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Devotion Archive

True Faith: Judgement #114
4th June 2010

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Good Morning Cherished Ones of God,

We have finally arrived at the final segment of this long series, True Faith, based on the Sermon on the Mount from MT 5-7. It will take us a little while to do what God tells me we must do. That is to examine our faith. Let's begin by asking: Can a person know for certain that he possesses the Kingdom of heaven? Some answers people give are: "I'm a good person and have lived by the Golden Rule, MT 7: 12, 'Do for others what you want them to do for you: this is the meaning of the Law of Moses and of the teachings of the prophets.'" Another answer is "I have been baptized." "I'm a member of a church," "I walked the aisle and gave my life to Jesus," and "I've always been a Christian since birth," are yet others. One person polled said, "God is a God of love, and He wouldn't send anyone to hell." Another said, "I've invited Jesus Christ into my life, and I believe in Him. Therefore, I 'm saved." Still another person said, "I prayed a prayer and asked Christ to come and live inside me, and I believe He did."

If we notice, all these answers involve something that happened in the past-either someone believed or did something. So perhaps a more accurate way to assess the condition of one's faith is to ask: What present evidence is in your life that shows you are a child of God? 2 COR 13: 5, "Put yourselves to the test and judge yourselves, to find out whether you are living in faith. Surely you know that Christ Jesus is in you?-unless you have completely failed." We need to pray, using PS 139: 23-24 and LAM 3: 40, "Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me and discover my thoughts. Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way...Let us examine our ways and turn back to the Lord." We must also remember 1 COR 10: 13, "Every test that you have experience is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with away out."

If we could only point back to our past experience as the only evidence of our salvation, then, why is it necessary to test if we are really in the faith? The verb "put" in 2 COR 13: 5 is in the present tense, not the past, indicating a continuous examination of whether or not Christ is in us, leading our lives. A problem arises when someone joins a church, is baptized, and sits in the back of the congregation at Sunday services only. That person, who has no on-going involvement in the church, is denying himself the opportunity to grow through serving, finding many ways to worship, and getting further education available in Bible studies etc. That person won't lose his salvation, but his spiritual maturity is stunted in its forward growth. So, the question here is: Is his faith true? 2 TIM 2: 19 gives us insight. "But the solid foundation that God has laid cannot be shaken; and it are written these words: 'The Lord knows those who are His' and 'Whoever says that he belongs to the Lord must turn away from wrongdoing.'" A Scriptures that supports this is HE 4: 13, "There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before His eyes. And it is to Him that we must all give an account of ourselves." The only way a believer knows he belongs to Jesus Christ and possesses the Kingdom of heaven is by testimony of his changed life, his present and continuous life of overall obedience.

I took a class, MasterLife by Avery T. Willis, in which we were trained to give our testimony before a group. It was much easier for me to write about God than it was to write about myself and how God intervened in my life to make me a true believer. You all know how long and hard it was for God to work on a stubborn but seeking traditional Jew and convert her to a believing and active Messianic Jew-one who went against a lifetime of conditioning to the otherwise and accepted Christ as her personal Savior and King. We were given a very rough outline of what we needed to cover, and it was up to us to fill in the history of our lives before and after the Lord Jesus entered it. My past life, I call it "BC" for Before Christ, was very painful, and it was difficult to talk about it in front of a group, some of whom I didn't know well. But it had to be done, and God knew this, because He needed to build humility into me to replace my anger and rebellion. Obedience to God is the opposite of rebellion, and this I had learned from GA 5: 16-17. "What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature. For what our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants. These two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do." Some of you know that one of my hobbies is old time radio and TV. One of the radio shows I sometimes hear is "The Bickersons" played by Frances Langford and Don Amiche. This is a couple who argues all the time, but their arguments are hilarious. They reveal some of the rebellion people exhibit in their own lives. Ironically, their cat is named "Nature Boy." This humorous stab at human frailty rings with a lot of truth. And yes, the cat is indeed as rebellious as his owners. More to come next week on human rebellion and obedience to God.

PRAYER: O Lord, we are so very poor in Spirit when we first come before Your mighty throne. We asked in the past to be given salvation, justification, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and eternal forgiveness in professing our faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ. We repented of our sin at that time in preparation for these gifts, and You gave them to us. However, You have also said repeatedly that we must become matured in that faith by living "in Christ" [HE 5: 13-14]. Some of us didn't know what to do; others began making time every day to be in Your word and to pray. It was as You have said in EPH 2: 8-10, "For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it. God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus, He has created us for a life of good deeds, which He has already prepared for us to do." It is through Your grace that Your carefully measured challenges have been allowed in our lives, so that we might be strengthened and matured through them. You never left us twisting in the wind either. Instead, You gave us prayer possible with Your promise to always be listening at any time of day or night, any day of the year. Then, there is Your word, both OT and NT, that helps give us a path to follow [2 TIM 3: 16-17]. PS 86: 5, 7; PS 145: 17-18, "You are good to us and forgiving, full of constant love for all who pray to You...I call to You in times of trouble, because You answer my prayers...The Lord is righteous in all He does, merciful in all His acts. He is near to those who call to Him, who called to Him with sincerity." We stand by the well of Your living water, and You quench our thirst for what we can learn from You. By the challenges we overcome, You strengthen us. PHIL 4: 13, "We can do anything through the strength Christ gives us." Our hearts are full of thanks and praise for You, and to You all the glory must be given [PS 115: 1]. We pray in the holy, mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Next Week: As mentioned above, we'll look at human rebellion and obedience to God as a part of this examination of our heart attitudes [faith]. We must remember the wonderful definition of faith given in HE 11: 1, "To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see." Having faith is tied to being a true believer in Jesus Christ. None of us have met Him face to face, but we have been given this amazing promise in PS 17: 15, "And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see You face to face." My own motivation and that of other believers is found in 2 COR 4: 18, "...What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever." Living "in Christ" has its tremendous rewards, both on earth and in heaven. The "peace that goes beyond human understanding" [PHIL 4: 7] is imparted to people who make a tough decision to pass through the "narrow gate to the hard path to eternal life" [MT 7: 13-14]. When a believing loved one is called home to the Lord, we have the promise that he is fully healed and being welcomed to his permanent home in heaven. We are also told that with our own endurance in faith, we will be reunited with ones in heaven who have gone there before us. That gives us peace and eventual acceptance of God's decisions as righteous and in that person's best eternal interests. Our God loves people who live righteously and will reward them accordingly. 2 COR 5: 10, "For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by Him. Each one will receive what he deserves, according to everything he has done, good or bad, in his bodily life." We will never meet up with a fairer Judge, than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Praise, honor, and glory be to Him!

Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15

© Lynn Johnson 2012. All Rights Reserved.

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