The Author and Finisher of Faith

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud
 of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance
 and the sin which so easily entangles us,
and let us run with endurance
 the race that is set before us,

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him
endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand
of the throne of God.

For consider Him who has endured
such hostility by sinners against Himself,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
[Hebrews 12:1-3 NASB95]

I recently memorized these verses of Hebrews and have been considering Jesus...
"so that I will not grow weary and lose heart.”

But my dilemma is this...How can I run with endurance the race that is set before me? Do I have that kind of faith?

This morning the answer came...Jesus writes the law of faith on my heart, and He will finish it according to His will, not mine! I can rest on this promise:

For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 

[Romans 9:15-16 NASB95]

It does not depend on my will or on my willingness to run, nor does it depend on my speed or endurance. God will accomplish His perfect will in me - in His time and according to His purpose.

All I have to do is continually open my heart to His penmanship!

Power Perfected in Weakness

Like anyone who would contemplate the power of God and the suffering of mankind, I have often thought about the question of why God allows suffering in this world.

Many people turn away from God when they are confronted with suffering because they cannot (or don't want to) find an answer to this question.

There are many reasons why people suffer, mostly because we live in a world broken and cursed by sin. The apostle Paul understood suffering more than most, first by causing many saints to suffer in his brutal pre-Christian zeal, then by suffering the same fate from his fellow Jewish zealots and their merciless Roman rulers.

Paul also understood the grace of God and the power that comes through suffering for Christ's sake.

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Why is power perfected in weakness? Because our testimony is polished by turmoil, and shines brighter against the dark backdrop of tribulation and distress. As a follower of Christ, suffering can be a Force Multiplier for our testimony. God is glorified and his righteousness is demonstrated even more fully when we develop and maintain our testimony through trials and the death of our flesh.

The suffering and death of Christ is the ultimate foundational testimony of God’s mercy and righteousness, through which we are reconciled to God and introduced to grace.

To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. Ephesians 3:8-10

Who sees this testimony? Not only those on earth but “the rulers and authorities in heavenly places!” 

My conclusion is this:

Whether we stand before kings or walk before kids, whether we preach to multitudes or suffer alone, our lives testify to the host of heaven against the forces of darkness!

“So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth.”” ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭6‬:‭3

Faith #6: The New Covenant

Number 6 on my top 10 reasons for faith in Jesus is the New Covenant - the covenant of Grace, sealed by the blood of Jesus, which provides the promise of redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life.

The Bible describes many covenants between God and men. Here are a few:

• The covenant with Noah (Genesis 9) - the promise of natural order based on Noah's faith and sealed by the shedding of blood.
• The covenant with Abram (Genesis 15) - the promise of land based on Abram's faith and sealed by the shedding of blood.
• The covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17) - the promise to make Abraham the father of many nations through faith and sealed by the shedding of blood in circumcision.
• The covenant with Israel  (Exodus 19) - the Law given through Moses that effectively became the constitution for the nation of Israel. This covenant was also sealed by the shedding of blood. This covenant promised blessings or curses conditioned by Israel keeping the covenant.
• The covenant with David (2 Samuel 7) - the promise of God to establish the Kingdom of David and the everlasting kingdom of his descendant, prophesying the Messianic age.
• The promised covenant of grace (Jeremiah 31) that would be fulfilled by the coming Messiah.

The fact that this ancient faith prophesied its own fulfillment in a way that its most ardent proponents did not even understand is testimony to the truth of the Gospel. The prophets of the Old Testament even prophesied the rejection of the Messiah and the obsolescence of the old covenant of blessings or curses. This mysterious ending was intentionally hidden until it was fulfilled and revealed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him... (Isaiah 11:1-2)

The covenant of faith remains, sealed for all time by the blood of Jesus and available to people of every nation because of His resurrection and enthronement at the right hand of God. The covenant with Israel and the Law of Moses with its Levitical priesthood was made obsolete at the same time by the priesthood of Jesus.

What we are left with from now until the end of this age is what all Christians trust and believe, which is the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ at his right hand, ruling our hearts through the power of his Holy Spirit. The kingdoms of this world and our own sinful flesh remain to be destroyed at his coming. It is this promise, the hope of glory, that gives me faith to live in this present age.

Do I Love God - Unconditionally?

I was directed to the last chapter of the Gospel of John today by my Biblehub reading plan. I find that the more I read the Bible, the more the Word of God speaks to me.

Today Jesus asks the question of Peter - Do you love Me more than these? The word love here comes from the Greek word Agapao - in this context, Do you prefer to be with me and respect my wishes above all others, even your closest friends? I have always understood this kind of love to be unconditional, the way God loves us, putting our spiritual welfare above the cost of His very own life, even when we are in rebellion against Him. It struck me as odd today to apply that Godly love from us toward God.

Jesus asks Peter again - Do you love Me (really)? Again the Greek word for unconditional love is used, and again Peter answers the same - Yes Lord, you know that I love you (affectionately). Perhaps Peter is unwilling to commit to unconditional love, or perhaps Peter wants to emphasize that he has a special affection for the Lord.

Regardless, Jesus asks Peter a third time - Do you love me (affectionately)? This time Jesus asks Peter the same question with a different word for love (Phileo), and this time Peter is deeply grieved. He recalls that he denied the Lord three times, and this third question brings that painful memory into bold relief. Lord, you know everything; you KNOW that I love you (with all my heart).

Peter recalls how his love for Jesus was conditioned on his mistaken concept of His coming kingdom. He was probably disappointed that this man in whom he had placed his complete confidence did not establish an earthly kingdom and destroy the enemies of the Jewish people. He was disillusioned because his King had apparently been defeated and Peter was next in line to be led to the cross. Peter was ready to FIGHT, but not to lay down his life in a sacrificial act of mercy. And Peter knew that the Lord Jesus could read his mind, could understand his confusion and fear, but could also understand his sincere desire to follow Him.

Of course, the gifts and calling of the Lord are irrevocable, and as promised Jesus accepted Peter's repentance and made him the first pastor of His flock on earth.

Seeing this chapter again made me think - do I love God unconditionally? What if I feel like God has somehow let me down, or is somehow different than my expectations? Will I continue to love Him when things don't work out as I hoped and prayed? I hear people question God in the midst of personal crises, but I hope for better things in my own life. Pray with me if you wish:

I need to know you Lord, and I need to trust you enough to love you even when I don't understand. Please enlarge my faith dear Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus and for His kingdom's sake!

Dancing in the Fire

I'm wearing a pair of shoes that don't match any more. One shoe is almost new; the other is worn out and blackened, with holes in the nylon mesh and crusty shoelaces. Let me explain...

Saturday was a very windy day in Katy, and much colder than the day before. We had four grandchildren at the house along with their parents, and we had a charcoal grill ready to go. I had cleaned the grill with some paper towels soaked in cooking oil while the fire was hot, and tossed these in the trash bag in the garage. After dinner we wanted to have a fire in the fire pit and enjoy what would probably be the last cold day before summer, which starts early in this part of the world.

Hurriedly I put the grill away and got out the fire pit. In my rush I dumped the fire pit ashes in the trash bag, thinking they were cool. You can probably guess the rest of the story, or not.

About ten minutes later, while I was watching the grandkids madly running around the back yard, my younger son looked in the garage and shouted, THE GARAGE IS ON FIRE. I bolted to the garage to see a nine-foot-tall blaze reaching to the ceiling and quickly filling the garage with smoke. The fire was starting to engulf the front of my wife's car and spreading across the indoor-outdoor carpet in all directions. The only thought that crossed my mind was to keep the flames from getting under the car, and without really thinking clearly I decided to try to stomp the fire out with my right shoe. The first step or two were wildly risky, but thankfully the flames were quickly reduced to knee-high flames and my other son came to the rescue with the garden hose just in time to save me from setting my clothes on fire.

When all this commotion finally came to an end, I was a nervous wreck. It didn't take long to realize what a miracle had just occurred. That flame could have easily brought down our house if it had gone unattended for even one more minute. Only a few feet away I had a gasoline can with a gallon of fuel mix in it. When I looked around I realized that NOTHING had been damaged except about ten square feet of indoor-outdoor carpet, and one almost-new sneaker. I was deeply humiliated about my hurried decisions that led to this conflagration. I could not believe the grace of God that spared me the terrible damage it could have caused.

For just a few moments it might have looked like I was dancing in that fire. I thought about the story in the book of Daniel where the Hebrew children were walking around in the flames unharmed. I know the Son of God was with me because not a single hair on my body was singed. Yes my right shoe was partially melted, but that's just a reminder to me of God's protection and mercy that was extended to me absolutely undeserved. As King Nebuchadnezzar said,

"Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,

who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!"

Daniel 3:28

Aaron's God

Shortly after Moses led the nation of Israel out of Egypt, Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 elders went up on Mt. Sinai and to see God. He was standing on pavement that had an appearance like clear blue sapphire (Ex. 24:9). These men had a close encounter with the eternal God, yet God withheld His consuming fire and allowed these men to eat and drink and return to their camp in the wilderness.

A few days later while Moses was still on the mountain, the people of Israel came and told Aaron to make a new god to go before them. Aaron did not hesitate or council them to turn back to the one true God, but immediately used his God-given gift to fashion a molten idol from their gold jewelry.

It's hard to believe somebody with great authority like Aaron could have a direct, personal encounter with God and then turn away to false gods so quickly. What happened to the "Angel of God" who was sent to lead them through the wilderness into the promised land? He did not leave them; they simply weren't following. You see, the people of Israel weren't really following Christ, they were following Moses. When Moses was gone, it became apparent that they didn't really have true faith.

I've had extended times in my life where I was only living to please Christians, instead of living to please Christ. It's pretty hard to tell the difference from the outside, but during this time I knew on the inside that I had become weak in faith. Like the children of Israel I spent years wandering around the wilderness following whoever I was with on that day of the week. I even encountered God directly at times, but my mind quickly wandered back to my wilderness, and my heart and spirit gradually grew cold.

Aaron didn't have a strong personal faith in God, and he allowed Israel to stray into idolatry, even making the very idol that brought God's wrath. Yet by God's mercy, Aaron remained the high priest and patriarch of the Levitical priesthood. Aaron and the rest of Israel were under the covenant of the law. Moses and his protege Joshua were under the covenant of grace. In a manner of speaking Aaron's god was Moses, who kept him under the bondage of the Torah law until the age of grace came to all men through Jesus Christ. With the exception of a few great men and women of faith, the entire nation of Israel was under this law of sin and death.

I think God sometimes allows godly men like Moses to be drawn away from their followers to separate those who are following God from those who are following men. It is times like these that test our faith and reveal whether it is built on an everlasting foundation. When I finally realized that I was following men and not God, I became desperate to find a deeper personal faith that could not be shaken. Praise God, I think I found it!