Believing Is Obeying

Do you believe in Jesus?  How do you know you believe? The Gospel of John has a clear answer.

John 3:16 is an often quoted verse in the Bible.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16; NASB).  How do we have eternal life?  The answer is believing in Jesus as the Son of God for the salvation of our soul. But, what does it mean to “believe?” The Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines believe as “to expect or hope with confidence; to trust.” Webster defines trust as “Confidence; a reliance or resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship or other sound principle of another person.” To believe in Jesus is to put our complete trust in his Way, his Truth, and his Life (John 14:6). When we rely totally on him as the way to Truth, we find life.

            By aligning our thinking, feeling, and actions with the teachings of Jesus, we can rest assured we believe in Him. Obeying is the way to believing as John chapter 3 is summed up in the last verse, “The one who believes in the Son has everlasting life. And the one who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36; RSV). This also tells us when we’re NOT believing. If we are not obeying Jesus, we are not believing, and therefore, will NOT have eternal life.

            Even the Old Testament links the idea of showing one’s devotion to God by submission to his ways. Prior to Jesus’ arrival on earth (as the ultimate sacrifice), the Jews following God’s commands, used animal sacrifice for remission of sin.  The Bible also says, “What is more pleasing to the Lord:  your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?  Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). The purest tangible offering to God, is not as valuable as the intangible devotion of heart. Our affections,  motivations, and attitudes toward his ways, reflect what God really means to us. We esteem God by showing our submission to His divine order for all things.

Believing is Jesus shows our gratitude for what He accomplished as the Savior from our sin and shame condition. Not all people believe, and therefore, not all will have eternal life. The reason why is also mentioned by Jesus, “ … men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” (John 3:19b-21, NASB).

            Aligning our hearts with the Truth is a process. We are all born with a broken (unbelieving) heart. Only Jesus can put our hearts together to become whole (believing) persons. We are born into darkness, but believing in Jesus brings us into the Light.  “He who practices the truth, comes into the Light.” Being “born again” (described at the beginning of John 3) starts the process. As we “practice” our believing, more and more of the dark, broken pieces of our hearts come into the Light.  As we obey more, we trust more, and our belief becomes stronger.

             The daily, sometimes moment to moment decision to obey Jesus, is the only path to believing. Whether we were born again yesterday or many years ago, believing is obeying, and obeying is believing.  And if you’re not born again? Why not start believing right now.

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

Trust Triumphs Through Trying Times

Like the constant drip of a leaky faucet, is the reminder of human frailty when facing a chronic health condition, disability, or terminal illness. In situations like these, the definition of healing seems to change as time moves on.  Our perspective of God is key to moving our natural reactions of fear,  to supernatural responses of faith.  Refuge and healing of more than the natural body are found in God and are of eternal value.  

This past week we attended a clebration of life service for a good friend Carol Witmer.  Her death followed a five year illness from a rare cancer.  I am so impressed by her perspective in what she wrote before her heath that I include it here.  

“One morning while listening to God and praying for the healing of my body it seemed God was saying, “I have a bigger picture than simply healing your earthly body—trust me." So, I trusted God in his bewildering, puzzling, troubling but perfect plan even though I was not able to see it fully at that moment. During the past year and a half I had a deep sense that God's larger, grand, more complete plan was unfolding.

The key for me was to trust! Whether I received answers to why things happened the way they did or not, I knew I needed Jesus far more than I needed understanding. I didn't understand, so I trusted!

God sees and knows the bigger, more comprehensive plan for your life, too. Trust Him!

When I got the news that my lungs were cluttered with masses that didn't belong there, my first thought was friends that do not have a relationship with Jesus. Is that you? My immediate silent prayer was, “Lord, let this journey with suffering that I am about to embrace lead them to you!"

I hope that my brief time on this earth inspired you to find your way back to relationship with God. Because Jesus' suffering on the cross gave me such life, it didn't seem too much if my suffering helped you find Christ!

Each of us are created to be in relationship with God, and that is what he longs for. He searches for ways to reach your soul.

Now I’m celebrating my new life with Jesus in Heaven! I’m finally seeing God, my Father, face to face! And now I am able to understand truths that, while on Earth, I could only believe in faith!

My earthly choices are now finished.

I chose Jesus, and I chose to trust.

You are still making your choices.

Choose Jesus!

Love,

Carol” 

Choosing Jesus in the midst of a difficult physical condition is similar to choosing Jesus with a mental or emotional struggle as well.  We have a choice. We can choose to trust God and surrender to him the rights to be Judge in a situation that seems unjust, unfair, or unloving.  Or we can allow ourselves to be overcome by bitterness, resentment, and hatred.   Understanding does not bring freedom, but trusting God does.  Trusting God to be big enough to make right even the greatest wrong that has been done to us, gives release to  unwarrrented demands for justice.  

Forgiveness is God’s way of making wrongs right.  We have a choice to trust and cooperate with God’s ways, or continue to rely on our own understanding in working things out (Proverbs 3:5-6).  Even as a follower of Jesus, our choices to trust must continue beyond an initial born-again experience.  Choosing Jesus is believing and trusting that He has accomplished all the forgiveness that is ever needed to take care of our offenses, and the offenses of others against us.  Trusting and practicing forgiveness determines the condition of our core inner being.  Refuge, healing, peace, and calm are truly known by choosing Jesus.   Choose Jesus, each moment of each day!

A song that has helped me through many of my own trying times is "Yet I Will Praise."  Here is a link to listen to a version by Andy Park:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL7LycA4y3Y

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry