Imagine you're on the edge of 2013, and you're looking back at 2012. What changes do you hope to see? What accomplishments do you hope to have? A lot of people don't like making New Year resolutions. Most of us are rarely successful at keeping them, so why make them.
I'm not so interested in getting people to make resolutions, rather I'm interested in why that make decisions to change. How do you make the decision? How does God's will affect your planning? Where do you turn for guidance?
At Monticello, the Word of God is our guidebook. The Holy Scriptures are our "authority in matters of faith and practice," and they "were given by the inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience."
We believe the Scriptures teach us all that we need to know about God, His will, and how we can be apart of it. The Bible teaches what to believe and how to act. Faith and practice go hand-in-hand.
James, a leader in the early church and brother to Jesus Christ, reminds us of this truth throughout his letter. In James 1:22-25, he urges us to be doers of the Word. Discipleship is more than mere profession. A true disciple is one who does what he has been taught to do.
If we are to be doers, we must search the Word diligently. We search the Word by reading (and rereading), studying, memorizing, and by seeking understanding. It has to be a continual, ongoing process. We must persevere in it. As we learn, we must put that knowledge into practice.
Genuine faith produces fruit. We call that fruit "good works." Our works do not save us, but they do demonstrate our salvation. Are you a doer of the Word?
Showing posts with label Faithfulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faithfulness. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Excellence of Character
In 1 Peter 1:5, Peter encourages us to add goodness to our faith. The type of goodness Peter had in mind is moral excellence. But what is moral excellence? Moral excellence is not only doing what is right, but it is also desiring right over wrong, good over evil, and holiness over commonness.
How do become morally excellent? Do we get it by hard work? Do we get it by following the rules? Paul tells us that we get it through faith in Christ, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21, NIV). Peter expresses it similarly, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and grace" (2 Pet. 1:3).
Moral excellence is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ. It is his righteousness that is credited to us by God's grace. Apart from Christ, all of our moral acts are like filthy rags before the Lord.
But moral excellence isn't perfection. It is a process through which we increase in our likeness to Christ. Job was a good example of this. God says of Job that he was "blameless and upright," and that he feared God and shunned evil (see Job 1:8).
In Christ, we are called to walk in faith. True faith has an obedience component. We cannot truly say we trust Christ if we don't obey him. As we walk in the Spirit by faith, we learn to put off the old things. We learn to say no to ungodliness (shun evil) and delight in righteousness (fear God).
Galatians 5:16-26 does an excellent job of contrasting a life devoted to the flesh against a life devoted to Christ. Colossians 3:1-14 also paints a powerful picture of a life fixed on Christ.
There is no doubt that Christ's followers are to walk in moral excellence. The good news is that Christ enables them to do so. We have everything we need for life and godliness. Are you pursuing excellence of character?
How do become morally excellent? Do we get it by hard work? Do we get it by following the rules? Paul tells us that we get it through faith in Christ, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21, NIV). Peter expresses it similarly, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and grace" (2 Pet. 1:3).
Moral excellence is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ. It is his righteousness that is credited to us by God's grace. Apart from Christ, all of our moral acts are like filthy rags before the Lord.
But moral excellence isn't perfection. It is a process through which we increase in our likeness to Christ. Job was a good example of this. God says of Job that he was "blameless and upright," and that he feared God and shunned evil (see Job 1:8).
In Christ, we are called to walk in faith. True faith has an obedience component. We cannot truly say we trust Christ if we don't obey him. As we walk in the Spirit by faith, we learn to put off the old things. We learn to say no to ungodliness (shun evil) and delight in righteousness (fear God).
Galatians 5:16-26 does an excellent job of contrasting a life devoted to the flesh against a life devoted to Christ. Colossians 3:1-14 also paints a powerful picture of a life fixed on Christ.
There is no doubt that Christ's followers are to walk in moral excellence. The good news is that Christ enables them to do so. We have everything we need for life and godliness. Are you pursuing excellence of character?
Thursday, December 18, 2008
I Would Follow You
I would follow you wherever you may go, only don't make me go in there. This thought occurred to me the other day as I watch the The Lord of the Ring: Return of the King. In one scene Aragorn (the returning king) and his friends Legolas (an elf) and Gimli (a dwarf) have to enter into a haunted mountain pass and a city built by spirits of the dead. Just prior to entering into the city, Gimli has a look on his face that says, "I would follow you wherever you go, only don't make me go in there." Throughout the movie (and the book its based on, excellent movie/better book) Gimli proves his love and loyalty for Aragorn. Yet, for the briefest of moments he seems unwilling to take the next step. Finally, in a mixture of shame and trust, he pushes beyond his fear and follows after the king.
I saw myself in Gimli--caught at a crossroads, forced to chose. Will I continue to trust my King and follow him even if I am uncertain where his footsteps will lead me, or will I in fear stop following him? It is easy enough to say that we follow Jesus. After all, nearly 2 billion people claim Christianity in this world, yet at times it is hard to distinguish the "believer" from the non-believer. But following Jesus is more than praying a prayer, or being baptized, or mentally accenting to some collection of facts. When the Holy Spirit awakens us to believe the gospel, he works a mighty transformation in us. That transformation brings about a desire to walk in humble obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Richard Belcher reminds us, "the essence of worship is submission to God" (in A Journey in Providence). If we can stand at the beginning of a trial and say to the the Lord, "I would follow you wherever you would go, only don't make me go in there", what does that say about our faith? Is a faith not submitted to God able to save? The New Testament says "no." Thus we must conclude, we must humbly submit to the will of God and trust him as he leads us. We walk through difficult paths because we know our King goes before us, and he is forever with us and we are forever in him, by grace through faith. May we have the courage to say in the face of danger, "I would follow you wherever you may go." Then, may we step out in faith, knowing that our Lord will lead us to victory.
I saw myself in Gimli--caught at a crossroads, forced to chose. Will I continue to trust my King and follow him even if I am uncertain where his footsteps will lead me, or will I in fear stop following him? It is easy enough to say that we follow Jesus. After all, nearly 2 billion people claim Christianity in this world, yet at times it is hard to distinguish the "believer" from the non-believer. But following Jesus is more than praying a prayer, or being baptized, or mentally accenting to some collection of facts. When the Holy Spirit awakens us to believe the gospel, he works a mighty transformation in us. That transformation brings about a desire to walk in humble obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Richard Belcher reminds us, "the essence of worship is submission to God" (in A Journey in Providence). If we can stand at the beginning of a trial and say to the the Lord, "I would follow you wherever you would go, only don't make me go in there", what does that say about our faith? Is a faith not submitted to God able to save? The New Testament says "no." Thus we must conclude, we must humbly submit to the will of God and trust him as he leads us. We walk through difficult paths because we know our King goes before us, and he is forever with us and we are forever in him, by grace through faith. May we have the courage to say in the face of danger, "I would follow you wherever you may go." Then, may we step out in faith, knowing that our Lord will lead us to victory.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Don't Lose Heart
" And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1, ESV).
For reasons to obvious to write, I have been thinking about Luke 18:1-8. After telling the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, Jesus asks three questions: "Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?," "Will he delay long over them?," and "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 8:7-8). Jesus is trying to get his disciples to understand is that our Heavenly Father is not like the unjust judge. There is a temptation on our parts to think of God as a cosmic killjoy (although it is an equally dangerous temptation to think of God as a cosmic genie). Two things I think we must firmly establish in our mind in regards to God, he is not unaware of our situation nor is he unconcerned. To state it positively, God is aware and he cares about what is happening to us.
For this reason, Jesus stated, "I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily" (Luke 18:8, ESV). God cares for his children. He is not a tyrant who is unmoved by our circumstances. We do not have to nag God to get what we want, but that doesn't mean that we do not have to persist in prayer. There is wisdom in his delay, even when we do not understand it. What Jesus would have us to do in response to a delayed answer to prayer is "to pray and not lose heart." He doesn't want us to just continue to pray, but to pray and not lose heart. He drives this point home by asking, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Friends, what do you do when it seems like the whole world is against you and heaven isn't listening? Do you pray harder? Do you devote more time to prayer? Or do you just give up?
The key is to remember who God really is. He is "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty . . ." (Ex. 34:6-7, ESV). His is "Our Father in Heaven" (Matt. 6:9). We must continue to remember who God really is. He is the One who created us, who redeemed us, who called us to himself, who gave us a new heart, and who has called us his children. For any one of these reasons, we should give him our undying trust, but he has given us all of these and many more.
I know at times is can be tough to pray and not lose heart. Some days are harder than others. But we have to keep asking ourselves, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?". Will he find faith in me? Then we need to look to the One who is working faith in us and say, "I believe, help my unbelief!" Don't lose heart, the Lord loves you and is faithful.
For reasons to obvious to write, I have been thinking about Luke 18:1-8. After telling the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, Jesus asks three questions: "Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?," "Will he delay long over them?," and "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 8:7-8). Jesus is trying to get his disciples to understand is that our Heavenly Father is not like the unjust judge. There is a temptation on our parts to think of God as a cosmic killjoy (although it is an equally dangerous temptation to think of God as a cosmic genie). Two things I think we must firmly establish in our mind in regards to God, he is not unaware of our situation nor is he unconcerned. To state it positively, God is aware and he cares about what is happening to us.
For this reason, Jesus stated, "I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily" (Luke 18:8, ESV). God cares for his children. He is not a tyrant who is unmoved by our circumstances. We do not have to nag God to get what we want, but that doesn't mean that we do not have to persist in prayer. There is wisdom in his delay, even when we do not understand it. What Jesus would have us to do in response to a delayed answer to prayer is "to pray and not lose heart." He doesn't want us to just continue to pray, but to pray and not lose heart. He drives this point home by asking, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Friends, what do you do when it seems like the whole world is against you and heaven isn't listening? Do you pray harder? Do you devote more time to prayer? Or do you just give up?
The key is to remember who God really is. He is "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty . . ." (Ex. 34:6-7, ESV). His is "Our Father in Heaven" (Matt. 6:9). We must continue to remember who God really is. He is the One who created us, who redeemed us, who called us to himself, who gave us a new heart, and who has called us his children. For any one of these reasons, we should give him our undying trust, but he has given us all of these and many more.
I know at times is can be tough to pray and not lose heart. Some days are harder than others. But we have to keep asking ourselves, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?". Will he find faith in me? Then we need to look to the One who is working faith in us and say, "I believe, help my unbelief!" Don't lose heart, the Lord loves you and is faithful.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Overcoming the Fear of Hope
"Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will never believe" (John 20:25).
We often label Thomas "the Doubter," but I have often wondered if that was a fair nickname. Surely this one event in his life should not be the defining one. Why don't we call him "Worshiping Thomas" since he also said to Jesus, "My Lord and My God!" If we were fair we would acknowledge that Thomas' response was the natural one. He watched them take his Master away, crucify him, and place him in the grave. Men just don't come back from that kind of thing.
Even as his friends tried to encourage him with the news of Jesus' resurrection, Thomas wouldn't believe. Many would say that Thomas' response was that of a realist. He just took the facts, crunched the numbers, and drew the only logical conclusion. However, when we are tempted to be "realists" we better make sure we are dealing with reality. Resurrection, while difficult for Thomas to accept, was a reality. Thomas knew that Jesus had raised people from the dead. He had witnessed it, but when he was told that Jesus had been raised he doubted. He wasn't crunching all the numbers; he had not collected all the facts.
The Scriptures don't say why Thomas didn't believe Jesus had risen. I choose to believe that it was because of his grief. Often grief is accompanied by bitter despair. Grief can make one cynical, even skeptical. I believe that Thomas' response is the response of the discouraged, the broken-hearted, the bereft. His response demonstrates his fear of hope. If he should let hope ascend in his heart and believe that Jesus was alive, and it be proven untrue, then he would be crushed beyond repair. Yet, without hope, he was already crushed. He took what he thought was the safe road.
But there is no safety in a hopeless road. The trials we face in this life are meant to stir hope in our heart. When I stated that I thought Thomas' response was the natural one, I did not mean that it was a good one. We have a God who can do the impossible. He is a God who can do beyond what we can even imagine. And while many of us are just as afraid to hope as Thomas was, most of us are not as honest about it. Scripture teaches us that God is faithful to his promises. God's faithfulness never changes, it never lags, and it never expires. When we truly rest in this knowledge we find hope kindled. Circumstances which are often beyond our control are never beyond His. Things that occur in our lives that the enemy meant for evil, God means for our good.
The burdens you are enduring right now may have you saying, "Unless I see God do a good thing (like removing this trial) I will never believe." However, we must remember when Scriptures tell us that God is always faithful it does not mean he is faithful to our agenda. God is faithful to his plans and purposes. His plans for us include our salvation, our sanctification, our perseverance, our obedience, and our glorification. His plans are for us to be conformed into the image of His Son. He will faithfully, and without fail, bring his plans to completion. If we are to imitate Thomas, let it be his worshipful attitude, not his skepticism. As God speaks to us through His Word, revealing his nature and character, let us fall down and proclaim, "My Lord and My God." I pray we become those who say, "Until I see . . .I will believe," instead of those who say, "Unless I see . . . I will not believe." For we are waiting for the day when we will see Christ face to face, and until that that day we must press forward in faith.
We often label Thomas "the Doubter," but I have often wondered if that was a fair nickname. Surely this one event in his life should not be the defining one. Why don't we call him "Worshiping Thomas" since he also said to Jesus, "My Lord and My God!" If we were fair we would acknowledge that Thomas' response was the natural one. He watched them take his Master away, crucify him, and place him in the grave. Men just don't come back from that kind of thing.
Even as his friends tried to encourage him with the news of Jesus' resurrection, Thomas wouldn't believe. Many would say that Thomas' response was that of a realist. He just took the facts, crunched the numbers, and drew the only logical conclusion. However, when we are tempted to be "realists" we better make sure we are dealing with reality. Resurrection, while difficult for Thomas to accept, was a reality. Thomas knew that Jesus had raised people from the dead. He had witnessed it, but when he was told that Jesus had been raised he doubted. He wasn't crunching all the numbers; he had not collected all the facts.
The Scriptures don't say why Thomas didn't believe Jesus had risen. I choose to believe that it was because of his grief. Often grief is accompanied by bitter despair. Grief can make one cynical, even skeptical. I believe that Thomas' response is the response of the discouraged, the broken-hearted, the bereft. His response demonstrates his fear of hope. If he should let hope ascend in his heart and believe that Jesus was alive, and it be proven untrue, then he would be crushed beyond repair. Yet, without hope, he was already crushed. He took what he thought was the safe road.
But there is no safety in a hopeless road. The trials we face in this life are meant to stir hope in our heart. When I stated that I thought Thomas' response was the natural one, I did not mean that it was a good one. We have a God who can do the impossible. He is a God who can do beyond what we can even imagine. And while many of us are just as afraid to hope as Thomas was, most of us are not as honest about it. Scripture teaches us that God is faithful to his promises. God's faithfulness never changes, it never lags, and it never expires. When we truly rest in this knowledge we find hope kindled. Circumstances which are often beyond our control are never beyond His. Things that occur in our lives that the enemy meant for evil, God means for our good.
The burdens you are enduring right now may have you saying, "Unless I see God do a good thing (like removing this trial) I will never believe." However, we must remember when Scriptures tell us that God is always faithful it does not mean he is faithful to our agenda. God is faithful to his plans and purposes. His plans for us include our salvation, our sanctification, our perseverance, our obedience, and our glorification. His plans are for us to be conformed into the image of His Son. He will faithfully, and without fail, bring his plans to completion. If we are to imitate Thomas, let it be his worshipful attitude, not his skepticism. As God speaks to us through His Word, revealing his nature and character, let us fall down and proclaim, "My Lord and My God." I pray we become those who say, "Until I see . . .I will believe," instead of those who say, "Unless I see . . . I will not believe." For we are waiting for the day when we will see Christ face to face, and until that that day we must press forward in faith.
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