November 29 – Hungry? Thirsty? Needs Met

 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”  John 6:35 (NASB)

 It was a practice of Jesus when He was on earth teaching the people about Himself to use common everyday experiences and ideas to underscore who He truly was.  Hunger and thirst are familiar to every person and who does not wish to never be hunger or thirsty again?  In these words, Jesus is not speaking about our physical hunger and thirst.  He is speaking about how He satisfies our spiritual needs.  He was answering people who had been so  impressed at the way He had fed thousands of people the day before.  Like them, He wants them to recognize that we have spiritual needs and that He is able to meet such needs for us.  This is our promise.  We need to constantly turn to our Lord Jesus for the needs of our hearts and souls.  It is not enough just to believe in Jesus as our Savior.  We need to always be looking to Him to satisfy our spiritual longings.  Jesus says if we constantly trust Him we will never be unsatisfied.

 

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November 21 – Abiding Love

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” 1 John 4:16 (NASB)

‘Abide’ is an interesting word in our verse today. It can be translated as ‘remain, wait, or continue.’ One of the many great truths revealed to us in the Bible is God's love for us who abide. These words in our verse today are John the Apostle’s. John knew God's love and he had experienced it intimately as he walked and talked with Jesus. He had seen Jesus heal sick, raise the dead and he had seen Jesus weep. He also watched Jesus die as he was nailed to the executioners cross. He saw the resurrected Jesus and he saw Jesus rise up into heaven. John knew God's love and he relied on it. We today also know God's love because we have believed that Jesus died for us, rose again to new life and accepted him as our Savior and Lord. We experience His love in our lives and we depend on Him each day because we know how He loves us with a perfect love. We live in the love of God and God lives in us. A wonderful and encouraging promise we can depend upon to be true. As we ABIDE let’s be thankful and rejoice!

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July 13 –Believing is Seeing.

“As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” ” – Matthew 9:27 (NASB)

“And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” – Matthew 20:30 (NASB)

Trying to count the number of people who were healed of their blindness by Jesus personally when He was on this earth will only be a guess. Today have two accounts of two blind men each in Matthew’s Gospel who were healed of blindness. These two accounts and a few others recorded include eight miracles of Jesus healing a blind person but certainly there were many, very many more.  In these accounts four blind men were healed. For the first two, Jesus was in the region of Galilee. It is early in Christ’s ministry and He is very involved in healing all kinds of illnesses. The other two blind men were sitting on the road outside of Jericho. One of them desperately cried out to Jesus as he passed by. This was close to the end of Jesus’ ministry as He is approaching the completion of His mission. Sometimes we say, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Or, “Seeing is believing.”  When Jesus encountered these people who were blind, he asked, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” With affirmative responses we see a sign of “Believing is Seeing,”  Seeing Jesus as the Messiah. 

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May 10 – Eyes Opened By Faith

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9 (ESV)

 

As an Apostle, Peter, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus helped spread the news of the early Christian Church. Peter walked with Jesus and heard him teach. He many times ate meals with Jesus and talked with him face to face. Peter wrote these words in his first letter because he wanted those who would be reading it but had never seen Jesus. We have never seen Jesus as Peter did but we love him and we believe in him. The promises are many as we focus on verse 9. “Obtaining” could be translated “presently receiving for yourselves.” Christians now possess the result of their faith, a constant deliverance from the power of sin. In another sense, we are waiting to receive the full salvation of eternal glory in the redemption of our bodies We can experience this inexpressible and glorious joy because we have believed in Christ – even though we have never seen him.  Our faith has opened the eyes of our hearts and minds to believe in Him as our Savior and Lord.  It’s hard to express sometimes but in our hearts we know He is true. What a joy it is to have that assurance.

 

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August 02 – The Seekers’ Rewarder

 
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” – Hebrews 11:4 (NASB)

Let’s look at the Hall of Faith chapter found in Letter to Hebrews, 11. Every person (except Cain) who is mentioned in this chapter have a testimony as faith believers. Faith is essential for salvation. Faith is vital and indispensable. If we desire to know God. Even to be able to approach God in prayer, we must have the faith which Enoch had. He was the first person who was “taken up” to be with God was Enoch. By faith Enoch walked with God and pleased God. Without such faith it is not possible for anyone to “walk with God” or “please Him.” Our promise is that knowing God is for those who by faith believe that He is; the emphasis here is on “He,” the only true God. Genuine, a gift from God, does not simply believe that a divine being exists, but that the God of Scripture is the only real and true God who exists. Many people believe in the existence of a Supreme Being and some call Him “the man upstairs” without ever by faith believe that He is the one and only God. Our promise is that He is a rewarder of God seekers.

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July 14 – Belief by Faith

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” – John 1:12 (ESV)

“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” – James 2:19 (ESV)

We use the words “faith believers” to identify any who truly believe in God by grace through faith. We do so to help others understand that “to believe” in Jesus Christ is more than believing He lived on this earth. Also, believing in God’s existence makes us no different than demons who believe God exists. Many believe in a god that is not the One God and some believe who are still under the influence of Satan and reject His offer of salvation and forgiveness. Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches that our saving belief comes by grace through faith and both are a gift of God. Faith believers have been given the grace and faith to believe in God and to receive wholeheartedly His promise of salvation through the work of Jesus Christ – they are forgiven and possess eternal life. Not by our effort to be good enough are we accepted by God – our faith by grace is not of works. If we have believed in faith, the truth of salvation which has saved us from the penalty of our sin. By that gift of grace through faith we become a child of Almighty God – we are faith believers. 

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June 22 –Knowing For Sure

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13 (NASB)

The Apostle John tells us very plainly why he wrote this letter to all believers near the end of the first century (A.D. 90-94). His message extends to all of us through all the years since he wrote the letters. John wrote this letter to give us the assurance that by believing in the name of the Son of God, our salvation is sure. We have eternal life⸺which means more than just a period of time⸺it means a person (1 John 5:20). . Eternal life is a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ it means possessing His nature which He has given to us. This is a certainty of our Christian life. We can trust with confidence what God has promised to us through this letter by John. What a great promise God has given to us so that we can live according to His will and know that we belong to Him. More than just belong but belong as having Jesus within our lives. Although we do experience doubt cast our way by the enemy of God we have this assurance to overcome those doubts. 

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May 20 – The Confession That is Real

“…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” – Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)

God saves us because He chose to do so. Our salvation happens when we believe that truth and confess with repentance to God. Our verse of promise says, “Confession is made unto salvation.” We are not saved by our mouth’s confession, but rather, our mouth testifies readily of the grace of God in Christ which we received by a gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8).  This is not a simple acknowledgment that He is God and the Lord of the universe, since even demons acknowledge that to be true (James 2:19). This is the deep personal conviction, without reservation, that Jesus is our own master or sovereign.  Paul emphasizes the importance that this comes from our heart. The heart is not merely the seat of affection or emotion. As used in the Bible, our heart is the hub of the wheel of human existence and life – intellectual, emotional, and volitional. First of all there must be faith in our heart. Without such faith a confession with the mouth would be mockery. But even if there is faith in our heart, confession with our mouth is altogether natural when our faith is genuine.

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May 13 – Eyes Opened Through Faith

"Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9 (NASB)

Peter, the disciple of Jesus, became one of the foremost apostles who helped spread the news of the early Christian Church. He also was used by the Holy Spirit to write some of the books in the New Testament. Peter walked with Jesus and heard him teach and watched him do miracles and heal all who came to Him with physical or spiritual need. Many times Peter ate meals with Jesus and talked with him face to face while breaking bread together. Peter wrote these words in his first letter to believers in the new Church. In the same way we have never seen Jesus as Peter did but we love Him and we believe in Him. These words are also given to us and can be applied to us personally. We can experience the “inexpressible joy and be filled with glory” because we have believed in Jesus the Christ – even though we have never seen Him.  Our faith has opened the eyes of our hearts and minds to believe in Him as our Savior and Lord.  It is hard to express sometimes but in our hearts we know He is true. It’s a joy to have that assurance.

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February 10 – “When Needing Wisdom”

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” – James 1:5-8 (NIV)

Because context is important, our promises are sometimes in more than one or two verses – that is the case today. The promise today is boundless. “If any … should ask … gives generously … without fault … will be given.” But the promise has a requirement and a caution – “must believe and not doubt.”  When a friend asks for prayer, how do you respond? Do you say you will pray but actually, rarely remember to pray? Do you send folded hands emoticons suggesting that you are indeed praying?  When you are sincerely praying is it more than a feel-good acknowledgement.  We might ask God for wisdom to help us choose our right path. When we need wisdom we ask God; He promises to give richly without humiliating us⸺that’s important. God promises we will receive wisdom when we ask in faith believing.  Those who ask with doubt are double-minded people. No wishy-washing doubting allowed. Faith in God that He will hear our request for wisdom and provide what we need is essential. If you do not believe God can or will answer and if conviction is not truly in your heart, then like a rudderless boat being tossed by the wind and waves. 

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November 3 – No Reason for Early Departure

“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” John 17:15  (ESV)

The context of these words is the prayer Jesus offered on behalf of His disciples but not only for them, for us as well. His requests were for all “who will believe in me through their word,” (John 17:20). We do not find in Scripture encouragement to ask God to let us die. Christians may say and look forward to getting out of this world, but isn't it when we are in the middle of struggling with trouble or trials. We might even claim that it is “Because we would be with the Lord.” But mostly we want to be with the Lord, to avoid the difficulties and temptations in our daily lives. There is likely no true yearning to be with the Lord, it is because we desire to escape trouble. We want to get home, not so much for the Savior’s company, as to get out of the little hard work. Jesus’ prayer here is for God to NOT take us out of the world because of trouble but promise to protect us and keep us from the enemy of our soul while we continue the work of proclaiming the glory of God.

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October 27 – Believing Him and In Him

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NASB).

It might seem a bit absurd but can you recall a time you looked for something with grave doubt you would ever find it? But your desire and need pressed you on and when you found it, relief flooded over you? You actually did believe you could find it – that’s why the search pressed on for so long. So it happens with people who say they are seeking God. They pretend to know God but actually do not have the faith in God that brings them to really know God. A lifetime of pretending or thinking you are a child of God without ever possessing faith to believe that He is exactly who He says He is in the Bible, results in eternal disaster. Those who want to truly know God and who truly seek Him are those who through faith believing find God. Why seek for something that one does not believe will reward them with fulfillment when found? God will reward all of us, each one who seeks God in true faith and actually believe that what He has promised, He will do for those who believe Him and in Him.  

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May 11 – Graciously Granted

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.”  - Philippians 1:29-30 (ESV)

Desiring or being thankful for the suffering we experience is not a natural reaction for us.  Suffering is something that is not enjoyable. But here is the promise we have in the verses today; the Apostle Paul tells us that we have been given (promised) suffering in our lives. We are granted, for the sake of Christ, to believe in God. He also graciously gives his people suffering and faith so that we might enjoy magnifying Christ to the adversaries of our faith through a trust that is fearless and humility to love each other. That is the point of this promise. Perhaps we have a greater opportunity to understand this these days.  When most things in our lives are going well without significant difficulty, we may not have a cause to reflect that our Lord Jesus suffered for us.  Suffering the fear and anxiety which we have and see in others, is a reminder that God is here for us. We have comfort and guidance from the Holy Spirit.  Today let us stand firm in our faith and trust God to fulfill all the promises He has given to us in Christ Jesus.  

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March 24 - Be Bold and Be Strong

“For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.  On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.”  - Psalm 138:2-36  (NASB)

Who can give us strength to be bold in the face of adversity?  Who is there for us each day when we call on Him?  It is our LORD God whose very Name magnifies His word of truth.  We honestly can trust God today and even in the middle of this swirl of panic  from the circumstances in this world. From every direction we are being bombarded with news and information designed to undermine our peace and security.  Government leaders are trying to find the right answer.  But the promises God has given to us, many which we have looked at in this Blog are promises that strengthen our faith in the One God who actually has control of the situation in this world. No, we have not been left alone with no resources to trust God for his help.  If today we call on God, He will answer and he will make us bold and strong in our soul.  Why?  So that we can help others who do not know God as their Lord and Savior.  It is only those who have truly believed in God that are promised answers from God to their prayers.  

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February 25 – Stop Being Troubled

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”  - John 14:1 (NIV)

For some of our readers, this may be a very familiar verse, one often memorized.  It is a verse that has a promise for us.  Perhaps in the next verse we can find a more explicit promise but for today, let’s consider this.  Jesus is spending the last hours He will have with his disciples before He is taken from them.  It is Thursday and soon He will be arrested.  On Friday, after a long night of trials He will be crucified, die and be buried. On Sunday he will rise from the dead to new life. He was facing some terrible things before the first Resurrection Sunday.  But Jesus is more consumed with the trouble his disciples will be facing.  When Jesus is taken from them, they will be lost.  Everything they mistakenly expected will be crushed.  Jesus says very emphatically, “Stop being troubled (by what I’ve told you). You do believe in God so you should now also believe in Me.”  Jesus, by his actions demonstrates that he has immense lovingkindness and care for us.  He does not want us to be troubled but to believe what He has promised. 

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September 15 – Impossible Without Trust

“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 11:6 (ESV)

God has given many promises for the situations in our lives.  He has especially made promises about answering our prayers if we pray in faith. But do we really live as if we believe those promises?  What is faith really?  Our verse today tells us clearly what faith is.  Notice the three truths or facts that we have to believe when we come to God?  First we have to understand and accept that there is no way to please or approach God without faith.  A doubtful approach will not be successful.  We might doubt sometimes but we then trust and with faith in God the doubting is canceled.  Second, we must believe that He exists.  He is not “the man upstairs.”  He is God, and actually right here with us listen to our prayers.  He hears us.  Third, we must believe that He rewards those who approach Him in earnest.  So when we turn to God for help, let’s remember who He is, that He is there and is listening to our request.  Then remember that He promises to reward us with a response. He does reward the faithful, earnest seeker.

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September 4 – Trust and See

“Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  John 11:40  (NIV)

The context of this promise by Jesus is important.  Jesus' friend Lazarus was sick unto death and his sisters sent word to Jesus asking him to come to them.  Jesus, when He heard the news replied that Lazarus's illness would not end in his death but in the glory of God.  But Lazarus did die and when Jesus arrived, the burial had been done.  All there had given up hope that Jesus could do anything about it.  The words of our verse were spoken in front of the tomb where Lazarus was buried. Jesus calls Lazarus back to life and out of the grave.  It is through our believing in Him that we see His glory revealed in our lives.  God is ready to show us how great and loving He is as we trust Him to meet our needs.  Whatever our circumstances, whether our needs are material or spiritual, He knows when we are trusting His promises.  He might even say to us, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the Glory of God?” just when we face overwhelming situations.  God has promised that if we believe we will see the glory of God work in our lives.   

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August 3 – Be Acknowledged

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,”  Matthew 10:32 - (ESV)

Jesus, up in heaven, knows what we are doing and also what we are saying – even what we are thinking as we go through each day.  He is our advocate and He desires that we stand and proclaim Him as the Savior.  When we do what Jesus wants, reminding the people around us that Jesus is our Savior and our Lord and that He is standing up for us before God the Father.  He will acknowledge us as members of God's family and fellow heirs of all of God's promises.  This is why we can pray to God in Jesus' name and why He has instructed us to do so.  Those who do not acknowledge Jesus in this life, stymie Jesus' acknowledgment of them before God the Father as He has no basis to do so.  Believe and receive and He promises to claim us as His before God.

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August 2 – Into Light, Out of Darkness

“I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”  John 12:46 (NASB)

The promise we find today in our verse is straightforward.  Each person has the opportunity to believe in the Light – that is Jesus Christ.  He has come so that we do not have to remain in darkness.  These words were spoken by Jesus to explain what a difference it makes when we believe in Him.  We all need that Light that Jesus brings us to when He makes us part of His family.  We begin to see things more clearly and see things we have never seen before.  As we continue to trust in Jesus, God continues to open our eyes to understand more and more which He desires us to know.  The other side of this promise is pretty sad and daunting because those who choose to not believe remain in darkness where they are unable to see.   We all begin in that darkness but Jesus has provided a way out of it and into the Light for all who chose to believe.  

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June 27 – Now and Forever After Now

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”  1 John 5:13 (NIV)

We are blessed that the message of the Son of God came to us and we have had the opportunity to believe in Jesus.  We have heard about Jesus Christ who came from heaven to offer forgiveness and eternal life to those who would believe in Him.   Jesus died for us so that we do not have to face the consequences of  our sin - eternal separation and spiritual death.  Sometimes, we face circumstances and trials that test our faith.  Sometimes we stumble and maybe we are tempted to entertain doubt about our future, about what happens after we die.  The Apostle John wrote these words and sent them to those who believe in Jesus to assure us and to affirm the promise of eternal life.  We posses a spiritual life that will live forever with God in heaven.  Jesus made it possible and through our faith and belief, Jesus gave it to us when we invited Him into our lives.  We can  know for certain, beyond all doubt, that the life Jesus gives to us is for eternity.  Forever with Jesus now and after we die.  Our promise today. 

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