Believe, have Faith, Trust the LORD

I wonder on the regular, what am I doing and where is the LORD in it all. I am sure that situations and circumstances have come up that are very difficult to see to the other side on. There is a lack of understanding as to the path forward and frankly if deliverance will be achieved.

The LORD has a plan and as I have noted on many occasions in my writing, that plan is way more that I can understand or fathom. Everything is in His design and has an outcome that may be far from known or seen by us. The Israelite escape from Egypt is an example.

The LORD had delivered the Israelites from the rule of Pharaoh. Then, He had them turn back slightly at the edge of the Red Sea. Yes, they turned back when they could have just kept going and felt as though they were getting away for good. I don’t know about you, but given the choice to keep running and escape or turn back and wait, I would keep going. The LORD told Moses that He was going to conquer the Egyptians. And, Moses being Moses led the people back and as expected, they were concerned.

“¹¹They said to Moses, ‘Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? ¹²Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: “Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians”? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.’” – Exodus 14:11-12 (ESV)

The people expressed their lack of belief, faith, and trust in the LORD in this moment of fear. But, the LORD again had plans that the people were not able to see.

“⁴And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.” – Exodus 14:4 (ESV)

Now, we know the rest of the story that the people made it across the Red Sea on dry ground and Pharaoh and his army perished in the sea. So, the LORD did as He said and fully delivered the people from the Egyptians.

Here is where I was going with things this morning. We see the story of this escape as the great escape, and it was. But it is not without its drama. What I see is the lack of belief, faith, and trust in the LORD by those same Israelites that had already been delivered from the immediate rule of Egypt. And yet they did not believe the LORD would continue to do so even just a few days later.

I find myself in this exact situation all the time. I will ask the LORD for deliverance and then take things into my own hands because I am not getting the result I think I should be getting. I know that the LORD will deliver me, as He has done so many times before and will continue to do so. But I continue the trying to do things on my own thanks to my lack of belief, faith, and trust in Him. And, you know what, the LORD knows I will, and He continues His work despite my doubt.

My pastor indicates that doubt is okay, because is generates questions to generate understanding, leading to belief. Therefor, I will continue to question to gain belief. I will have faith, and trust that the LORD will do His work despite of me as He wants nothing but the best for me.

Where is your belief, faith, and trust in the LORD? Are you in a position where you are lacking in any or all of them? What if instead of not believing or having faith or trusting in Him, you questioned to understand and know that He will deliver?

Added to the Family of God

I think about all that takes place to be added to a family here in this world. Well first there is the natural order of child birth. That is not the simplest of things and takes a good amount of time. Second, there is adoption and that can be time consuming and expensive and there is a lot of work to be done. There is a lot to it being added to a family here in this world. What about to be added to the family of God?

“⁴¹So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls…⁴⁶And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” — Acts 2: 41 & 46-47 (ESV)

I read this morning in Acts that what is required to be added to the family of God is receiving the Word of God. Only the need to hear and be added. All can happen in a few minutes. No long time to prepare. No money needed. Only to believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord and to devote yourself to Him.

“²¹And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’” — Mark 10:21 (ESV)

The only requirement is to believe and follow Christ to be added to the family of God. It is not hard to be added, and the cost does not seem high. There is only to follow Christ and believe in Him to be added. And as noted from the rich young man’s story in the following verse, it is still more than most are willing to commit.

“²²Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” — Mark 10:22 (ESV)

Being added to the family is an undertaking. Whether it is adding to this worldly family and going through all the work and or time it takes. Or is it being added to the family of God and giving all of yourself to Him. Either is something that takes commitment. Although to become a member of the family of God is easy in the actions needed and only takes a moment, it is not to be done without the commitment to Christ. The devotion to Him is an in kind devotion He has to me. I have to give all of myself to Him and know that for it, I have received salvation and a relationship with Him, and my final rewards are not of this world, but in heaven.

It is worth the commitment to me. I have family here in this world that took work and continues to do so each day. I have been added to the family of God and where being added was not as difficult, my commitment is one that takes work and continues each day.

What does being added to the family of God look like to you? Are you resistant to the thought of what is required? What if you accepted the Word of God to be added to the family and then committed to the work that continues each subsequent day?

Believe and Be Justified

There are no works that I have to do in order to be justified. I cannot “win” God over by extraordinary gestures. I cannot buy my way to justification with a load of money. Being famous (not that I am) does me no go in the eyes of God. It is only my belief in Him that allows me to be justified. In fact, my justification thanks to belief in Him is really in spite of all that I might do or have.

“³For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’ ²For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.” — Romans 4:3&2 (ESV)

All that Abraham had was of nothing in the eyes of God. Abraham could have been boasting to all that he had and did in the world and where the world may have been impressed, he would not and did not impress God. It was through his belief in God that Abraham was counted as righteous and for which God justified him.

I am the same. It is not what I do or what I have that makes me who I am in the eyes of God. It is my belief in Him and only my belief in Him. Yes, I do have work to do in His name and that should not be counted out, but it is in His name only after my belief and faith in Him. I do the works, as I have studied and written before, because of my justification not to earn it.

What are you doing to be justified by God? Are you out there working yourself ragged to “earn” your justification in the eyes of God? What if you simply believed in Him and turned your faith to Him and then did the works because of your justification?