Help My Unbelief

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Romans 12:3)

In the context of this verse, Paul is concerned that people were thinking of themselves “more highly than [they] ought to think.” His final remedy for this pride is to say that not only are spiritual gifts a work of God’s free grace in our lives, but so also is the very faith with which we use those gifts. “. . . each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

This means that every possible ground of boasting is taken away from us. How can we boast if even the qualification for receiving gifts is also a gift?

This truth has a profound impact on how we pray. Jesus gives us the example in Luke 22:31–32. Before Peter denies him three times Jesus says to him, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus prays for Peter’s faith to be sustained even through the sin of denial, because he knows that God is the one who gives faith. So we should pray the way Jesus did — for ourselves and for others that God would sustain our faith.

Thus, the man with the epileptic son cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). This is a good prayer. It acknowledges that without God we cannot believe as we ought to believe.

Let us pray daily, “O Lord, thank you for my faith. Sustain it. Strengthen it. Deepen it. Don’t let it fail. Make it the power of my life, so that in everything I do, you get the glory as the great Giver. Amen.”

John Piper

When the lead goose gets tired...

BIBLE MEDITATION:

For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

How powerful it is when we work together in unity! I was reading about how Canadian geese always fly in a “V” formation. Have you ever wondered why? Because the lead goose is moving the wind resistance for the rest of them. So while he is flapping real hard, the rest of them are cruising. After a while, the lead goose gets tired and he falls back and the next goose moves up.

Do you know what scientists have discovered in the wind tunnel experiments? That geese flying in a “V” formation can fly 72% farther than one goose could fly by himself. Now who taught them to do that? God did.

ACTION POINT:

What are you trying to do by yourself that could be more efficiently accomplished when the task is shared? 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Never Ending Prayer

1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

2 And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 

3 Give us each day our daily bread, 

4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."  - Luke 11:1-4

You are a sinner!

Some have repented.

Some have not.

As long as you live here on this earth, you will be bent toward sin. 

So, with this in mind, when you pray, always as the Lord for forgiveness. 

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 

49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 

51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;  - Luke 1:47-51

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

16 since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,

18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you

21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

24 for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 

25 but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you.  - 1 Peter 1:13-25

Divine decree!

God is offering salvation!

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"  - Luke 3:6

The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.  - Isaiah 52:10

The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.  - Psalm 98:2

Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen." - Acts 28:28

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. - Titus 2:11-14

Faith for the Future

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

If “all the promises of God find their Yes in [Jesus],” then to trust him now in the present is to believe that his promises will come true.

Those are not two separate faiths — trusting him, and believing in his promises. Trusting Jesus — believing in Jesus for salvation — means believing that he keeps his word. Being satisfied in the crucified and risen Jesus includes the belief that at every future moment, to all eternity, nothing will separate us from his love, or keep him from working all things together for our good. And that “good” is ultimately seeing and savoring the beauty and worth of God in Christ as our supreme treasure.

The confidence that this all-satisfying good will be there for us forever is based on all the glorious grace of the past, especially the grace that God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all (Romans 8:32).

We need to taste now the spiritual beauty of God in all his past achievements — especially the death and resurrection of Christ for our sins — and in all his promises. Rooted in this past grace, our confidence and trust lay hold on all that God himself will be for us in the next moment, and in the next month, and in the endless ages of eternity.

It is he and he alone who will satisfy the soul in the future. And we must be sure of this future, if we are to live the radical Christian lives that Christ calls us to live here and now.

If our present enjoyment of Christ now — our present faith — does not have in it the Yes to all God’s promises, it will not embrace the power for radical service in the strength that God (in every future moment) will supply (1 Peter 4:11).

My prayer is that reflecting like this on the nature of faith in future grace will help us avoid superficial, oversimplified statements about believing the promises of God. It is a deep and wonderful thing.

John Piper 

Slipping into neutral and letting life happen

BIBLE MEDITATION:

…this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. Philippians 3:13

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Nehemiah was a man who knew how to get alone with God. He fasted, prayed, and wept; then God told him what to do.

Have you done that? Have you sacrificed and surrendered to the Lord to discover His will for your life? Or are you just putting yourself into neutral and letting life happen to you? Do you have a focus?

God has something that He wants you to do. You are special to God. Nehemiah said, “God had laid something on my heart.” If you’ll listen, God will lay something on your heart.

ACTION POINT:

Get alone with God. Discover what He wants from your life to do His will.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Sweetest Act Of A Servant Heart

13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." - John 4:13-14

they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.  - Isaiah 49:10

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. - John 6:35

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." - John 6:51

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" - John 7:37-38

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 

17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."  - Revelation 7:16-17

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" - John 7:38

The Highest Calling In Life

Life is brief!

What do you do with your life?

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him,

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,

4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.

5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?"

7 Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand."

8 Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me."

9 Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!"

10 Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you."

11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean."

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you?

13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.

14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, 'He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.'

19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.

20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me." - John 13:1-20

1. Give your life to the one who created it.

Give your life to Jesus.

Serve Him with all your heart and mind.

How do you live your life to the highest level?

Serve others.

Encourage others.

Minister to others. 

You are blessed, therefore bless others!

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. - Philippians 2:3-4

2. Understand your identity.

Are you secure enough in your identity to serve others?

Be humble.

Don't think highly of yourself because every task in the kingdom of heaven is important.

3. Get busy.

So much darkness, can you be the light?

Christ will use you!

He has given you talents.

Find God's will for you.

Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. - John 4:35

Thanks Pastor Kevin!