Fotos.

  

Do You Own This Best Seller?

Google “What is the best seller of all time?" and here's what you'll get: The Christian Bible is recognized by Guinness World Records as the best-selling book of all time, with an estimated 5 to 7 billion copies sold and distributed (Ai).

If you own this best-seller, what are you doing with it? I don’t mean the Bible on your phone. I mean a hard copy, one you can touch, turn pages, find references, and mark verses that speak to you.

Did you know the Bible can help you live a balanced life? You can’t get everything you need only on Sunday, or even in a Bible study. God’s word is to be used for instruction, conviction, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). It will help you be fully equipped to do good works. The world would be a better place if people took this seriously.

Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). It’s a way of saying, “Earthly food is needed daily, and so is the Scripture.” We take time to eat, don’t we? We also need to take time to read our Bibles.

To read God’s Word is a choice. Solomon said there is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and we tend to find time for things we really want to do.

If you can’t easily find a certain book in the Bible, check the Table of Contents for the page number. But a good way to get started is to choose a Book of the Bible and read a chapter a day.

Genesis is very interesting, but so is Matthew. John is one of my favorites, but so is the Book of Psalms. Remember: All God’s Word is truth, and His righteous judgments endure forever (Psalm 119:160, 151).

Do you own the best seller of all time? Great! Do you read it?

If not, I challenge you to pick it up, choose a book, and get started. It's well worth your time!

Pixabay: Bible, Scripture, Reading; pedro_wroclaw.

What Is Worship?

First of all, worship is a choice. People are inclined to worship something, even if it’s themselves---“my will,” not “Thy will.”  

Worship, in general, means to honor, exalt, admire, or love something intentionally. In religion, worship includes: (1) praying or offering thanks to, (2) adoration or bowing down to, and (3) singing or giving praise to.

Around the world, people worship in different ways. Some worship idols while others pay homage to their ancestors. Some worship people of power, fame, or great wealth. Others worship by obedience to religious traditions, but worship can be done individually or in group settings.

The Old Testament taught worship of a living God. Idol worship was forbidden (Exodus 20:3-4). Forgiveness for sin required a blood sacrifice of animals. There was also a Sabbath day of worship, and a variety of offerings, festivals, and feast days.

In the New Testament, people were still to worship the living God, not idols. After Jesus’ resurrection, Christians worshiped on the first day of the week. You can read for yourself how they sang hymns, shared the Lord’s Supper (Communion), taught Scripture, received offerings, and were baptized in water.

Jesus was God’s perfect blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, and John the Baptist announced it publicly (John 1:29). No more need for animal sacrifices (John 3:16-18).

Believers worship God in several ways. Psalm 100:4 says we are to enter God’s gates with thanksgiving, then go further into His courts with praise. Psalm 103 shares many reasons to praise the Lord.

As for offerings, Jesus appreciated the widow giving what she could from her limited resources (Luke 21:1-4). Some people believe in tithes and offerings. I’m one of them (Malachi 3:8-11). He meets all my needs, and I’ve learned you can’t outgive the Lord.

Here are three important questions:

• What is worship?  (I Chronicles 16:25-30; John 14:6)
• Who or what do you worship? (Joshua 24:14-15; Isaiah 46:5-7)
• How do you worship?  (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Romans 12)

 Don’t worry about impressing people; God is the only One who matters (1 Samuel 16:7).

  Pixabay: Bible, prayer, faith; eyetoeyedesignwhitby.

Words More Precious Than Gold

Do you think words can really be this precious? I think if you spend much time in the longest chapter of the Bible, you could be convinced (Psalm 119:127).

I’ve read Psalm 119 many times and memorized a few verses, but I’ve never done a word study. This week, I chose to look through all 176 verses to find those that mentioned God’s “word.” It was easy since Psalm 119 is laid out in 22 sections.

My concordance described “word” this way: (1) a combination of letters communicating an understood meaning, and (2) a special revelation from God.  

Before I share some inspirational thoughts from Psalm 119, I want to share four things God Himself says about His word:

1. Heaven and earth will pass away, but His word never will (Matthew 24:35).
2. God's word has a purpose, and He will never let it return to Him empty (Isaiah 55:11).
3. No Scripture came by the will of man, but the Holy Spirit moved upon men as they wrote (2 Peter 1:20-21).
4. All Scripture is God-breathed for instruction, conviction, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

Keep those things in mind as you read your Bible each day.

One of my favorite scriptures has always been Psalm 119:11: I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

What could be better? Do you want to please Almighty God? He tells you how; no guesswork needed.

I discovered eighteen scriptures about God’s word in Psalm 119, but I’ll share six just now:

1.   With His word, God acts in goodness towards us (v. 65)

2.   His word strengthens us (v. 28)

3.   God answers prayer; His word gives us hope (v. 147)

4.   His word is eternal, faithful to ALL generations (v. 89-90)

5.   We gain understanding from His word (v. 169)

6.   His word can be sung (v. 172) (see also Ephesians 5:19)

Start seeking your own choice verses this week.

Remember, you have something more precious than gold at your fingertips.

Pixabay: Gold is money. Gold bar shop. Gold image. hamiltonleen.

An Important Message

Have you ever spent two days studying one Psalm? No? It’s rare for me, too, but Psalm 106 drew me in this week. It’s one more repeat of an important message: Give thanks to God for He is good (v. 1).

This is one of the longer Psalms, and I noted three messages: (1) Sins, (2) prayers of repentance, and (3) a God who hears and answers.

Stories of people before us are one way we learn. The people admitted, “We have sinned like our fathers, done wrong and acted wickedly” (v. 6).

What kinds of wrong things did they do? For one thing, they failed to remember God’s wondrous works during the Exodus. Also, they ignored the Ten Commandments, choosing to worship idols and follow pagan customs (v. 7, 9, 19, 34-35, Exodus 20:1-6).

It's also noted that they shed the innocent blood of their children in sacrifice to idols (v. 37-38). Can we condemn them for that? It seems perhaps we sacrifice innocent children in the womb. To what? Our self-will? The god of sex? Let’s not be like the Pharisees, casting others’ sins before the Lord and ignoring our own (John 8:1-11).

Also noted is rebellion against the Spirit of God, grumbling, and choosing not to believe His promises (v. 24-25, 33, 43).

They did not get a free pass, and neither do we. Sin is a choice, and always has consequences (Hosea 10:12-13). But there is hope!

Repentance is also a choice, and prayers get God’s attention. In fact, God noted two intercessors, people who prayed to God on behalf of others. One was Moses, the other Phinehas (v. 23, 30-31). Are you praying to God on behalf of anyone? Don’t give up!

Rebellion and sin caused God’s anger, but He heard their prayers of distress and requests for deliverance (v. 40-48).

Don’t skip this important message: Give thanks to God for His goodness! Do you ever recall how He has helped you? Your family? Your church? Your country?

Our God is worthy of thanks: His love endures, He hears our cries for help, and provides with compassionate care (v. 1, 12, 44, 46).

Amen!

Pixabay: Important, Polaroid, Imprint; geralt.