Monday... So what kind of faith do we need today?

Matthew 9:1 (NLT), "Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town."

Monday... So what kind of faith do we need today?

Matthew 9:1 (NLT) says, "Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town." And that takes faith, doesn't it?

For some they just need faith to get up, get ready, get in their vehicle and go off to work. For some just the ride needs faith and then the job. God is right there with you. Just reach out to him and ask him for protection.

Now today is a holiday here in the USA but on a normal Monday, sending your kids off to school takes faith. Every morning after I read the Bible, I lift by faith and by name every member of my family up to God in prayer. I do that by faith.

Verse 2 says, "Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, 'Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven." Yes, bringing our sins to God takes faith.

I am reading over in Exodus of all the animal sacrifices that people needed to do in so many areas of their lives and there was a certain sacrifice that they needed to bring for their sins. Now some religious leaders who were teachers of the law were in the crowd and they said to themselves in verse 3, "That's blasphemy! Does he think he is God?" And the answer of course was, "Yes".

Now verses 4-6 said, "Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, 'Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts? Is it easier to say "'Your sins are forgiven,'" or "'Stand up and walk?'" So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority to forgive sins.' Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!'"

Now this matter of believing that Jesus can and will forgive us of our sins takes faith today. It really does. Back then it took so much faith. And for many today who have lived lives in deep sin they toomust have so much faith to believe that if they bring by faith, their sins, all their sins and they confess them to God and believe then it means that their sins are gone. And that takes a lot of faith to believe that but it is true. This is the reason why Jesus, the Son Of God, came to this earth to through his death be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

"Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!'" The people who brought this man to be healed brought him in faith but the man doing what Jesus told him to do also took faith. Verse 7a says, "And the man jumped up and went home!"

Is there some difficulty in your life where you need help? Yes, there may be people around us who have faith but at some point we also need to really believe, to have faith and we too need, to stand up, pick up our mat, and go home!

Now a little later in this chapter, a woman believed she would be healed if she just touched the hem of his garment and verse 22 says, "Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, 'Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.' And the woman was healed at that moment.

And then a leader of the synagogue had a daughter who had died and he came to Jesus and said in verse 18b, "But you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her."

Verses 23-26 says, "When Jesus arrived at the official's home, he saw the noisy crowed and heard their funeral music. 'Get out!' he told them. 'The girl isn't dead; she's only asleep.' But the crowd laughed at him. After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside."

Now we can be one of the laughers but we can also be one of the believers. It is our choice. So what kind of faith do we need today? Yes, God is close by and ready. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do

Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT), "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you set in place - what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do. No, not the fact that I can go out my front door and look out at night at the marvels of the sky. I can do that and it is amazing and it takes my breath away each time I see it. Yes, that is a fact but the reality of who did that and the wisdom and the faith that I have to believe that and to marvel that the one who did that cares about me makes such a difference in how I live my life. Yes, God really does. That is so wonderful for us to believe. And that is why faith and wisdom are so important. Now whatever belief you have at how that marvel happened must also be believed through faith. And the sad thing to me is that more and more people have been taught that there is no God and therefore he did not have a h...

Tuesday... Each one of us see and describe what we are going through differently but...

Tuesday... Each one of us see and describe what we are going through differently but... We each one have our own way of explaining what we are going through, don't we? Some of us are maximisers, other are minimizers and neither one is better. We each one are different and we see what we are facing differently but no matter what it is and how you see it and describe it, God can handle it! Now the writer of Psalm 46 shows the extremes. In verse 1 he states the basic reality and then he moves on into our fears and he maximizes them to make sure we really understand. Here is what Psalm 46:1-3 (NLT) says, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!" So what do you fear? The Amplified Bible says verse 1 this way, "God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable], a very presen...

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless. It really can. I have found that unless I give the correct email of my wife then I can't get what I wanted. I put an extra i in her email and I have been working for 5 days to get it changed. Unless has been useless. The writer of Psalm 94 uses this word and shows how important it is. Verses 17-19 (NLT) says, "Unless the Lord had helped me, I would have soon settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, 'I'm slipping!' but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." "Unless the Lord had helped me." So many people go on and on and on striving to live their life on their own but they keep slipping and doubting and living without hope and cheer. Yes the Lord has such unfailing love for us, he really does but unless we have a relationship with him and we turn to him and ask him for help then the unless turns in to useless because h...

Todays Beginning

Search This Blog