Where is Your Faith?
This morning we had a good group of men for our study of the book of Luke. We discussed Luke 8:16-25. The passage ends with this question from Jesus to His disciples, "Where is your faith?" It is a good question for all of us. Do we have faith in Jesus or in something else? Do we have trouble trusting Him in certain situations, so that our faith is missing at times? No matter how you look at His question, it is vital, because without faith, we can't please Him.
The disciples had seen Jesus work enough miracles and speak enough truth to know that He was the Messiah. However, when the boat started to sink, they feared for their lives. They did not realize He could calm the storm. Why did they not realize that? Perhaps their focus was on the fact that He had a spiritual ministry, so they did not think He could impact nature or the world in general. That is a serious error, and we make it all of the time. I hear people say that they believe in Jesus. What they mean is they believe He can and does forgive sins. However, they do not know He is Lord of all, so there is nothing that is not under His control. There is nothing He can't do to help them.
Some times people don't think Jesus works in ordinary things, because they prayed once and asked Him for something that He did not grant at that time. Therefore, they give up on God. They need to hear what Jesus said in Luke 8:18. He told us to be careful about how we hear or listen. The key to hearing is that we not only hear, but we obey. When we hear and obey, He gives us more and more, because He knows our faith is in the right place. When we fail to hear and obey, even what we have will be taken away. Why would God give us more insight or blessing, if He knew we would not obey Him? It would be an incentive to continue doing things our own way.
So, tomorrow, when you come upon a storm or even a little trouble, remember Jesus cares, and He can take care of you. Trust Him, not just in the "spiritual" stuff, but in everything by listening and obeying.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Number 13-15.
The disciples had seen Jesus work enough miracles and speak enough truth to know that He was the Messiah. However, when the boat started to sink, they feared for their lives. They did not realize He could calm the storm. Why did they not realize that? Perhaps their focus was on the fact that He had a spiritual ministry, so they did not think He could impact nature or the world in general. That is a serious error, and we make it all of the time. I hear people say that they believe in Jesus. What they mean is they believe He can and does forgive sins. However, they do not know He is Lord of all, so there is nothing that is not under His control. There is nothing He can't do to help them.
Some times people don't think Jesus works in ordinary things, because they prayed once and asked Him for something that He did not grant at that time. Therefore, they give up on God. They need to hear what Jesus said in Luke 8:18. He told us to be careful about how we hear or listen. The key to hearing is that we not only hear, but we obey. When we hear and obey, He gives us more and more, because He knows our faith is in the right place. When we fail to hear and obey, even what we have will be taken away. Why would God give us more insight or blessing, if He knew we would not obey Him? It would be an incentive to continue doing things our own way.
So, tomorrow, when you come upon a storm or even a little trouble, remember Jesus cares, and He can take care of you. Trust Him, not just in the "spiritual" stuff, but in everything by listening and obeying.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Number 13-15.