Tag: Faith

Through the Word in 2020 / Jan. 25

January 25th, 2020

We are reading the Bible through together this year, using the Discipleship Journal Reading Plan published by the Navigators. You can download it free of charge from: https://www.navigators.org/resource/bible-reading-plans/

Today’s 4 readings are: Matthew 10:1-20; Acts 15:1-21; Psalm 23, Genesis 50.

If you are looking at the plan carefully, you will note that this is our last reading for January – giving us a number of “catch up” days if we have fallen behind. So our next installment will pick up Feb. 1.

But for today, I would like us to briefly consider Gen. 50:15-21.

I am struck by two things. 1. The way my heart can mirror that of Joseph’s brothers when circumstances in my life make me uncertain of the future.

Now that their Father was dead, they feared Joseph’s goodwill toward them had been motivated only by Joseph holding back because of his Father, and not genuinely Joseph’s heart. And when I sin or fail, or for whatever reason I grow uncertain or unsteady, it is easy for me to think that the Heavenly Father’s love for me is only based upon my performance. That if I mess it up, He will turn and His goodwill toward me will end. That it is not His nature, heart and promises that I actually depend upon but my own ability to obey perfectly. And it is a false accusation against His love. It suspects Him. It makes Him out to be less than He is in His mercy, grace, lovingkindness, forgiveness and love.

2. I am struck at how their distrust of Joseph’s love toward them wounded him. When they spoke to him with their sham message from their Father – he wept. And I wonder how often we wound the heart of our Savior, and the Father who loved us so that He sent His only Son to die on the Cross for OUR sins, when we doubt His steadfast love, faithfulness, care, concern, tenderness, patience and forgiveness. We treat Him as though He had no idea how we would sin later after He saved us, and that His love toward us is so fragile, that the sins Jesus died for, can in any way nullify His finished work.

God loves nothing more from His children that to be believed, trusted. That we take Him at His word. Look at His track record and trust Him with our sin. All of it. And that when He testifies of Himself that He IS love – that it is a love which our finite failings have no ability to negate.

Trust Him, beloved. Trust His love.
Through the Word in 2020 / Jan. 24

January 24th, 2020

We are reading the Bible through together this year, using the Discipleship Journal Reading Plan published by the Navigators. You can download it free of charge from: https://www.navigators.org/resource/bible-reading-plans/

Today’s 4 readings are: Matthew 9:27-38; Acts 14; Psalm 22:12-31, Genesis 49.

The healing of the 2 blind men in Matt. 9 provides crucial insight into how faith operates.

Note first something in the blind men’s approach to Jesus. Faith is not a sense of confidence – at least not in oneself in any way. They cried for mercy. A cry for mercy is a cry that denotes no sense of deserving or right. They did not say to themselves “I’m believing for healing!” Their faith wasn’t a worked up sort of thing, it was exercised in helplessness, not confidence. It looks to the benefactor to act only according to the benefactor’s own largess. And it is this recognition for mercy which is so essential to our right understanding of saving faith. Jesus owes us nothing. We deserve only wrath. But recognizing He has both the power and the prerogative to show mercy, we appeal to Him only on that basis. And He is ever faithful to respond in kind. What a great Savior He is!

Secondly, we see that some believed because they saw Jesus’ works. These, as blind, could only hear of His works. And yet, for them, that was enough. They believed having only heard. And so according to even that faith, a very slight, but still relying faith – they were healed. Note that v. 27 says they were following Him. They could only hear, and yet they followed. Oh that just hearing would always be enough for me. John 20:29

3rd, notice that it is not great faith that is needed. It is faith in a great Christ that is needed.

And lastly, note here how it is faith works. Jesus says “according to your faith be it done to you.” Now if they already had faith (the way we tend to think of it) then why weren’t they healed before Jesus touched them? It is because faith is not a power we can wield. What faith does is bring us to Christ – to trust Him. It doesn’t operate on its own as some sort of cosmic force we can use at will. Their faith brought them to seek out Christ to meet their need. This is what faith always does – it insists on finding Christ. And in finding Him, we will find the fullness of what we need.

Faith, as faith, didn’t heal them. Jesus did. Faith, as faith, won’t save us. Jesus must. Faith leads us to put our trust in Him. Faith believes Him – who and what He is and what He can do. And He responds.

—

Reid Ferguson / Kuyperian Abnormalist.Dulcius ex Asperis
http://www.ecfnet.org | Making disciples of all nations
http://www.responsivereiding.com

—

Reid Ferguson / Kuyperian Abnormalist.

Dulcius ex Asperis

www.ecfnet.org | Making disciples of all nations
www.responsivereiding.com
Margin notes: Simple Faith

September 13th, 2019

Luke 5:4–6 (ESV) — 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

There are some principles in Scripture which need to be revisited over and over. They are like the foundation stones of a skyscraper. If they give way, everything gives way. If they are compromised, instability is the inevitable result. And, as in this text, they can appear quite inconspicuously, unless you really stop to consider them. And they greatly inform key strands in Scripture and the Christian life in such a way that they prevent the Believer from very destructive and debilitating thought patterns.

Of these, developing right thoughts about faith, Biblical faith, is truly one of the utmost importance. I’ve beat this drum before, but rehearse it with me again today.

In vs. 5, the words and actions of Peter in response to Jesus’ “put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” hold the clearest and most succinct exposition of faith. It reasons in the face of everything else “but at your word.”

So note carefully, faith does not groundlessly hope. It does not pluck its expectation from the air. It is not the product of imagination, or a contrived desire. We cannot have faith regarding that which God has not said. No. It roots itself firmly in one place: What God HAS said. And then acts accordingly.

So many, sadly, do almost irreparable harm to their own faith. They do so when they hold God to promises He never made, or to impressions they thought came from Him. Then, when He appears not to have come through, they inwardly undermine their own ability to believe Him in the things He HAS said.

Though stated in another context, Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 4 :6 have broad application and especially in this issue: “learn by us not to beyond what is written.” What God has said, what He has inspired by His Spirit to have written down for us in His Word – these are the things (rightly interpreted) in which we can have absolute faith. And when we go beyond that into thoughts, desires, impressions or hopes of our own creation – we open ourselves to faith-destroying disappointments.

Let Peter’s example be your guide – “But at your word.” And you will find a safe haven for your soul. A truly firm foundation for your faith.

Tag: Faith

Through the Word in 2020 / Jan. 25

Through the Word in 2020 / Jan. 24

Margin notes: Simple Faith