FAITH has been established by God as the means by which He transmits ALL His blessings and benefits to us. That includes knowledge of Him, forgiveness, salvation, justification, redemption, reconciliation, the control of the Holy Spirit, peace, guidance, hope, assurance, and joy. His grace is lavished on us, has no limits and when we are connected to it, we have a continuous supply of everything we need at all times and in every situation. Faith is sorta like the wire that brings electricity from the power stations into your house. If that wire is cut, or absent, or too small, the power (Grace) that reaches you…is diminished or cut off. The power is still there, but not to you.

Romans 4 uses Abraham as an example of the right kind of faith. The faith that God accepts is what Abraham had…he “believed God.” What does that mean? He believed in his heart that God always told the truth. He believed in a big God, one Who created the universe, Who was absolutely sovereign, Who could raise the dead, Who knew everything, and Who had limitless power. He believed that God was absolutely trustworthy, that He was always present, and always did what He promised–and that God loved him. The weakest believer can do the same, and the strongest–can do no more. THAT was the faith that God counted, imputed, credited to Abraham as righteousness (and to us today). Faith has no value of itself, the value is in the object of the faith.

This faith always produces a lifestyle and mindset that is different from the world’s! BELIEF CAUSES BEHAVIOR! A crummy mindset produces lousy behavior. Look at the behavior listed in Romans 1:29-32 when God let them develop their own crummy depraved minds! This means faith is the one thing that we MUST have to please God, or know Him, and that unbelief is a huge affront to Him.

So what is the best way to increase, strengthen and reinforce your faith? Newell says, by considering the character and resources of God! I like that. Not just reading the Bible, but taking the time and effort to study and consider, and meditate on the incredible infinite and glorious character of God, and be immersed in the infinite limitless resources of His power and wisdom. Faith makes the realities of God real to our experience.

Here are a few thoughts I remember from reading A. W. Tozer’s book, The Knowledge of the Holy (have you read it yet?):

God (alone) perfectly knows Himself, and He knows all that can be known about everything. He knows it instantly, to a perfect degree, which includes everything that exists or could exist or did exist anywhere, any time in the past or in the future. He knows it effortlessly, whether mind, creature, laws, relations, causes, thrones, dominions, personalities, visible or invisible in heaven or earth or space, including life, death, good, evil, heaven and hell, and all creatures, spirits, and creations [unknown to us].  He knows them all perfectly and equally well. He never discovers anything or learns anything, is never surprised and does not seek information or ask questions, except to test us. His knowledge and wisdom are infinite…there is no end to them, no limits. The same is true of His power.

I love trying to get my handles around all that, and then ask myself, “Can I trust that God?!” I wrote to a friend recently some other reasons we can trust God: “Not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled, not one has failed” (Joshua 23:14). How about that! AND…God is absolutely sovereign. He has no limits, He created everything that exists, and loved you so much that He died in agony…for you.  He said that He will never leave you, He has given you everything you need for life and godliness, and He loves you. This from a God who knows everything.

Focus your thoughts on those two paragraphs. See if it doesn’t lift your whole brain to breathe celestial air where you can, and DO trust [this] God with everything in your life…today! When you do, stress will fade away. Stress is not part of the “fruit of the Spirit.”

“Nothing so relieves suffering and misery as a spirit of non-resistance.” Isn’t that an interesting observation! But most of us don’t go that route–instead we grumble, gripe, fuss, fret, and think of ways to “get even.” The foundation of non-resistance in your thinking is that you recognize that God is sovereign, and that nothing is incidental, accidental, or wasted. The Bible says that “all things work together for good.” Very few of us actually believe that!  The end result is great perplexity. But I read this week that “[Jesus] has no perplexity.”¹

Perplexity arises when I insist on understanding everything, that is, when I am resisting, not submitting to God’s infinite wisdom for me. It’s a symptom of the fact that I have not “died to self” and like all men, “have turned to my own way.” There is no peace in that place, only stress, frustration, perplexity.

Are these words true today?  YES!  I believe that submission to God and faith in His sovereignty is the only way to handle enormous stress–it is beyond our understanding. If there is to be any peace, it must come from a firm reliance on a God who is proven trustworthy, Almighty, and loving. There will always be much that we cannot understand. That is why the Bible says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding…” Proverbs 3:5, NLT. When we can’t understand, and can’t handle the pressure…we can choose to trust in our God, who does.

¹See Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest.

The word “some” has interesting implications. In Luke 21:16, Jesus said “some of you (not all) will be put to death…” He didn’t tell them who that would be, and that leaves us knowing that the Christian life involves risk (exposure to possible loss or injury). The risk and its outcome are not made known to us. Have you thought about that? John Piper’s book, Don’t Waste Your Life, has incited me to do some serious thinking here. I looked up the word “some” and found it everywhere. I realized that these things refer not to ugly sinners, but in most cases, faithful saints.  It made me take a deep breath!

“Some” (not all)–will die, some are sick, some starve, drown, are misunderstood, killed with the sword, tortured, imprisoned, beaten, maligned, sawn in two, stoned, beheaded, hung, crucified, run out of town, robbed, shot, raped, abused, stressed, destitute, depressed, in despair, poor, and hungry–and more! Hmmm. Some of the saints have developed and died from leukemia, cancer, arthritis, polio, heart trouble, stoke, dementia, and Parkinson’s. Some have been involved in terrible accidents.

So why take the risk of following Christ, and what good is prayer? Hey, wrong questions!! What is really amazing is that God loves us, and not only provides continuously for what He knows we need from day to day, but also for our salvation and future joy in His presence forever.

We are sinners and live in a sinful world that has utterly rejected God, and yet we enjoy undeserved blessings of all kinds. God never promised comfort and ease in this life. He said we would have trouble and difficulty, but He also promised (and delivers) the inner power that enables us to be loving and patient, and He enables us to not only endure life, but to actually count it joy. That is why we can have a really “Merry Christmas” even in the midst of heavy trials.

How we process the troubles and hard times of life reveals a great deal about us, and what we believe!

Christmas means different things to different people. To most, it is a heartwarming time with family and friends. To many children, it’s about presents and Santa. To merchants, it means a season when many retailers finally begin making money.

But if you were go back seven hundred years before the birth of Christ and ask the prophet Isaiah what it means to him, he would tell you Christmas is about the birth of a special child:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

We hear these words each Christmas season during the singing of Handel’s Messiah. This profound message is that God Himself would come to earth as both King and Savior.

Most Jews were waiting for the Messiah to deliver Israel from Roman oppression. They were looking for a Messiah of power and authority. But God had a different plan. He chose to send His son as a humble servant whose primary mission was to die for our sins (see Philippians 2:5-11).

The writers of the New Testament present Jesus as both fully human and fully God. Isaiah had said as much when he foretold the Messiah coming to earth as both child and Mighty God. Confirming the words of Isaiah, the apostle Paul writes of Jesus:

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17)

What would motivate the Creator of everything that exists to step down from his lofty position as the sovereign ruler of the universe to become one of us? Jesus tells us that he came because God loves us–each of us.

The wonderful meaning of Christmas is that Jesus came to rescue us from the death sentence caused by our sin, and to give us hope and peace with God. He did it because he cares for you and me, and wants to adopt us into his family–now and forever.

Why not take time this Christmas to reflect on God’s great gift to you? The one who created you is the same one who came to earth and died for you!

In a world filled with corruption and selfishness, there is tremendous hope in knowing that God cares. And he promises eternal life to all who believe in Jesus. Can you think of a greater reason to celebrate Christmas?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John3:16)

The article “Why Jesus?” explains how Jesus can bring real meaning to your life: http://www.y-jesus.com/why_jesus1r.php.

“Why Jesus?” is also available to download in PDF format at http://y-jesus.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2010/07/WHY-JESUS.pdf

(Chinese – 耶穌與我何干？)
(Dutch – Doet Jezus er vandaag de dag toe?)
(Hindi – क्यों यीशु? यीशु आज प्रासंगिक है?)
(Indonesian – Apakah Yesus masih relevan sekarang?)
(Italian – Gesu’ e` Attinente Alla Vita di Oggigiorno?)
(Japanese – イエス関連する今日ですか?)
(Spanish – ¿Es Jesús Relevante Hoy?)
(Swahili – Yesu ni Muhimu Leo?)
(Urdu – حضرت عیسی علیہ السلام متعلقہ آج ہے؟)

This blog was written by our friends at Y-Jesus.com and is reproduced here with their permission.

“A child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David.” (Isaiah 9:6-7, NLT)

Roughly 700 years after Isaiah uttered this prophecy concerning the coming Messiah, the Gospels tell us, the long-awaited announcement is heralded by an angel. This angel came, not to awaiting multitudes, but to a lowly peasant woman, who was told she would birth the Savior, sans husband.

The young woman, Mary, was engaged to a village carpenter named Joseph. But when Mary told Joseph what the angel had spoken, explaining that she was already pregnant with the child, Joseph obviously assumed an illicit relationship and moved to quietly dissolve the engagement.

But the Gospel of Matthew tells us that an angelic messenger related to Joseph in a dream that what Mary had claimed was actually true. In fact, it must have been quite a dream, for it compelled him to believe Mary. In the history of unplanned pregnancies, this was probably not the first time such a story was told. It was, in all likelihood, the first time it was believed.

The Gospels relate that the child was born in Bethlehem, this being the town of Joseph’s origin. Everyone needed to return to their ancestral home to fulfill the requirements of a Roman census. As Bethlehem brimmed with returning pilgrims, the family was forced to stay in a barn. Perhaps this was God’s plan, or perhaps Joseph just didn’t plan, but we are left viewing irony itself: Mary gave birth to a son, Jesus, and laid the world’s Messiah in a feeding trough for animals.

A homeless drunk, with a $10 billion bank account, sleeping under Chicago bridges is not nearly as pathetic (foolish, insane) as a Christian, indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, who is still living a spiritually crummy, self-centered life.

Narrow is the gate…few there be that find it… (Matthew 7:14). As it was in the days of Noah…(Matthew 24:37) only eight were saved! The laborers (for the harvest ) are few (Luke 10:2). The church is wallowing in the world’s value system, events, and entertainment. Few are serious about trusting and obeying our loving, Almighty God. We Christians look, dress, act, talk, lie, cheat, and get divorced just like non-Christians, and therefore have virtually no impact on our hurting world, occasional church atttendance and Bible reading notwithstanding. Very few understand how to live so as to reflect the image and character of God, yet that is what God designed us to do.

There is a constant barrage–nearly continuous admonition and preaching about what we are supposed to do, and think, and how to relate to others, to our spouse, neighbor, and boss. There is perhaps even more information on what we are not to do, and think. Information is not the problem. Ignorance cannot be used as an excuse for living a sinful, self-centered life–we do it deliberately knowing that awful consequences will follow. For example, the incredible devastation when a pastor has an affair. They know better!–and do it anyway–lots of them! The question is not what is God’s will…but, how can I be and do all that God requires?

I believe this is what is missing in the church today. It is not being taught and emphasized, in fact, it is rarely even mentioned as a serious need. Yet this is God’s ONLY provision for a daily life that pleases Him, and bears much fruit.

The Bible repeatedly, consistently reveals God’s plan for Christian (holy) living. It is for everyone, and it is simple…CHRIST IN YOU. “I can’t, but He can!” Faith simply takes what God gives. Simple. We actually have the life of the risen Christ IN us. Real living is then, by faith, allowing Him to direct our thinking and actions…day by day.  It’s a simple choice we can make…today, and a few of us will!

I heard an E.R. doctor say the other day that no one ever takes responsibility for his troubles. When a man comes in with a bullet would, he almost always says, “I was minding my own business, and this guy walked up and shot me.” The truth–he was doing a drug deal that went bad. It’s human nature, when things go badly, someone else is to blame–the boss, the other driver, a co-worker, your spouse, your background, the economy, the neighbor’s dog–whatever.

The same type of thinking applies when we are afraid of something in the future. “It won’t happen because the other guy is too big, too strong, too smart for me,” we say. A vivid example of this is in Numbers 13 and 14, when Israel sent Joshua and Caleb to spy out the land that God had promised to give them. Their conclusion: Impossible! “The people there are powerful, the cities are fortified and very large…they are stronger than we are…we seemed like grasshoppers.” NO faith in the Almighty God of the universe who had promised to give them victory!

The problem was not the enemy! Isn’t that easy for us to recognize? The problem was they did not believe or trust God! Isn’t that just the way it is with us? We look at some problem, and forgetting about our omnipotent God…give up, stumble into depression and frustration thinking that the problem is the problem, and it is beyond us. There is no such thing as a problem for which God is not adequate! And that was the case in Numbers 13, but it took them another 40 years to learn it. How long is it going to take for you and I to learn to trust God completely…for everything? How long would it take to shift the focus of your thinking about what is threatening to eat you for lunch, to the fact that God is all you could ever need, He is there, He never leaves, He is totally trustworthy, and He loves you?

So in Numbers 13, the problem was not the size and strength of the enemy (the problem), it was their own fault for thinking that God had lied to them by promising something He was not going to deliver. Wouldn’t it be grand if we would all learn from their example!

When you lose, you muse, and then choose. That is a potential pathway for depression. You lose something, (or are blocked, thwarted, diverted from what you wanted) then you muse (think about it) and then . . . choose what to do next. The loss may be something material like your tooth brush, or intangible such as information you need for a test. It can be insignificant, or extremely serious, such as the death of a loved one. It happens to all of us, and frequently! How you think (muse) and choose to process these daily losses is of tremendous importance to you.

I want to suggest that God has given every believer the ability to choose to trust Him in all these daily events so as to avoid depression, anxiety, and anger. Let me share with you why this is so:

The Bible says that God has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness; that nothing can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:35), that God loves us so much that He suffered and died for us, and that He lives in us right now in all His resurrection power and glory.  The Bible says to be thankful for everything, to rejoice all the time, to ask Him for what we need, to never grumble or complain(!).  It says that in Christ we are complete, lacking nothing, and that we are forgiven, accepted, adopted into His family, and given His new life that will last forever.  It says that we have a fantastic, unbelievable, absolutely sure future ahead. Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble and stress, but “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The fruit of the Spirit (in us) is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, and the like.  (No depression, anger, or worry there!)  And in Philippians 4:8, the Bible tells us what to think (muse) about–stuff like “whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.” The next time you lose–try going there to muse! How you muse when you lose is the key, isn’t it?  You have little or no control over the “lose”, but can choose how you “muse”–that is, what you focus on.

This is of such great importance to so many, that I want to give you two excellent wells from which to draw:

Jim Cymbala’s book, Fresh Faith, Chapter 8 (Overcoming Discouragement) is really helpful here. Here is one quote from it: “The most spiritual person in the world is tempted to get discouraged.”

And a book by Jim Berg called Changed into His Image. Appendix B. Short excellent chapters address believers who are “Angry, Hurting, Pressured and Depressed.”

Take the time to draw deeply from these wells.

Suppose your old roommate had become an insane, paranoid, vicious, convicted serial killer. The police called to tell you that he had just escaped from a nearby maximum security facility five miles from your house and had left a note that because you had offended him once, he was planning to come to your house to kill you and your family. What would be your response to that news?

Well, it would depend. It would depend on whether or not you believed it was true–was it from a source that you could really trust?

And I could tell from what you did next whether you believed it was true or not. If you put bars and locks on the doors and windows, bought an AK-47, put three Dobermans in the yard, turned on all the lights and hid in the basement, I would think you believed it. But if you said, “Ho hum, no problem, it’s all nonsense” and went on with business and life as usual . . . I would be sure that you did not believe it.

Now think with me about the principle here. The Bible says that heaven is real, that I am going to spend all of eternity there with God, that God is real, and He loves and cares for me, and He is coming again; that sin, selfishness, immorality, and the like always carry terrible, awful, miserable consequences. Could you tell by watching my responses, and by the way I live, if I believe this? Absolutely.

The evidence that we believers DON’T believe God’s Word is that we spend very little time in Bible study and prayer, pay little attention to His warnings and commands and then spend most of our energy, money, and time on things that do not matter. So the question is–when people watch us, what do they conclude we believe about God?