Where Is Your Faith

"Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me." When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? "But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces!

Luke 7:23-25

Storms Of Life

At times we feel like the disciples in that boat. There are storms in our lives. Storms that look so big and dangerous that the mere thought of them makes us feel swamped. They make you wonder if God really knows what He's doing. If will really survive the wind and the waves. In fear and despair we cry out. "Father! I'm going to drown!" Yet He was there all the time, in control, not worried. He responded with miraculous power. And amazing as that was, it's not what caught my attention in this story.

Where Is Your Faith

Rather, it was Jesus' question. "Where is your faith?" He asked. I wonder what was going through His mind. Why did He say that? Why did He choose those particular words? He didn't launch into some long lecture. No. He asked a simple, pointed question. Where is your faith? And the question remains today. Where is our faith? We're all in our boats on the lake of life, making the journey to the other side of the shore. Can we believe that He has brought us to this, and He will take us through?

The Captain Knows

He may not instantly rebuke and remove the storms in our life, but that doesn't mean we will drown. There are other things to learn that miracles can't teach. Where is our faith? The faith that God who has always been there is still there. Faith for the unseen. Faith to place my trust and hope in Him completely. Perhaps when Jesus poised that question to His disciples, it was another way of saying, "Why are you so upset and frightened? Didn't you know that I was here? Didn't you know that I would keep you from drowning? I'm God!" The waves continue to crash about us. We feel so very tired. But our anchor holds. Our captain knows the course.

Watch, Trust, And See

"Who is this?" the disciples asked. So must we ask ourselves. Who is this in our boat of life? This is Jesus. He controls the real wind and waves as well as the ones in our lives. He can do anything. And when we know someone who can do anything, why waste time with worrying about drowning? We might still be afraid, and we might even get wet in the process. But where is our faith? Watch, trust and see what He will do-it may well just be a miracle!

One Thing I Know

The one thing I know in life that I have learned that never changes-
It is the love of God.
Yesterday, today, and forever it remains the same.
He will not leave us.
He is a love that will not walk away.

Ministry Is About Investing In People

All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."

Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.
At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.
His dominion is an eternal dominion;
his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

All the peoples of the earth
are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases
with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand
or say to him: "What have you done?"

At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Daniel 4:28-37

The Pride Of A King

After being warned by Daniel about his pride, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar was struck with insanity. The Lord restored his mind, but only after he spent 7 years in a field thinking he was a wild animal. Nebuchadnezzar went from boasting, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for . . . the honor of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30) to a humble prayer: "I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven" (Daniel 4:37). He had repented of prideful empire building.

Insightful Commentary

Bible teacher J. Vernon McGee expressed concern about empire building in the church today. He advised Christian leaders, "Don't try to build a little empire of your church. I started out with that viewpoint, and I had never been more unhappy." He encouraged them to "build into the lives of people" and leave the results to God.

Invest In People

When a church devotes undue energy to statistics, buildings, and programs, pride can enter in and the needs of God's people can be forgotten. Jesus never forgot the importance of individuals. He invested His time in 12 men (See Mark 3:14). Paul discipled Timothy who in turn discipled others (See 2 Timothy 2:2). God's kingdom grows when we invest in people.

A Prayer For Boldness

"And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the LORD and against His Christ.'

'For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.' And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness."

Acts 4:23-31

God's Word Is Sufficient

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward. Who can understand his errors?Cleanse me from secret faults.Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."
Psalm 19:7-14

God's Word Converts The Soul

God's Word is comprehensive, embodying all that is necessary to one's spiritual life. Thus, David said,God's perfect law affects us by "converting the soul" (Psalm 19:7). The word "converting" means "restore," "reviving," or "refreshing," but an even better synonym would be "transforming." The word "soul" refers to one's person, self, or heart. Which means the inner most part of the whole person-the real you. God's Word is so powerful and comprehensive that it can convert or transform the entire person, changing someone into the person God wants him/her to be. The Word is sufficient to restore through salvation even the most broken lives.


God's Word Stirs Up Joy

Precepts are divine principles and guidelines for character and conduct. Since God created us and knows how we are to live to be productive for His glory, He has placed in the Word every principle we need for godly living. Therefore, "The statuses of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" (Psalm 19:8). Because this steers us through the right course of life, God's Word brings great joy. If we are depressed, anxious, fearful,or doubting, we need to learn to obey God's counsel and share in the resulting joy. Even the "weeping prophet," Jeremiah, experienced joy amid tremendous human stress because God's Word was his joy and the delight of his heart (See Jeremiah 15:16).


God's Word Is Pure, Enlightening To The Eyes

"Pure" could better be translated "lucid"-God's Word is a revelation-a revealing of truth to make the dark things light, bringing eternity into bright focus. There are things in the Word that are hard to understand (See 2 Peter 3:16), but taken as a whole the Bible is not a bewildering book. Because of the Word's absolute clarity, it brings understanding where there is ignorance, order where there is confusion, and light where there is spiritual and moral darkness. This is why, "The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes."


God's Word Is Clean, Enduring Forever

The term "fear" is used as a synonym for God's Word: "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever" (Psalm 19:9a). "Fear" speaks of the reverential awe for God that compels us to worship, honor, and glorify Him. The Word is clean, without any flaws and endures forever. Any change or modification would only introduce imperfection. Thus God's Word is eternally and unalterably perfect in every sense.


God's Word Is True, Altogether Righteous

The Word is God's standard for judging the lives and eternal destiny of everyone. We see this in, "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether" (Psalm 19:9b). We see that "Judge-ments" in this context means ordinances or divine verdicts from the bench of the Supreme Judge of the earth. Since God's Word is true it is "righteous altogether" (Psalm 19:9b). The implication of this phrase is that its truthfulness produces a comprehensive righteousness in those who accept it.


God's Word Is Absolutely Comprehensive

In contrast to the theories of men, God's Word is true and absolutely comprehensive. Rather than seeking something more than God's glorious revelation, we need only to study and obey what we already have-the Word!

Thinking Like A Genius

Even if you're not a genius, you can use the same strategies as Aristotle and Einstein to harness the power of your creative mind and better manage your future.
The following eight strategies encourage you to think productively, rather than reproductively, in order to arrive at solutions to problems. "These strategies are common to the thinking styles of creative geniuses in science, art, and industry throughout history."

1. Look at problems in many different ways, and find new perspectives that no one else has taken (or no one else has publicized!)

Leonardo da Vinci believed that, to gain knowledge about the form of a problem, you begin by learning how to restructure it in many different ways. He felt that the first way he looked at a problem was too biased. Often, the problem itself is reconstructed and becomes a new one.

2. Visualize!

When Einstein thought through a problem, he always found it necessary to formulate his subject in as many different ways as possible, including using diagrams. He visualized solutions, and believed that words and numbers as such did not play a significant role in his thinking process.

3. Produce! A distinguishing characteristic of genius is productivity.

Thomas Edison held 1,093 patents. He guaranteed productivity by giving himself and his assistants idea quotas. In a study of 2,036 scientists throughout history, Dean Keith Simonton of the University of California at Davis found that the most respected scientists produced not only great works, but also many "bad" ones. They weren't afraid to fail, or to produce mediocre in order to arrive at excellence.

4. Make novel combinations. Combine, and recombine, ideas, images, and thoughts into different combinations no matter how incongruent or unusual.

The laws of heredity on which the modern science of genetics is based came from the Austrian monk Grego Mendel, who combined mathematics and biology to create a new science.

5. Form relationships; make connections between dissimilar subjects.

Da Vinci forced a relationship between the sound of a bell and a stone hitting water. This enabled him to make the connection that sound travels in waves. Samuel Morse invented relay stations for telegraphic signals when observing relay stations for horses.

6. Think in opposites.

Physicist Niels Bohr believed, that if you held opposites together, then you suspend your thought, and your mind moves to a new level. His ability to imagine light as both a particle and a wave led to his conception of the principle of complementarity. Suspending thought (logic) may allow your mind to create a new form.

7. Think metaphorically.

Aristotle considered metaphor a sign of genius, and believed that the individual who had the capacity to perceive resemblances between two separate areas of existence and link them together was a person of special gifts.

8. Prepare yourself for chance.

Whenever we attempt to do something and fail, we end up doing something else. That is the first principle of creative accident. Failure can be productive only if we do not focus on it as an unproductive result. Instead: analyze the process, its components, and how you can change them, to arrive at other results. Do not ask the question "Why have I failed?", but rather "What have I done?"

"The first and last thing
demanded of genius
is the love of truth."
Goethe

Sowing to the Spirit

Sowing to the Spirit involves all the big and small actions that seek to honor and glorify God in our lives. The following are points on when we are sowing to the Spirit:

• Reading and studying God's Word
• Gathering with other believers to worship and be instructed in God's Word
• Severing in a local church or ministry
• Fellowshipping with like minded believers and talking about God's faithfulness
• Memorizing God's Word
• Reading materials that encourage us to grow in God and His ways
• Listening to music or teachings that strengthens our faith

All these activities and hundreds more are examples of sowing in the Spirit. So what are you waiting for... get sowing!