Doses of Faith

 THERE REMAINS THEREFORE A REST TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD. Hebrews 4:9 Many of us look forward to rest, a peaceful and quiet time. For people with faith in God, we are assured of entering God's rest. This is more than our escape to a quiet place. I see this as when we will peacefully rest in the presence of God. As the writer of Hebrews was addressing Christian Jews, he was reminding them that God's Sabbath is no longer the same Sabbath they have observed for centuries. On their Sabbath, they could do no kind of work. They criticized Jesus for healing and gathering grain on the Sabbath as working on the Sabbath was a punishable offence. The writer was telling them that works will not lead to God's rest.  Again, he tells them to labor: "Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (4:11)  We must have faith in God. Believe. Share God's Word with unbelievers laboring to show them the wonderful grace and love...

 Just imagine wondering endlessly in a wilderness. A hot and dry wilderness were nothing will grow. No relief and no hope to arrive in a land full of promise and beauty. As I read the words in Hebrews 3, my mind goes to the patchy grass we have due to a dry summer. Yet, the blossoms in my flower bed are a joy to see. The difference between my lawn and my flowerbed is that one is given life with care and watering while the other receives no care. Our hearts and souls are no different. In order to grow, we need to be fed.  What are we feeding into our hearts and minds? As I look around, I wonder if we are living in a spiritual dry season following after the ways of the world. Is this the reason we have leaders who don't know anything about God and faith? Are we wondering in a dry wilderness with no hope?  Are we in a dry season because we place our hope in a man and not faith in God?  I find this interesting that words written two thousand years ago speaks truth to us ...

Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.  Proverbs 4:13   The words came strong, "Hold on! Hold on, I'm coming!" Hanging in fear and holding onto the limb for dear life, the child held onto the limb trusting her father would come in time. A young teen who feels life isn't worth holding on to because the seizures keep coming. She wakes up trembling, goes to kitchen for a sharp knife, goes to the den, and sits in her father's big chair. Her plans were to end it all. With knife in hand, she feels her father's Bible pressing against her. She picks it up and the Bible falls open in her lap. She looks down and these words spoke to her as they looked up at her: "I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." She drops the knife which fell to the floor beside her. At that moment, she set her mind to hold on to life and her heart to hold on to her faith.  As I read Paul's words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:...

 The USA just celebrated its 250th birthday. What a celebration! I have enjoyed seeing how everyone celebrated this milestone in our country. Over and over in the last few months, the United States has been proclaimed to be a Christian Nation founded on Christian standards. This has caused debates, and I'm not going to join the debate. However, many of the first arrivals from Europe came to live out their Christian faiths. There are churches in almost every town. Go for a drive along the country roads of America, and you will see old church buildings along the way. The Christian faith has grown across our country. Yet, how many of us live out our Christian faith? Just how many of us are dedicated to living out what Christians should do? As I read Paul's letters recorded in the Bible, I see where he reminds the churches how they should live and what they should be doing. Paul repeats the message of salvation through faith. God sent His Son, Jesus, to be our sacrificial Lamb. Jes...