“Have faith in God.” Mark 11:22
Dear Ones:
The most illogical of dispositions of heart and mind, which is at the same time the greatest affront to God, is the refusal of the heart to believe in Him, and to trust Him implicitly according to His word. Why is this so? First of all the answer has to do with His immutable nature. The Bible uses the illustration of a “Rock,” eternal and unchanging, as a picture of Christ being the same yesterday, today, and forever. The second reason that should evoke trust on our part, is the revelation of His power and authority, or His sovereignty. God alone is able to DO and to BE exactly as He declares, for His power and authority are supreme in their magnitude, and application. No man can stay God’s hand, and no creature, spiritual or physical can overcome Him. We use the term “reign” to give us a picture of His sovereign ability to bring all things underneath His control. Thirdly, and perhaps the greatest reason for which we should trust absolutely in God is the revelation of His nature, specifically of His goodness, mercy, and supremely, His love. Why is this so very important to emphasize? It is because, not only is the revelation of His holy nature the greatest blessing that we can know, but it is the supreme motivating factor for us seeking Him, coming to Him. However, there is a problem here, and it is not with God, and the revelation of His nature. It has to do with our perception of Him, not only “through a glass darkly,” but in particular with the bias of sin, which gives us a twisted, and contorted view of Him.
Jesus, in speaking of the kingdom of heaven, and using a parable, spoke of a “master,” who gave talents unto his servants. When the master returned from his journey, and sought an accounting by the servants with regard to what they had done with the talents, all except one presented a favorable report. When questioned by the master with regard to his actions, he responded: “Lord, I knew that thou art an hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not spread: And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the earth: lo, there you have what is yours.” (Matt. 25:24,25) The Lord would call this servant, “wicked and slothful.” Why? Because the servant’s twisted view of him did not result in faithful service. “Sin” has a remarkable, and terrible, ability to distort, and twist the vision of God. The result is that, instead of coming to Christ, to believe and obey Him, one is afraid, and hides.
It is a remarkable “unveiling” of Christ, the Son of God, and King, that He should declare to all: “Come unto Me, ALL ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I AM meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find REST unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30) What do we see here, which should attract us to believe in Him? It is accessibility for all. Christ, as the only begotten Son of God, has humbled Himself, and made himself available to all men. “WHOSOEVER will may come.” The eternal God has breached all formality, cultural barriers, and personal deficiencies, to call us ALL to Himself.
The highest, and most noble reason for us to trust in God, lies in the simple, and yet, all-encompassing fact and reality of His love for us individually. The Psalmist writes: “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are they that put there trust in Him.” (2:12) Why are we called to “Kiss the Son?” It is the response of affection to the revelation of the beauty, and wonder, of the love of God. GOD SO LOVED, that He gave…His only begotten Son. (Jn. 3:16) Paul adds: “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us ALL…” (Rom. 8:32) And finally, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews wrote: “He (Jesus) by the grace of God tasted death for EVERY MAN.” (2:9) There is NO limit to which God has gone, no resource or worthy object that He has not expended, to reveal His love for man. Why? Simply because of WHAT He forever is. He IS love. This is why it is so very illogical to defiantly reject faith in Christ, in God.
Dear Father, meet us this day, by giving us a renewed and over-powering vision of Thyself as the ONLY true object of trust and love. How worthy You are to be trusted, loved, and served!! We thank and praise Thee for the revelation of Thy love, and the grace given to us to believe Thee with our whole heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad