BELIEF IN THE MIDST OF A SEA OF UNBELIEF

Written by FAVORED1 on June 23, 2010 – 8:16 am -

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I Am He. I do nothing on My own but say only what the Father taught Me. And the One who sent Me is with Me—He has not deserted Me. For I always do what pleases Him.” Then many who heard Him say these things believed in Him. Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

[John 8:28-31]

BELIEF IN THE MIDST OF A SEA OF UNBELIEF

Good Morning Beloved,

What a beautiful day! I hope you’re having a good one. “The people who believed in Him”, grabs my attention in this text. To fully appreciate this, we have to read the whole chapter. Remember the woman caught in the act of adultury? Yeah… this exchange occurred after that. The Pharisees questioned Jesus… relentlessly. They were always trying to find a fault in Him. Hoping that He would slip up and say or do something they could use against Him. What ended up happening? People in the crowd heard the truth and believed on Him. In the middle of all of the great thinkers, powerful leaders and naysayers, people still believed. In our society, the “great thinkers and powerful leaders” have become increasing wise and subtle in their tactics. Same spirit… different methods. Their goal is still to discredit Jesus. Another strategy that I’ve noticed is to make Jesus seem boring and “uncool” (which is crazy… Jesus is the epitome of “cool”). Have you noticed how folks are able to take somthing that should be common sense, and completely switch it upside down? (good evil.. evil good) My family and I love Orlando Florida. While on vacation at Universal Studios, it began to downpour. We’re used to seeing that, but what caught my attention… was that there was an entertainer on stage.. and the show was not canceled. In the midst of pouring rain, lightning, and thunder … nobody moved. They continued to rock to the guy on stage who spoke of all that was “messed up”. He talked about current events… the oil spill, the wars, the immigration laws. His solution to the problems… “give me some liquor in a big ‘ole cup so you and me can be what… Messed Up!” … seriously… that’s what he actually said. I thought about how many folks skip church when it rains, or if it is too hot or too cold. If someone gets on our nerves or we feel tired we skip it. Interesting. Not only were these folks braving the elements to see their guy, but they were HAPPY about it. Mind you… the vast population had no umbrella or covering, but they were smiling, laughing, dancing and jumping up and down in excitement. Nothing “dampened” their joy. This is how it was with “the people” who heard Jesus, and how it should be with us as 21st century disciples of Jesus. Food for thought, how do we present Jesus in our everyday life. Honestly, are we unwittingly presenting Jesus as boring? ..an afterthought? Do we carry the attitude that I’ve had my “fun” back in the day, now I’ve settled down, gotten serious and I’m living for God. Is there something that is more interesting to us than God? Do we not realize that God desires to be part of everything that we are part of (). YEP. We are, as Paul describes, “an ambassador in bonds”. Think of it like this.. we’re handcuffed to Jesus. Wherever we go, He goes.. Whatever we’re doing .. He’s doing. Does that strike fear or faith in your heart? He’s our friend to no end. He is not frowning at us as we relax by the pool. He is not standing outside when we’re in the annual Board Meeting. He is a part of us.. so is His Word. The goal is soul winning and the Bible tells us that those who win souls are wise. He will use our personality and His Word that is imbedded in our heart to reach those around us. Jesus said He would never leave nor forsake us. He also said that whoever is ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of in front of His Father and the Angels. Stuff that tends to grab our headlines will be completely meaningless then. We won’t care who’s sleeping with whom, how much so and so made in their last film, or the latest piece of juicy gossip. It will all seem so silly. We will see that it was all basically a distraction to keep us from what was truly important. The Pharisees were well-educated and sharply dressed. They appeared Holy men who had it “going on”. Yet, people were able to look past their brilliance and see the Truth. The good news is that we have the ability to do the same. No matter what is going on around us, we are able to see Jesus. We see His brilliance. We believe Him even though we’ve never physically seen Him. We know Him to be real. We know His Word to be Truth. We know that after all is said and done, He will stand alone … triumphant over every other school of thought. We are blessed to know Him. Let us be the ones who can stand in the storms of life, dancing, singing and smiling… knowing that the God of our Salvation has everything in control and will take that mess and squeeze a blessing out of it…