Tag: faith

Jeremiah 31:31-34

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
            The past few weeks, the Lectionary readings have brought us a steady admonition of passing on to future generations the necessity of covenant, faith, and law.  Obedience is the key to it all.  But the problem entered that Israel was not faithful to God’s commands; they kept disobeying and following other gods. God always had a faithful remnant of people devoted to him, but the nation as a whole simply did not follow through with the teaching given to them.
 
            But where Israel failed in obeying the covenant stipulations and passing them on to their progeny, God forgives.  God’s answer to repeated human failings was not just to pronounce a judgment, but to rectify the problem altogether through the establishment of a new covenant.  God will put his law in their hearts, and they will know him in a direct and immediate kind of way. “For they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD.  For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
 
            From a New Testament (that is, New Covenant) perspective, Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s good covenant promises to his people.  And God’s Holy Spirit serves as the continuing presence of Jesus within us, teaching us and guiding us in the ways of God.  Our only task, then, is to live into those promises – to know them, claim them, and bank on them.  We are most obedient when we believe the promises of God and place all our hope in them.
            Lord God, thank you for your promise of a new covenant.  Thank you for Jesus.  Establish his presence so firmly in my heart by means of your Spirit that obedience is always my default mode of living.  Amen.

Joshua 2:1-14

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
      We may struggle with the notion that persons of ill repute can exhibit any kind of faith.  Yet, in this Old Testament lection for today Rahab the prostitute not only displays faith, but a kind of belief that lands her in the great hall of faith of the New Testament’s Hebrews chapter 11.  She displayed a confident and unwavering belief that God existed and that he would surely overtake her city of Jericho.
            “The LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.”  Rahab’s profession of faith is both sincere and hooked to God’s promise to the Israelites that they would take the land.  Rahab is exhibit A of the kind of person that inherits the kingdom of God; her faith, not her works or reputation, is what spares her life and brings her out from judgment.
            Faith is not a simple checking off a list of doctrinal beliefs that we believe; it always results in confident action based upon the promises of God.  Knowing what those promises are, and living our lives appropriately in light of them, is the kind of faith that pleases God.  Genuine righteousness is never earned; it is given by the compassionate grace of God.
What biblical promise do you need to lay hold of today?  How will that promise affect the way you live your life?  Will you believe God that he always does what he says?

Lord God Almighty, I may have not always lived my life well, yet I trust you today that you can and will deliver me from all my troubles because you are with me.  May your Holy Spirit give me the gift of faith to believe in such a way that it impacts how I live my life.  Amen.

James 2:14-26

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
            Faith, by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  Believe is the verb to the noun of faith.  True faith is not mere intellectual acknowledgment, but moves from a noun in the head to the verb of believe with the hands and feet.  Genuine faith never remains static but always results in responding with action.
 
            I have driven across some impressive bridges.  When I lived in Michigan, I had occasion to drive over the Mackinac Bridge and the Blue Water Bridge many times.  If one is afraid of heights, it can seem a bit daunting to go over them.  Let us suppose that I come to one of those bridges, stop and read the sign that tells all about how and when the bridge was built.  I take some time to look at the large structure.  I conclude that the bridge indeed can hold me and my car driving over it.  But if I turn away in fear and do not cross the bridge, do I really believe the bridge will do its sustaining job?
 
            The Apostle James’ point is that faith and action work seamlessly together.  Biblical faith logically and fearlessly moves right into action and crosses imposing bridges based upon the object of our faith:  God.  Since God is good and trustworthy, we can respond to his Word with appropriate actions.  There are plenty of Old Testament persons that give us example of living by faith.  Abraham did not simply acknowledge God’s speech to him; he acted upon it.  Abraham believed God, that is, he not only understood God’s Word, but his faith was confirmed and counted as righteous because he acted by following through with what he heard.
 
            We like our comfort zones.  We do not typically like to be stretched beyond what is familiar to us.  Yet, faith is a muscle that must be exercised in order to grow.  If faith is not put to the test and placed in positions of stress, it will not grow.  Our spiritual growth occurs when we take the time to hear and understand the Word of God, and then seek to put it into practice no matter what.  We have the same choice and opportunity as all the people of faith who have gone before us.  Let us choose with faith and action working together.
            Lord God, what do you want me to do today?  As I step out in faith, I know that you will hold me up and sustain me in doing your will.  May your glory be shown through my obedient response to your Word.  Amen.

Faith, Hope, and Love

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
            God is real.  The Christian life works.  Those are the bedrock presuppositions and assumptions I work from each and every day of my life and ministry.  If I did not believe those statements I would be knee-deep in the muck of church work with little to offer people.  Because I believe that Christianity works for people, I also confidently hold that the correct response to the reality of God is faith, hope, and love.  Any response to God less than this will result in an inability to function well in the Christian life. 
 
The path to maturity for any local church is to bring all thinking, desires, attitudes, aspirations, and actions in harmony with trusting God, loving God, and making Him the object of our hope.
 
            At first glance this might sound difficult.  But this is really not rocket science.  It is only confusing if we have not been taught correctly according to the Word of God.  If we have lived in error when it comes to how the Christian life works, then there are established patterns of thinking and behavior which are neither easy to identify and evaluate, nor to defeat.
 
            Therefore, the very first step in solving this kind of problem is to get back to the bedrock belief of God.  We cannot effectively respond in faith, hope, and love to a God we do not know much of. 
 
Knowing God, then, is an absolute necessity to the Christian life in order to experience spiritual freedom and be fruitful in ministry.
 
            God is a Person.  He is the infinite God, the Creator of all things and is thus worthy of all our trust and affection (e.g. 1 Samuel 17:20-51; Daniel 6:1-28; 2 Chronicles 14-16).  God is absolute truth, love, and holiness.  God will always remain true to himself in all of his relationships and actions with us.  He does not act out of harmony with his basic character.  Therefore, God can be trusted.
 
            God has revealed himself through the Christian Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.  The Bible is God’s Word to us.  The Word of God cannot fail because God cannot fail.  God is always true to himself and to his Word (e.g. Psalm 119:49-50; 146:5-6; Jeremiah 32:1-44; Romans 4:21; Hebrews 2:1-3).  The Word of God is living and is therefore powerful. 
 
To the degree that we know and practice the Word of God, we have the experience of the grace of God and therefore have the power of God.
 
            It is a wonderful and tremendous privilege to possess the Word of God with all of its potential to effect change in our lives; its certainty concerning who God is; and, its assurance of pardon through faith.  So, then, each and every believer has a sacred responsibility:
 
We must be aggressive in knowing the Word of God; we must be confident in believing God; we must be active in claiming the promises of God; and, we must be intentional about living according to what God has revealed about himself and his creatures.
 

 

            Church ministry, then, has a sacred trust to help people know God better.  No matter what the ministries, programs, or activities, our greatest aim is to connect people with the God who is real and who has given us guidance by means of his powerful Word.  Faith, hope, and love are the logical and heartfelt responses to knowing God.  The promise we have is that when we seek God will all our heart, we will find him.  Amen and amen.