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Faith is one of the most important parts of being a Christian. Despite this, it seems like our society has lost track of what Christian faith really is. Merriam Webster defines faith as: "something that is believed especially with strong conviction." That's a perfectly acceptable definition to put on an exam, but to us as Christians it's so much bigger than that. Faith is, first and foremost, our belief that God is not only real, but also that He is the creator of all things and that He sent his son to die for us. That's what I would consider the standard "Christian definition." Even so, faith means much more than even that. Faith is: Knowing that God has a plan for every individual person on this planet, and that no one is overlooked. Trusting that no matter what obstacle is put in front of us, it's only there because God knows that we can overcome it. Trusting that no matter how bleak your situation may be at any given time, God will always make sure that we come out the other side better off than we were before. Knowing that no matter what happens, it's because God wants it to, and that nothing happens without God's approval. Trusting that if God wants something to happen, He always has our best interest in mind, even if we can't always see it in the moment. Knowing that God not only listens to our prayers, but wants to hear them, and can even be influenced by them. Knowing that miracles happen every day. At that, the word 'miracle' was made just to be able to begin to describe the impossible occurrences that God brings into being on a regular basis. Nothing helps me more on a daily basis than simply trusting that God's right there beside me every step of the way. With that in mind, I want nothing more for people than to have that same comfort in their lives. I believe that should be a goal for all of us. Even all of that is just scratching the surface of what faith can be. Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20 that "if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." If that tiny amount of faith makes nothing impossible to us, then what do we ever have to worry about?

Mark 12:28-30; 1 John 5:3 Most of us learned Jesus Loves Me by heart in Bible class. The love of the Savior has been impressed upon our hearts from the beginning. We have heard so many times “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son...” And we do need to understand the love which God has for all people. Sometimes, though, we seem so enamored by God’s love for us that we forget that His love should draw us into a relationship with Him. God’s love should arouse a response in kind from us - love. To soak up the love of God like a sponge and not return it is to misunderstand love entirely! Jesus taught us: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35). Love is quintessential giving. John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments...” God’s love for us moved Him to give us what we needed - a Savior. Our love for God should move us to give God what He wants - people to do His will. This is the heart of the matter - Do you love Jesus? Do I love Jesus? If so, let’s listen to His voice. Is your personal life a mess? Do you love Jesus? Is your presence at His table sporadic? Do you love Jesus? Is your giving paltry? Do you love Jesus? Is your marriage more like a train wreck than a scenic express? Do you love Jesus? Is your prayer life on life support? Do you love Jesus? Are you available when a need arises? Do you love Jesus? Do you keep your mouth closed when you should be praising the Lord? Do you love Jesus? Are you still looking at porn? Getting drunk? Using vulgar language? Do you love Jesus? Do you talk about Jesus in your home? Do you love Him? Are you the center of your life? Do you love Jesus? Do you love the Lord Jesus above all else? ><> Jeff

John 2:2-11 In our last piece, we made an observation about Jesus’ miracle at Cana when He turned the water into wine. When the host had run out of wine, He told the servants to fill the waterpots which were there with water, and they did. We noted that Jesus did not do for them what they could do for themselves. Then He changed the water into wine. Upon reflection, we noted that this always seemed to be the case with any of Jesus’ miracles. He would do for a person or a group what they could not do for themselves. In similar fashion, Jesus did the same thing in feeding the 5000 (Mark 6:33-44). If you’ll recall, it was a desolate place and the hour was late, so finding food would have been a problem. Jesus asked what food was available, and the disciples brought forward the five loaves and two fish. This was what they had, so Jesus used what the crowd had in order to feed them all. The people provided what they could, and Jesus did the rest! Now, in making this observation, I don’t want to leave the impression that we are doing anything without the help of God. In fact, in His illustration of the vine and the branches Jesus told His disciples: “...for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Jesus’ point is that in order to bear fruit we must abide in Him who is the vine. We receive our strength and sustenance from Jesus so that we might accomplish the will of God. Paul makes note (Ephesians 3:20) that God “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” That power is the Holy Spirit. The Lord is ever at work in us in order to accomplish good in our lives. As we reflect on all of this, one thing comes to mind. Whatever it is that God wants me to contribute - whether time, skill, money, labor, counsel, etc. - I have to be willing to give it. This is an absolute must in allowing Christ Jesus to work through me for good, to be a blessing to others and to bring glory to Him. ><> Jeff

John 2:2-11 Most of us have probably heard the ancient Greek proverb: “The gods help those who help themselves.” Although this is not completely true, there is a great deal of truth in it. Examples of God helping us humans are, of course, found throughout the Bible. The question is on what basis does God decide to help people? Without wanting to over simplify a complex subject, let’s take a look at an example from Jesus’ ministry. In John 2, we have the narrative about Jesus at the wedding feast in Cana. When the host had run out of wine, Jesus’ mother Mary came to Him and asked Him to help out. This, of course, implies that she knew something of who He was and what power He could command. She tells the servants: “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Now here is the thing which caused me to take particular notice (even though I’d read and studied this numerous times). Jesus tells the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water.” Jesus didn’t cause the waterpots just to miraculously be filled with water. Jesus didn’t cause the waterpots just to miraculously be filled with wine. I believe He could have done either of those things. He had the servants fill the waterpots with the water which He would turn into wine. So here’s my thought. Jesus did not do for them what they could do for themselves. Does that make sense to you? As I reflected on the events in scripture in which God or the Lord Jesus helped humanity in some miraculous way, it seemed to me that this was always a guiding factor. When Israel faced desperate situations and massive armies, God intervened. The Red Sea crossing and the Assyrian army’s defeat by the plague come to mind. Jesus healed the blind, lepers, the lame; He cast out demons. Mankind could not do any of this. The ultimate example is the salvation of the human race. Since we could not save ourselves, God intervened through the sending of His Son Jesus who is Savior of all. Let me know your thoughts about this. (More next time.) ><>Jeff

Daniel 6 Most of us are familiar with the account of Daniel in the lions’ den. Daniel was getting along famously even after the Medes under Darius took over the empire from the Babylonians. This was, of course, because Daniel continued to serve the Most High God and trust Him with his life. In due time, because of his very excellent work record, Daniel was in line to be placed over the entire kingdom right under King Darius. This, naturally, provoked jealousy in Daniel’s political rivals and co-workers so they tried to find some complaint with Daniel’s work, but none could be found. So, they decided to bring him down through his religious beliefs. These jealous “no-goods” duped the King through flattery into signing a law that no one could make petition to any god or man for thirty days save to the King himself. Darius fell for it, and the law was passed which according to the ways of the Medes and Persians could not be altered in any way nor rescinded. Then these unscrupulous fellows lay in wait to catch Daniel praying to his God. Daniel, despite knowing full well the law which had been passed and its penalty (a night with the lions), did what he always did - he prayed to God. He was caught in the act which was in violation of the new law, and Darius was forced to put Daniel into the den of lions. We know the outcome - God sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths and Daniel was preserved. Too often when we read this narrative, we only focus on God’s rescuing Daniel, which is the thrust of the story. But we tend to overlook the important lesson of how Daniel came to be in the lions’ den in the first place. Daniel would rather face the lions than give up praying to God for even thirty days! Now that is a lesson for us. Just how much do we value being able to talk with our heavenly Father? How much? Do we realize how necessary and how precious it is to pray to our God. Would you “face the lions” so you could keep praying? The day may be coming. Keep praying! ><>Jeff

Proverbs 19:2; 21:5 Have you ever felt like a lugnut on an 18-wheeler hurtling down the highway at 75 miles an hour? You’re going too fast, everything is spinning out of control, and somebody else is driving! Sound familiar? Well, join the “lugnuts” club! It seems that much of life is like this today. The tempo of living is almost furious. The demands and pressures come from all sides, and everything needs to be done “right now” if not before. And just as soon as you think you’ve got some breathing room, more things are put “on your plate.” The pace is unrelenting. In my belief, the devil is behind most of this, and he is using the pride and greed of people to create this horrendous atmosphere. “You can build it bigger and make it go faster. You can do more, go more places, make more money, and get more stuff.” But that isn’t the devil’s prime purpose. He’s after “bigger fish.” First off, he wants us distracted from the crucial and important things of life. Serious reflection on the deeper things is non-existent because we are pre-occupied. Bible reading and study is either forgotten or is morphed into a quick glance at a devotional book. Second, relationships suffer. Bizarre work schedules keep families apart. Children’s extra-curricular activities take up evenings and even weekends. Conversations between parents and kids are limited to talking about who needs to go where and at what time. Watching your child play softball is a good thing, but it’s no substitute for a one on one talk about the things which matter most in life. And spouses suffer terribly, collapsing on the sofa after a full day but surprisingly having an empty feeling inside. Wisdom tells us that “he who hurries his footsteps errs” and “everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.” Remember that poverty is measured in ways other than money. If you’re a lugnut on that 18-wheeler, find a way to get loose and then attached to a vehicle that makes frequent stops on the way. ><> Jeff

Acts 17:24-25 How good is it that God above has never gone on strike, Because He was not treated fair or saw things He didn’t like? If only once He’d given up and said, “That’s it, I’m through! “I’ve had enough of those on earth, so this is what I’ll do.” “I’ll give my orders to the sun - ‘Cut off the heat supply!’ “And to the moon - ‘Give no more light and run the oceans dry.’” “Then just to make things really tough and put the pressure on - ‘Turn off the vital oxygen, ‘til every breath is gone!’” You know He would be justified, if fairness was the game, For no one has been more abused or met with more disdain Than God; and yet He carries on supplying you and me With all the favors of His grace, and everything for free. Men say they want a better deal and so on strike they go, But what a deal we’ve given God, to Whom all things we owe. We don’t care whom we hurt to gain the things we’d like, But what a mess we’d all be in, if God should go on strike. - Anonymous “If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.” Job 34:14-15 ><> Jeff

Luke 19:41-44 What causes you to cry? What is it that strikes a cord of emotion in your heart and makes tears well up in your eyes? We cry in a great many different situations. When death invades our life, tears flow. When life’s troubles overwhelm us, and we believe we are without hope, we begin to sob. When a babe is born, when the long-awaited lab report comes back negative, when someone is baptized into Christ, tears of joy well up. When the majesty of God is displayed in the rainbow, when the words of the hymn resonate in our heart, when the Spirit convicts our inner self through the power of the word, our eyes moisten as we are humbled before God. Except for sin, Jesus was like us in every way. He experienced hunger, thirst and weariness. He wondered at people and was angry with them. He felt the powerful, dark pull of temptation. He knew joy and sorrow. And he cried. It shouldn’t be such a surprise to us that He did cry since He was fully human, but some of the reasons might catch us off guard. In one instance Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem for the last time. Luke records: “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it.” Jesus wept because the hearts of His people were so hardened and deluded that they did not know “the things which make for peace!” Their hearts were blinded as they continued to seek God through ritualistic worship (mere church going) and law-keeping (following rules). Such self-righteous pathways never lead to God. Jesus wept because He was there among them as their God, Messiah, and Savior, but He speaks through tears to the city that “did not recognize the time of your visitation.” Jesus wept because He knew what was going to happen to the city itself. It would be leveled to the ground. The people would be ravaged by their enemies. Jesus weeps today when hearts are hard and people wander away from Him in barren pathways. He knows their end and what they will miss. They are tears of love. Do you weep with Him? ><>Jeff

Job 38:1-42:6 The Lord had plenty of questions for Job after he had voiced his complaints during his sufferings. Job had no answers - only to acknowledge that the Lord is indeed God Almighty. Today, the Lord could well ask us Christians many similar questions. If you never felt pain, how would you know I’m the Healer? If you never had to pray, how would you know that I hear and answer you? If you never felt sadness, how would you know that I’m the Comforter? If you never sinned, how would you know I’m the Forgiver? If you never were in trouble, how would you know I am the great Rescuer? If you never had any suffering, how could you become like Me? If you never had to fight against evil, how would you know the joy of victory? If you never had a problem, how would you know that I have the answers? If you were given everything you wanted, would you try to find happiness without Me? If you never went through the fire, then how would you become purified? If you were never corrected, how would you know that I love you? If you were never lost, how would you know I’m the Savior? If you were not able to choose, how would you know if you would choose Me? ><> Jeff

At the risk of being misunderstood or seeming callous toward the troubles and heartaches which we all experience, we want to affirm that any day with Jesus is a good day. You may wish to protest that thought as you reflect upon the days in your life in which something happened that nearly crushed the life out of your soul. How could that be a good day? Let’s look at a real life example. Consider Paul and Silas in the prison at Philippi (Acts 16:16-34). Paul had done a good thing by casting an evil spirit of divination out of a slave girl, but they ended up being beaten with rods and thrown into prison because of it. Was that a bad day? Well, yes, but what do we find them doing? “...praying and singing hymns of praise to God...” As a result of all of this (throw in an earthquake from God), the jailer and his family were all baptized into Christ! Beyond that, Paul and Silas got out of prison. Sounds like a good day Paul’s focus was ever on the spiritual side of things and the love which his Savior had for him. This isn’t to say that the persecutions he endured for his Lord didn’t hurt or cause him difficulties. He just constantly reminded himself of the love which Christ had for him. In his stirring words found in our text, Paul enumerates a host of bad days - tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword. In addition to these, he speaks of death, principalities, things present, things to come (unknown to us), powers, “nor any other created thing.” His point? That even if we experience any or all of these things, it is no indication that Christ has stopped loving us nor that such things have the power to somehow separate us from the great love of our Savior. Paul sees it this way. Quoting from Psalm 44:22, he admits that we are “being put to death all day long” and considered “as sheep to be slaughtered.” Sounds like a long, bad day. Yet, Paul proclaims that “in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Sounds like a good day, a very good day. ><> Jeff

John 10:10 Jesus stated: “...I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” This would mean that we should embrace all that is good in life as we follow in the steps of our Master Jesus. So, we should... ...be honest in all of our dealings with others. ...keep our word. ...work hard, as for the Lord. ...admit when we are wrong. ...smile a lot. ...tell our spouse we love him/her - every day. ...look for rainbows. ...take walks in the fresh air. ...pray for others. ...praise others for the good they do. ...criticize only when truly necessary. ...help out around the house. ...read our Bible and learn to love its Author. ...surprise people with small acts of kindness. ...stop grumbling and complaining. ...take time to enjoy butterflies, birds, puppies and flowers. ...savor our morning coffee and afternoon tea. ...learn to better appreciate the assembly of the saints. ...hug our kids, and our grandkids. ...correct our mistakes. ...rejoice in all the wonders of life. ...nourish our relationships. ...be filled with the Spirit. ...refuse to let Satan win. ...remind ourselves of our future home - every day. ...thank the Lord Jesus for every blessing. ><>Jeff

Luke 1:5-20; Galatians 4:4-5 “Gabriel!” “Yes, my Sovereign,” responds the angel who stands in the presence of God. “It’s time.” “Time?” “It’s time to begin the redemption of My people and of all peoples. That which We have promised and prophesied from the very beginning will now unfold. Everything is in place.” So spoke the Lord God. “What is my task, my Sovereign?” “Go to one Zacharias who is a priest and is even now ministering in the temple. He has been praying for a son as his wife Elisabeth is barren. We will give them a son whose name he will call John. And he will be the one to come in the spirit and power of Elijah to make ready a people for the Lord, the Anointed. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb and will drink no wine or liquor. He will be a great man.” “Yes, my Sovereign,” replied Gabriel. “But be prepared.” “Prepared?” “Since he and his wife are well advanced in years, he may not believe you.” “I see.” “So, you may need to work a little miracle there to help convince him.” “Understood.” “And by the way.” “Yes, My Sovereign?” “Remind him that this message is truly good news, not only for him and his wife, but for many others.” “Indeed it is, My Sovereign. Indeed it is” ><> Jeff