Tag: foundation

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Luke Devotionals

Our foundation

Luke

I’ve talked about Jesus’ baptism before in a previous blog about how when the Father looked upon Jesus, he said, “You are my Son. I love you. I am well pleased with you.”

And one of my points was that God essentially says the same thing to us as his children.

But there’s one thing I want you to note here: When did the Father say all these things to him?

After Jesus had started preaching? After he had started performing miracles? After the cross?

No, the Father said this before Jesus had done any of these things.

The foundation of the Father’s love for Jesus was not the ministry Jesus did. Rather, the foundation for Jesus’ ministry was the love the Father had for him.

That’s why it didn’t matter to Jesus what other people thought of him.

That’s why when others hurt or even betrayed him, he was able to forgive them.

His foundation in ministry and in life was the love the Father had for him.

What is the foundation of your ministry and life?

Is it the fact that the Father looks at you and says, “You are my son. You are my daughter. I love you. I am well pleased with you”?

Categories
Hebrews

The foundation of our faith

Faith is

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. (Hebrews 11:1-2)

A lot of people see these verses, and think of them as the definition of faith.

But how often do we think about what exactly we are putting our faith in? How can we be sure of what we hope for, if the object of our faith is not reliable?

How can we be certain of what we do not see, if the one who makes the promises we rely on is powerless to fulfill them?

And so our faith starts and ends with God.

Who is he? Does he even exist? If he exists, does he really care for us? Is he trustworthy? Will he keep his promises to us? Is he even capable of keeping his promises?

This whole first section addresses these questions. The writer of Hebrews says in verse 6,

Anyone who comes to him must believe that [God] exists.

This is the one basic truth that lies at the foundation of our faith. That there is a God. That he truly exists.

Granted that, does he really care about us? Or did he just create us on a whim, and hasn’t given us a second thought since?

The writer answers that too.

He rewards those who earnestly seek him. (6b)

In other words, God does pay attention. He does care about us and what we do. And when we seek him, he does reward us.

But even granted that he wants to reward us for seeking him, does he have the power to do so?

The writer tells us in verse 3,

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

If everything was created at God’s command by things that were not even visible, does he not have the power to do anything he desires? Of course he does.

So in these verses we see the foundation of our faith. God exists. He cares. And he has the power to do what he has promised.

The only question is: do we truly believe these things in our heart? And will we put our trust in him?

A chair can be made of the strongest wood and put together by the finest craftsman. It is totally reliable, and it’s reliability is totally independent of what people may think about it.

But a person will not sit in it unless he or she first trusts it.

In the same way, God exists, he cares, and he has the power to do all that he has promised. All these things are real, and their reality is totally independent of whether we believe them or not.

But unless we truly believe these things, we will not put our trust in God.

How about you? Do you truly believe these things? How you answer that question will not only affect your relationship with God, but how you live the rest of your life.

We’ll talk more about that tomorrow.

Categories
Acts

Only men

Pedestal

As I read this passage, I think of the number of high profile pastors that have fallen over the years. People that were put on a pedestal only to be knocked down. And with their fall, everyone was reminded that they were only men.

Yet it is so easy to put people on that pedestal. Perhaps because God is intangible, we like to put people up that we can see as our examples, as the ones we admire and follow. But they are only men (or women).

That’s something we all need to remember, both leaders and those who follow.

It was something that Paul certainly kept in mind.

When he and Barnabas went to Lystra, they healed a man in Jesus’ name. And when the crowd saw this, they immediately wanted to worship them as gods.

The reason was that in their mythology, Zeus and Hermes had come to earth posing as humans once before. Most of the people had ill-treated them and were punished, while the one couple that had welcomed them was rewarded.

Determined not to repeat that mistake, the people tried to offer sacrifices to them. But Paul and Barnabas cried out,

Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you.

We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God… (Acts 14:15)

Yet despite their words of protestation, they still had trouble stopping the people from sacrificing to them.

Paul faced a similar problem in Corinth, where people in the church this time were arguing about which leader was the greatest. But Paul asked them,

Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? (1 Corinthians 1:13)

And again,

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe–as the Lord has assigned to each his task.

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7)

It is always dangerous to put even the godliest of men or women on a pedestal.

They are only human.

And humans fail.

Humans let us down.

And if our faith is in them, rather than God, they will ultimately let us down. And then where will we be?

Paul warns us,

Each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)

What foundation are you laying your faith on? On your pastor? On your favorite author or speaker? Or on Jesus Christ?

Always remember that it is only Jesus who is a sure foundation. And the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame or be dismayed. (Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:6)