Faith doesn’t pretend there are no questions; it knows where to take them.

If anyone should have believed in Jesus without wavering, it was John the Baptist. John’s whole life was for one mission, “to prepare the way for the Lord” (Luke 3:4). Even in the womb, he recognized the Lord, leaping at the sound of Mary’s voice (Luke 1: 41-45). He knew Jesus was the Messiah and he declared Him as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world !” This was confirmed to John at the Lord’s baptism – “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’” He added emphatically, “I have seen, and I testify that this is the Son of God” (John 1:29-34). Yet John asked a big question, “Are the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Luke 7:20). What changed? John was in a prison cell for calling out the unrighteousness of the King. No wonder he was questioning Jesus. He did everything God asked of Him, and he was imprisoned and facing a death sentence. Can you blame the poor fellow? Despite all he knew, John – weary and discouraged – began to doubt.

But Jesus didn’t chastise John. He knew the man’s heart and that those doubts arose from the overwhelming blow he had been dealt. Jesus pointed John back to the evidence. “What do you see, John?” “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor” (Luke 7:22). Look beyond your circumstances, John. You preached the coming of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 3:1). You spoke of my power (Mark 1: 7). Your own words are being fulfilled in Me. Then He added, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me” (Luke 7:23).
Questions are often the starting point for discovering the truth. It has proven true for me every time. Do you have a question for God? He will not chasten you. He will give you answers that will ground and strengthen your faith. Ask, Beloved, even with hot tears and a twinge of doubt. You will find that Jesus not only has the answer, He is the answer.

The High Price of Sin

I hope you’re not tired of David’s life story. I ran across something this morning that I believe is worth sharing. By now you know the story: David, whom God had chosen as king over all Israel, slept with Bathsheba, who was married to one of his fighting men. When he needed to cover up his sin, he had Uriah killed. David rocked on with his life as if nothing was wrong. He married Bathsheba, who gave birth to his son. But God was biding His time before confronting David about his actions. Under the Mosaic Law, the price for sin was death, and there was no sacrifice that atoned for intentional sin (which this very much was).
When Nathan, the prophet of the Lord, pointed an accusing finger at the king, David confessed his sin and repented before the Lord (read Psalm 51 for a how-to). Nathan acknowledged David’s contrition. He said, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die” (2 Sam 12:13). Can you imagine David’s sigh of relief? That breath was short-lived as Nathan continued, “But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die” (v. 14). Oh. The child became very sick. David was heartbroken and grief-stricken. He prayed and fasted and pleaded for the life of his child, but it was all to no avail. The boy died on the seventh day.
This account is a raw and painful picture of the price of sin. That moment of lust and pleasure was incredibly costly for David.
But this account is also a picture of God’s redemptive plan, even though it is hard to view. David sinned. The price for sin was (and still is) death. God forgave David. Yet the sin-debt was still outstanding and had to be made right. But it was not David who paid it; it was his own son. I know, this is not a pretty picture – but neither is sin.
You and I are sinners through and through. We have a sin-debt that is greater than we can pay. Somebody’s going to have to die. Somebody did – it was the Son of God Himself, the sinless Christ. If you will receive the work He did on the cross, you will be forgiven and will be set free from death’s condemnation. If you do not, you will pay the price for your sin.
Beloved, I beg of you, do not take on your sin-debt on your own. The bill has been settled at the cross. Receive God’s mercy and grace today.

Bigger

What are you asking God for today? What do you imagine He will do in your situation? My friend, you need to pray bolder and imagine bigger. Why do I say that? Because the Bible says, “Now, to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine . . .” (Eph 3:20). Whatever you’re asking, and however you think God will move, is so much less than He has in mind.
Take the disciples. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, they were content to spend their lives casting nets over the side of a boat as fishermen. Jesus said, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt 4:19). They had no idea how big that might be, but they were the first seeds of God’s plan to change the world. Even after spending more than three years in ministry with Him, they still had such a small vision of who He was and what He came to do. After His resurrection, he met two of His disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. When He asked them what they were discussing, they explained that they were talking about “Jesus of Nazareth” (I almost envision the Lord chuckling to Himself), who had died just three days before. They said, “We had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:13-21). But they were thinking too small because Jesus came to redeem all of mankind, not just one nation.
But there’s something else I want you to see – something God revealed to me I’d never seen before. Look back at Ephesians 3:20 – what is the first word? “Now.” Now indicates a continuation of the previous thought. What was Paul’s previous thought? He was praying to the Father for the believers in Ephesus, that they might be strengthened with the power of His Spirit, that they would have faith, and that they would be “rooted and established in love” and “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” and know this “love that surpasses knowledge.” And get this: that they “may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:14-19).
Then he said, “God is able to do more than all [I’m] asking.” Sit in that for a minute. God promises immeasurable love, unfathomable knowledge, and incalculable power. Can you imagine how the Lord could move through us if we believed God for all that? Imagine bigger, Beloved, this is God we’re talking about.

Rotten Sin

My mom had been after me all day to clean up my room, so I made my bed, tidied my desk, then scooped up armfuls of clothes and toys and shoved them all under my bed. There it stayed until mom’s nose caught a whiff of something rancid while I was at school one day. She dug under my bed and found a half-eaten tuna fish sandwich, which was now turning into a science experiment. By the time I got home, she had stewed all day. I believe I was grounded for the rest of my life.
In 2 Samuel 11, David fell into grievous sin by ogling and then sleeping with the wife of one of his soldiers. When she sent word that she was pregnant, he called for Uriah, her husband, to bring a report back from the battle with the intent that he would spend the night with his wife and would assume that the baby was his.
But Uriah refused the luxuries his compatriots didn’t have. After two nights of sleeping at the entrance to the palace with the royal servants, David sent him back to the battle with a note to his commander to put Uriah in the fiercest fighting, then pull everyone back so that the man would be killed. When news of Uriah’s death came, David feigned sympathy and even married Bathsheba in order to give his best soldier’s baby a royal life. What a great king he was in the eyes of his people.
But not in the eyes of God. The last verse of chapter 11 says, “But the thing David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Sam 11:27). The more he tried to cover it up, the worse the situation became. Lust became adultery, which became murder, and it was all wrapped in lies. But David could not conceal his sin from God. Moses told the Israelites, “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Num 32:23). Neither can you nor I. “Nothing is all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb 4:13).
Our sin becomes a stench in God’s nostrils. He saw it all as it unfolded. We must come to Him in honest confession, rather than adding layers to our sin, trying to hide it. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). Beloved, bring it all to God. Today. Confess your sin and let the Father do what He does best: cleanse you and make you whiter than snow (Ps 51:7).

Patience

I actually wrote this a few years ago, but when I came across it this morning, I felt compelled to post it again, if for nobody else, at least for myself. Lately, I have struggled mightily with this concept and tried to dodge the word altogether.

“Patience with others is love.
Patience with self is hope.
Patience with God is faith.”
Adel Bestavros, Egyptian lawyer, teacher, scholar, and preacher.

I love this. It is so simple and yet so profound. Love for others is expressed in patience. Hope comes when we are patient with ourselves and our struggles. But I was most intrigued by the last of the three statements: “Patience with God is faith.” But I’ve always taught that faith, by definition, is a belief that leads to action. Faith in God caused the Israelites to step between the walls of water and walk on dry ground. Faith had Joshua and the people march around the walls of Jericho to bring them down and take the city. Jesus said that “Faith as small as a mustard seed” can move mountains (Matt 17:20). Yes! That’s the kind of faith I want!
But then I looked more closely at the Scriptures, and I discovered that faith also involves a lot of waiting. Noah waited in the ark. Abraham waited for God’s promised child. David waited for his throne. The disciples waited for the Holy Spirit. And they waited because they had faith. But faith in what? The psalmist said: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope” (Ps 130: 5). They waited for the Lord. They had faith in Him. They had patience with God.
Now I’m not by nature a patient person. I hate red lights. I tell the microwave to “Hurry up!” I tap my foot impatiently at the coffee pot. And when my laptop drags, and it does it a lot, I get very aggravated. But I’m learning to be more patient, and my teacher is my granddaughter. She is very much an “I will do this myself” kid, which honestly can really frustrate me at times. But I’m trying to learn to wait while she finds and puts on her shoes, grabs whatever doll or stuffy or toy that has to go with her, and slowly climbs into her car seat, buckles in her baby, and then herself. Yes, it takes what seems like forever to do the things that I could do in a matter of minutes, but I wait because that is how she learns, and it’s how you and I learn, too.
We learn that God is trustworthy and faithful. We learn that He is good and kind. We learn that He is mighty and perfect in all His ways. And we learn most of all that He loves us. And that is why we can wait for Him. Beloved, do you have faith in God? Then be patient.

The Way of Holiness

I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean . . .” Leviticus 11:44
When God prepares a people for a great move on His part, He always calls them to repentance – confessing and turning away from sin, and consecration – setting oneself apart exclusively for the Lord. Prior to the exodus out of Egypt, the people were to cleanse their houses and anoint their doorframes with the blood of a Lamb. By this, they rid their homes of impurities and were set apart from the Egyptians, who would suffer the wrath of God. Just before they crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, the Israelites were commanded to consecrate themselves “for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5).
All four gospels note the calling of John the Baptist, who was sent to “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him” (Mark 1:3). In the first-century world, before a king came to visit one of his cities, the call would go out to level the roads on his path. John was also calling for “straight paths” before the coming King, but it was a call to repentance and consecration. It was a call for the people to prepare their hearts for the Lord.
American Christians have pleaded with God for a great move of His Spirit in the United States. We want God to “do amazing things among us.” But are we hearing the call to prepare the way for Him? Are we heeding the command to repentance? Are we consecrating ourselves unto the Lord? Are we willing to let go of everything, no matter how attractive or comfortable, that draws our hearts away? Are there attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, rights, and worldly influences that you and I need to turn from in order to make way for the Lord?
I believe God is getting ready to do a great work in this nation. But it will require people who are willing to set everything aside to join Him. That means whole-hearted devotion to Christ and an unwillingness to compromise with the world. I also believe a great battle is coming in this nation; the lines have already been drawn in our culture and our courts.
We need to get ready, not like doomsday preppers with storehouses of canned provisions. We need to get ready with our lives. Only people with pure, consecrated hearts will be able to stand firm in the face of it what’s ahead.
Beloved, do you want to see God do amazing things? Are you willing to set yourself apart exclusively for Christ?