Biblical Faith: "He...Obeyed.., Not Knowing Where He Was Going"

"For what does the Scripture say?  'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness'....By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out.., not knowing where he was going."  (Romans 4:3; Hebrews 11:8)

The first part of our text does not say that Abraham said he, "believed God."  It says, "Abraham believed God."  How do we know this?  The second part tells us.  He ordered his life by doing what God told him to do.  The word for, "believed," in our text means, "to support, confirm, be faithful, uphold, nourish."  These are all verbs, as is, "By faith Abraham...obeyed."  A faith which is "profession" without obedience is no faith at all. 

In correct Biblical Theology, when we read that somebody, "believed God," it means somebody did something.  All one has to do is read Hebrews 11 to discover what is Biblical Faith, "By faith," they all did something, not said something.  I can say, "I believe, I believe," all I wish, but that statement means absolutely nothing without obedience.  "Now faith is the...evidence," i.e., "plainly visible, something indicative, an outward sign."  A "sinner's prayer" is only valid if the sinner obeys.

Our text is plainly telling us that the life in Jesus Christ begins with, "believed God," and, "By faith...obeyed."  To illustrate this, our Lord Jesus Christ gave us a parable about two sons who were told to do something.  One said he would not, but later did.  The other said he would, but never did.  Jesus then asked those around Him, "Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They responded, "The first."  Maybe if more people read the Bible and actually studied His Words, we would have a Bible Christianity, a Bible Faith, a Bible Church.

There is great appeal in a religion of talk, "I believe, I believe.  Okay, you are now going to Heaven."  It may have its appeal, but it is deceptive foolishness.  Now I know this is not a "Spurgeon-type" devotional, and I hope you will forgive the prophetic theologian in me, but I know you are as I.  We do not want deceptive religion, something which "feels good" to our unregenerate sensibilities, but does not bring us into, "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," i.e., the same relationship which Abraham found, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to ('credited to him') him for righteousness."  You and I desire the righteousness of Jesus Christ to be, "accounted to, credited to," us.  There is no other life worth man's religious expenditure. 

Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray You can say of me, "By faith [I] obeyed."  Amen.
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Please say a prayer for Sarah and me as we travel to West Ohio and Michigan over the next week.  Sunday, we will be with the Renewed Strength Church in Westville, Ohio, sharing about the North Korea Mission.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

So You Think It's Been Too Long Since.... What?

"....Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites."  (Deuteronomy 4:43)

Now someone may say, "What on earth?-- a devotional text?"  Yes.  This is where I am each quarter on the 32nd day.  Significance to you and me?  Our text is from a period over 3300 years ago.  It speaks of what is now called "The Golan Heights;" I have been there, stood on the ground of this most ancient of lands, ground promised to the Jews by the Living Triune God 4ooo years ago(!!), ground upon which very few, if any, Jews trod for nearly 2000 of those 3300 years, but who can now say, "We're back."  Now someone please have the nerve to tell me that God cannot take care of His Words!

I have read that the "oldest verified person ever" was a French woman who lived to over 122 years.  Of course this is not true.  The Bible says the "oldest verified person ever" was 969 years old.  But that is still far short of 4000 years.  Do you see?  Time is absolutely nothing to "The Eternal One."  Jesus is, "Alpha and Omega," which is really time/space language for Eternity, outside our four dimensions, outside time, Who came into time in order to redeem us and take us time-space-bound creatures into His Eternal Home.  Now what was that problem today which is attempting to defeat you?!?!? 

Jews are on the Golan once again because Jesus, Our Immanuel is on the Golan.  Jerusalem is the focus of world attention today because Jesus the Christ is about to bring all nations to The Land for judgment, "I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.  There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land" (Joel 3:2, NIV).  So Rest in Jesus today, my friend, "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end....For we who have believed do enter that rest...." 

History is indeed heading to a dramatic climax, and you and I are a part of that "heading."  We are in Jesus Christ and He in us.  All Jesus is doing is what we are doing, whether it is active participation or being dragged along; I choose the former.  But be assured today; "no weapon formed against you will prosper,...because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."  He is the God of history, moving history to and in His purposes, and moving you and me along with and in Him.

Father, in Jesus' Name, I constantly need Eternal awareness.  Thank You for Your Words which do that.  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

For What Does Your Heart Yearn?

"Because I love Zion, I will not keep still.  Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent.  I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.  The nations will see your righteousness.  World leaders will be blinded by your glory.  And you will be given a new name by the Lord's own mouth."  (Isaiah 62:1, 2, NLT)

Just a thought: Could the, "new name," here be a prophetic reference to, "the Heavenly Jerusalem"?  Regardless, here you have it, not only the prophet's, but also Father's heart for Zion/Jerusalem/The Land, now and until the close of the Age.  Is it your heart?

We all are overwhelmed at times with our own personal daily life's issues, some at times much more than others.  But this should never cause us to divest ourselves from the "Global" Purposes of Jesus Christ. The "new birth" of the Gospel is to get us out of ourselves into Jesus and Jesus into us, out of self-centeredness into Christ-centeredness.   The Bible says, "the hope of glory," is, "Christ in you," in us, in His Church.  And when Christ is in us, all that He is doing, all He is about in the Earth and Universe is in us.  As I in reality live each moment, "in Christ," the more I am really, "in Christ," and not just talking, "in Christ," the more I can face the day, face the challenges of life, challenges which not only come to all humanity, but those particular to the Followers of Jesus.  There is just no better "place" than in, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven."

People who have no prayer concerns beyond their personal lives are in danger of being overwhelmed in such a way that victory will be very difficult to maintain.  "Where there is no vision, the people perish," i.e., "cast off restraint," have no "compass" for life.  "Vision," here is not some "private vision."  It is the Vision, the Will, the Purposes of Jesus Christ; it is, "vision," such as revealed in our text.  When Jesus' Vision is our vision, when we see beyond ourselves, beyond our little bailiwick, our personal "words" from some "prophet," and bring it all into the administration of Jesus Christ, His Church, His Kingdom, as we run this race, "Looking unto Jesus," we will sit in Jesus Christ in Father's Throne, in His, "many mansions," in Eternity.  "I will not keep still....I cannot remain silent," will be a part of our preparation for such glory.  

Father, in Jesus' Name, by Your grace and mercy, "I will not keep still....I [will] not remain silent.  I will not stop praying...."  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

Life's Unanswerables

"And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly.  I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind."  (Ecclesiastes 1:17)

How much of man's pursuits are, "grasping for the wind."

I read some horrible, horrible, news today.  A thirteen year old girl took a bite of a snack which had some sort of peanut topping on it.  In twenty minutes she was dead.  I just prayed, "My dear Lord and God, please help them;" that's all I could say.

Why is it at times that life seems so random?  We pray, submit ourselves to, "the words of God," go to church, do good, serve, as we should, and must continue to do.  But the reality of life is that try as we may, and preachers try as they may to "explain" life, so much is "grasping for wind."  Now I am not advocating C'est la vie.  I am not talking of, "well, we might as well, 'eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.'"  No.  But to the "spiritual giants" in Christendom who give the air of understanding so much, able to explain so much, have an answer for everything, I say, What?  "For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.  Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate" (Ecc2:14, NLT)

You and I do not know (nor does anyone else) what the next second will bring, let alone the next hour, day, month, year.  I wonder how many people are exactly where they expected to be 50 years ago?!?  Now, this is not despair; this is reality.  When we surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ (50 years ago or 50 days ago) we entered into Him and He into us.  We did not know where the journey would/will take us.  All we knew is that we needed Jesus, wanted Jesus, the forgiveness of our sins and, "I go to prepare a place for you," as the hymn says, "blessings all mine with ten thousand beside."  Sadly, we too often do not prepare converts for the unanswerable in life.  When you listen to some "christians," you would think that "bad things" never happen to "good people."  There's is a formula religion.

Unless the Lord Jesus Christ appears the second time while we are in this flesh, we all will die, "go to be with the Lord," or however you want to express it.  But in Jesus Christ we do not fear nor despair.  We rejoice in Jesus, because the "best" Jesus has for His People is yet to come.  "Let not your heart be troubled," Jesus says this to us and to all who will hear and obey, because He knows life will attempt to "trouble[]," us.  I hope this helps us a little: Strong's says that the word for, "troubled," means "to agitate, to trouble a thing by the movement of its parts to and fro, to cause one inward commotion, take away his calmness of mind, disturb his equanimity, disquiet, make restless, to render anxious or distressed, to perplex the mind of one."  This Greek word, "troubled," describes the aloneness of humanity without our Lord Jesus Christ.  Yet Jesus says to you and me today, "'Let not,' this be you."

Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray for the family of this young girl.  May they find in You what can only be found in You.  Amen.
 

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

If You Can Think of No Other Prayer: Pray Psalm 145-- Glorious!

"Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom ('kingdom of all ages'), and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generation." (Psalm 145:13, KJV))

I was enjoying my work this morning, yes, work, "I will speak of the glorious honour of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works."  I have a globe always near me here at home when interceding for the nations--------- and what a small world we live in, "All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord; and Thy saints shall bless Thee."  If I can hold the globe in my hand, just remember, so does our Living Triune God hold the Universe in His Hand, "They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power." 

When an English Bible teacher heard me share years ago about what I was doing in Washington, DC, Jerusalem and Berlin, he said, "Prayer is hard work."  There is truth in this.  But it is also extremely enjoyable "work."  All one has to do is pray Psalm 145 to experience a measure of the, "joy unspeakable and full of glory," penned by the Apostle Peter, "The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works."    

If you don't know how to start the day, if you are overwhelmed early in the day or at any time day or night, I highly suggest that you pray Psalm 145, "Every day will I bless Thee; and I will praise Thy name for ever and ever....The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all those that be bowed down."

David goes back and forth between directing His words to God Himself and to anyone who would listen in on his worship.  There is "declaration" and affirmation in this Psalm.  There is some of the most magnificent words ever uttered in praise.  As I read Psalm 145 aloud, which, by the way, I would encourage you to do when you pray the Bible, I am in some measure fulfilling the promise of the, "God-Breathed," Word, "The whole earth is full of His glory."  The Words of God are going forth just like radio waves, which have been described thus: "Long waves may cover a part of the Earth very consistently, shorter waves can reflect off the ionosphere and travel around the world, and much shorter wavelengths bend or reflect very little and travel on a line of sight."  Okay, Earth, here He comes: "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth"!

Father, in Jesus' Name, Thank You for the greatest work my friend here and I can be about, "And I will declare Thy greatness."  Amen.
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*Sarah and I will be with the Renewed Strength Church in Ohio, August 4.  We have made some good arrangements for her Mom.
* Fall Mission: October 27-November 23.  If you would like to contribute, let us know.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2