There is a marked difference between believing God exists, and trusting Him. In this message, we look at the healing of the nobleman’s son, and we follow his progression from simply believing the words of Christ to truly trusting in the Lord as his Savior.
Tag: Jesus
If You Knew Jesus Better…
The reason we are not where we want to be Spiritually is because we don’t know the Lord as well as we should. If we knew Jesus better, we’d see His compassion, pray more, trust more, and tell others about Him.
Refining Our Faith
In the book of Psalms, how many times does King David ask the Lord to search him, to examine him and to evaluate his heart?
That can be a frightening request to make of the Lord.
It’s frightening because the Lord is going to find flaws, and once He does, those flaws will need to be corrected, and that will probably be an unpleasant experience, even though the sinner is better off for it.
However, King David is able to make that request in faith, because he understands that the Lord will use that for his transformation.
So, in Psalm 17:3, David is able to confidently tell God, “Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.”
The proving of David’s heart carries with it the notion of testing and refining metal. The reason David could speak so confidently with the Lord about his own character is that he knew God would examine him, refine him, examine him, and refine him some more.
As one would take multiple steps to purify gold, or to refine steel, God took multiple steps to examine and refine David, putting David through the refining process multiple times until he became the man God intended on him being.
This is not a pleasant experience. God works through the trials of our faith to refine us into the people He intended on us being. (1 Peter 1:7)
Peter tells us that, while these trials of our faith cause us heaviness, the refining process of our souls is of greater value and importance than the refining of gold.
Not only does the suffering brought on by our trials refine our faith, but it also strengthens us, giving us endurance and hope. (Romans 5:3-5)
Through this process, we become who God wants us to be, faithful people who are grateful for the blessings He has given, who are anxiously awaiting His return.
So, if you are going through the refining process right now, take heart. I know the process has lasted longer than you thought you could endure, and I know that at times it’s excruciating and heartbreaking.
What I can tell you is that none of this is wasted, and every bit of it is creating you to be the person God designed you to be, and the person God designed you to be is far more magnificent than anything you could imagine.
I don’t know what is next for you, but I can promise you, that as you go through this refining process, the day is coming when you can stand before the Lord, confidently as King David, saying “Here I am, you searched me, tried me, and refined me, and I am here to enter your Kingdom!”
The victory is coming. Peace is coming. Rest is coming. Hang in there.
Rock On!
The funeral was officiated by three Christian ministers and one Jewish rabbi.
The deceased was a lifelong Christian who had lost her 20-year battle with a debilitating. The three Christian ministers were close members of her family and the Jewish rabbi was a friend she had made at a rehab clinic.
Despite the differences in religion, Christians and Jews often get along with each other in these situations and are often respectful toward each other’s beliefs, and in this situation, I expected no less.
What I did not expect, however, was a Gospel sermon from the Jewish rabbi.
The rabbi was not Messianic, and did not believe in Jesus the way Christians do, yet, as he discussed Psalm 18:2, I was taken by his presentation on the word, “Rock.”
“The LORD is my Rock,” he said, as he quoted the verse. “This word, ‘rock,’ comes from a Hebrew word that has a deep meaning.”
He went on to explain that the “Rock” referred to a cliff, or a steep place, often with a cleft, or a cave hewn out. It was a place to retreat to, and in King David’s case, you often find him in scripture hiding in such caves in the cliffs and up hillsides as he fled from Saul, or Absalom.
Indeed, as David fled to the cliffside caves, we can flee to the Lord. He can be our place of refuge. Psalm 18:2 goes on to discuss the Lord being our strength, our high tower, our castle, basically our defense.
The Lord is our refuge, our deliverer, and our strength. But this rabbi took it one step further.
“This word for ‘rock’ also carries with it the notion of being struck. The rock itself has been struck.”
And he began to talk about how God sacrifices for us. He didn’t go so far as to preach Jesus, but the Gospel parallel was there.
After the funeral, I visited with the rabbi, and brought up how the word “rock,” as he defined it, pointed directly to Jesus.
“Absolutely, it can be interpreted that way,” he said. “And I often speak to Christian churches to show them that.”
We discussed the theology of “rock” for a while before dispersing, and I left there with a new understanding of a verse that I had so often read, but never really considered.
So, the Lord is our Rock. Jesus Christ is our Rock. He is our refuge, our defender, and our deliverer because He was struck for our sins on our behalf.
Life gives us a million reasons to fear. And then, through our own over-thinking, we give ourselves a million more reasons to fear. But… we only need one reason to be at peace, to be courageous and have faith. And that reason is Jesus Christ, the Rock of our salvation.
May God bless you with peace and confidence today.
Leland Acker 