Have Faith in God

“And He could there do mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.” (Mark 6:5-6)

Jesus marveled over the unbelief of the folks in Nazareth, His home town. But he marveled over the great faith the centurion in Capernaum had. (Matthew 8:10)

If Jesus were telling some folks about the depth of your faith, would He marvel over the greatness of it or would He marvel over the meagerness of it? Great faith pleases God. Hebrews 11:6 says that “without faith it is impossible to pleas God.” God honors faith, and faith honors God.

The chorus of the song, “Have Faith in God” says, “Have faith in God, He’s on His throne; Have faith in God, He watches o’er His own; He cannot fail, He must prevail; Have faith in God, have faith in God.”

Feed Your Faith and Starve Your Doubts

“So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”(Romans 10:17)

One of the requests of the Lord’s twelve apostles was, “Increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5) Then Jesus told them of the value of faith as a grain of mustard seed.  Several years ago my pastor asked in a sermon, “How much faith do you need?” Then he said, “If you have a thimble full of faith it takes that. If you have a five gallon bucket full of faith it takes all of it. If you have a truck load or a boxcar load of faith it takes all you have to become a Christian and then to live the Christian life.”

If you want or need more faith, read the Bible. As you read God’s Word and then put it into practice your faith grows. Some people doubt their own salvation. Others doubt God’s power to provide their needs. I suggest that if you will feed your faith your doubts will starve to death. Feed your faith. Read God’s Word.

Words of Comfort

“Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (I Thessalonians 4:18)

One of the memories of my childhood was the night the evangelist in our revival preached on the second coming of Jesus. I recall children and some adults going out into the church yard after the service to see if the stars had begun to fall. Frankly, the man’s sermon had put the fear of God in many folks that night. There are those who have a right to be afraid at the thought of the Lord’s return.

But, there is a side to the subject of the second coming of Jesus that brings comfort to troubled souls. Beginning in verse thirteen of this fourth chapter of First Thessalonians, the words are meant to bring comfort to those saved people whose saved loved ones have died. What a comfort to know that when the Lord Jesus returns all the saved ones whose bodies are out in a cemetery will be raised from their graves in the resurrection. Immediately afterward all the saved people who are still alive will be “changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye…” ( I Corinthians 15:51-52) and will be "caught up" to meet the Lord.  

If you are saved the second coming of Christ will be a comfort to you. If you are a lost person, certainly there is no comfort, but only fear and dread as you think of the coming again of Christ. That’s why Jesus said, “Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as you think not the Son of Man cometh.” (Matthew 24:44)

That Settles It

“And God said…” (Genesis 1:3)

The above is a phrase that is found ten times in the first chapter in the Bible.  That, or a similar phrase, is found numerous additional times in all sixty-six books of the Bible.  It is found in relation to moral issues, doctrinal issues, questions of salvation and eternal life and questions on the second coming of Christ and the hereafter.

Someone said, “God said it, I believe it and that settles it.” That is only partially correct. The accurate statement is, “God said it and that settles it.” One does not change the Bible by unbelief or popular opinions. The psalmist said, “Forever, Oh Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Psalm 119:89) The councils of men cannot change it. If God said it, that settles it.

The Cross Was No Accident

“…He hath poured out His soul unto death.” (Isaiah 53:12)

When the word “spill” or” spilled” is used it usually indicates some sort of accident. We hear the word used in our speech. “It’s too late to cry over spilled milk.” Or a secret was accidentally disclosed. “He spilled the beans.” We spill water. A semi overturned on the highway and spilled hundreds of bushels of corn.

Our text from the “suffering servant” chapter tells us that Christ “…poured out His soul…” It was no accident that Jesus gave His life for us. His life, His blood were not “spilled.” They were “poured out.”

He poured out His blood as a libation, an offering to God for the souls of men that we would be redeemed and rescued from eternal hell. Someone asked, “Does Jesus love me?” Look at the cross to find the answer.

Walk By Faith

“For we walk by faith, not by sight…” (II Corinthians 5:7)

Fifty-three years ago today a group of ordained pastors and deacons from several churches formed a council at South Campbellsville Baptist Church in Campbellsville, Kentucky. The purpose of their meeting in front of a church house full of Christians was to examine the beliefs, doctrines, morals and qualifications of a twenty-three year old young man who felt the call of God on his life for the gospel ministry.

I was that young man ordained to the gospel ministry that day. I have never felt the call of God on my life more strongly than I do today. It has been a walk of faith and it continues to be, perhaps more so now than it was fifty-three years ago. I still believe today that the call of God is on my life.

My wife, as Abraham’s wife, Sarah, has had strong faith to stand by her man and go into the unknown, assured only by God’s Word, “Lo, I am with you always…” (Matthew 28:20)  She continues to be a very wonderful team-mate.

I share this with you today that you may know the faithfulness of God when you turn loose of the world and step out on His promises. I highly recommend my Lord to you. Walk by faith.

What a Difference The Lord Jesus Christ Makes

“Caiaphas the high priest…prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.” (John 11:49-52)

Twenty-two days ago we began our devotion in John chapter eleven with the announced sickness and subsequent death of a man named Lazarus, the brother of two sisters named Martha and Mary. We saw their grief, their sending for Jesus, their frustration in the delayed arrival of Jesus and their feeling of helplessness.

We saw the Jews who came to comfort, weep and mourn with the sisters, unable to do anything except to “weep with those that weep.” Then, there were the unnamed people who could not raise the dead but could take away the stone. The truth is, only Jesus could do what needed to be done.  They needed a miracle. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, something all the rest together could not do.

Jesus made the difference then and continues to make the difference today.  He makes the difference in lives that are out of tune and headed for destruction.  He can make the difference in homes that are on the brink of break-up and divorce. He can make a difference in America, a country which is on moral skids headed for tragedy. Let us yield our lives to Him to make the needed difference.