" ...even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist." - Rom 4:17 (NASB)    Typically speaking, when we think about creation, our minds immediately go to Genesis. There we read how the LORD spoke and the universe as we know it came into being. After six days God rested or ceased. But is this the end? Is it possible that He is still creating, even as you read this?     The verse above is speaking about Abraham and his faith. As he writes to the Roman believers Paul is presenting the concept that we are made right in God's sight by faith. (You'll have to read the entire chapter to get the context.) While he is doing so, he briefly touches on a powerful principle that we do not often think about. He writes that God calls into being that which does not exist . That's creating! Not reallocating what He has already created, but bringing not existence.    So what is God is bringing into existence?  W...

The following is from #1 of an 11 week series entitled: That's Not What the Bible Says "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able..." 1 For 10:13 (NASB)    Is it an encouraging thought that God knows your precise limit and that He never allows one ounce more than you can handle to come into your life? My mind conjures up an image of a man at the gym lifting weights with a trainer. The trainer never allows him to "max out", but always keeps him lifting weights that he knows are within the limits the man can handle. Except that's not how it works. Anyone who has ever lifted weights knows the goal is not to lift what you can, but what you cannot. Adding more weights little by little, challenges and stretches the limits of the body thereby increasing the mass of the muscles and ability of the body. In other words, the way to grow when working ou...

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp..." Exodus 14:1    Have you ever stopped and considered why God led the Israelites to freedom by taking them through the desert? Really, think about the process for a moment. He led them out of the slavery for a day or two, then told them to turn back towards the city of their captivity, next to the sea, and make camp. This lead to their being trapped. Then He led them to a place with with plenty of water, but it was undrinkable. Not too long after that, when all their food provisions were depleted, He led them to a place where there was no food or water for themselves or their livestock. Why would God be so cruel? Well, if you know the rest of the story, then you may already know the answer. They were never trapped, for God parted the waters, allowing them safe passage through the sea and drowning their enemies. The undrinkable water was made drinkable, and they were provided food ...

"Indeed, has God said...", (Gen. 3:1, NASB).     It seems to me that one of the most effective tools Satan has in his arsenal is his ability to twist and misconstrue the Bible. A thorough reading will uncover that he often attempts to discredit and undermine the Word of God. And, since God's Word is our foundation for life and godliness, Satan compromises truth at its very.  Notice, Satan said to Eve,  "Indeed, has God said..." In contemporary language, "Did God really say that?     Satan is the master of taking God's truth and turning it into "if".  I would not go as far as saying that doubt is the exact opposite of faith (see Mk. 9: 14-27), but I am comfortable stating that when Satan can cause a child of God to take an "if" attitude towards the Bible, or even Jesus himself, then disaster is on the way. God's Word is God's Word , whether we believe it or not. Our unbelief does not change reality per se; it simpl...

"The Pharisees came out and began to argue with him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test him." (Mk. 8:11, NASB)    It's a classic, and anyone old enough to know who Gilligan is knows the story well. Charlie Brown wants so desperately to kick the football. His desperation is such that he will continue to believe that Lucy will actually hold the ball steady until he kicks it. However, after nearly 50 years of comic strip appearance, it just does not happen. Well, actually she does leave the ball in place on one occasion but he misses the ball entirely. He stubbornly refused to believe that he was going to kick that ball. He believed what he wanted to believe.    In the passage above, Jesus has just finished dismissing the crowd after feeding 4,000 men (not counting women and children) miraculously, and it has only been a page or two since we read of Him feeding 5,000 men (again, not counting women and children). The response of the Pharisees is a...

" So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God".   (Rom. 10:17, NKJV)    Jesus told us that we only need faith the size of a mustard seed in order to cast the mountain into the sea. (see. Matt. 17:20) That's impressive, but was Jesus telling us that the size of our faith does not matter? I do not think so. Jesus was speaking of the power of faith in Himself. Even a small amount of faith in Jesus can do mighty things. But, what if we had a large faith? What might God be able to do? Well, faith is like a muscle, in a sense. The more we exercise our faith in Jesus, the greater our faith becomes. However, there is a danger. We can actually get to the place in our spiritual lives where we  trust in "faith", rather than trusting in Jesus, who is the the object of our faith. Faith in Jesus is always grounded in the Word of God. So, then, the real question becomes, "How can I strengthen my faith in Jesus?"     Paul's subject in ...

"Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” - (Gen 12:13, ESV) It seemed like a good plan. They were married, but they also were related. Technically speaking, Abraham and Sarai were siblings, half-siblings, so pretending that they were not married as they settled in Egypt just might work. If Pharaoh were to take a liking to Sarai, then Abraham would not be killed. Perfect! Well, not really. Abraham encountered an age-old problem that we still struggle with today. We trust God to a certain point. Once that point is reached we take matters into our own hands. The LORD told Abraham to "Go...to a land I will show you..."(v.1) , and  "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse...”(v.3). A braham trusted God enough to guide Him, but not enough (yet) to protect him. He allowed his fear to override his faith. Eventually Abraham's plan was found out, but onl...

  "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the  word of God." - Rom. 10:17 (NKJV)   Some time back we would occasionally sing a song that went like this:  "Faith, faith, faith, just a little bit of faith. Faith, faith, faith, just a little bit of faith. You don't need a whole lot, Just use what you've got. Faith, faith, faith, just a little bit of faith." The song was a hit among many including myself, but the theology of the song is a little weak. It is true that we only need faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains (see Matt. 17:20 ), but Scripture is clear that we are to grow in our faith.    The Romans verse mentioned above is in relation to faith. As a matter of fact, the whole chapter deals with faith in God, through Jesus Christ, that comes as revelation of the Word of God: i.e., the Bible. Now, focus for a moment on what Paul says in verse 17, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." ...

"In the beginning God..." ( Gen. 1:1)    Our modern world cannot accept mysteries. Mysteries, those things which have no scientific explanation, are hunted down in a vain attempt to reduce everything to a knowledge subcategory on Wikipedia. So it does not surprise me that the Biblical account of creation is so hotly disputed. However, during research this week I was somewhat taken back by both the volume of views and the complexities of the approaches, primarily from within the "believing" community. As I looked at all the perspectives I noticed something they all seemed to have in common: denial of the supernatural. To some degree, each approach seems to take the supernatural event(s) of creation and attempt to insert some scientific, philosophical, mathematical or historical qualifiers in an attempt to explain what is clearly recorded in the Bible.         Call me old-fashioned, but I still believe in a supernatural God. Exegesis tells me th...

"...They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread...  And He was saying to them, "Do you not yet understand?"  (Mk. 8:14-21, NASB)    The disciples were so . . . human. When we read the gospel accounts we see a group of men that dealt with the same struggles, temptations, and weaknesses that we do. I am not sure if that brings us comfort or not, but it does remind us that we am not alone.    In verses mentioned above, the disciples were a little concerned because they jumped on the boat with only one loaf of bread. Why is this such a big issue? Well, they wanted to eat just like everyone else. So they are just a little concerned that there will not be enough to go around. Here's the real problem though: they still did not get just who Jesus was. Up to this point they had watched Jesus heal people from various diseases and infirmities, and watched Him perform various other miracles including walking on water. In chapter ...

"And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, 'Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.'" - Joshua 3:6 (NASB)    There is an old French proverb that states, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." The proverb fits a number of areas in life, but it also fits in relation to faith. In the verse above, Joshua and the Israelites are facing the prospect of crossing the Jordan River to enter the promised land. After forty years of rebellion, they would succeed where their parents had failed, but how would they get across was still unclear. Approximately forty-one years ago the entire nation crosses the Red Sea on dry ground, so perhaps God would work in the same manner.     There certainly are some similarities. We know that the LORD caused the river to dry up before Joshua, just as before Moses at the Red Sea, and they crossed safely. However, there was one major difference. At the Red Sea, the waters parted before th...

He then answered, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." - John 9:25 (NASB)      Simple is better!   No, this is not an AT&T commercial, but we do have a tendency to complicate many things in faith. The story represented in the verse above is a great illustration. Jesus was doing what He always did, namely loving, teaching, and healing. This is where he meets this unnamed man who had been born blind. Like many of his day, the man apparently spent much of his time begging on the roadside for money and food. Jesus sees the man and proceeds to heal him. The manner in which heals him is pretty wild, for Jesus spits onto the ground, makes some mud with it, smears it on the man's eyes, and tells him to go and wash it off. As the man did what Jesus instructed, his eyes were miraculously restored. This was on Sunday, and the Pharisees did not like the fact that Jesus was "working" by healing the man. So,...

"Lord, if You had been here, my brother wold not have died." - Jn. 11:21 & 32 (NASB)      This piercing statement was made not once but twice to Jesus, each time by a sister of Lazarus, and a friend of Jesus. However, the responses were much different. When Martha asked the question (v.21) , Jesus responded by telling her Lazarus was going to rise again (v.23) . She did not get it, so Jesus reminded her that He is the resurrection and the life. (v.25) She still did not get it. We know this because she responded to Jesus by avoiding His question. On the contrary, when Mary spoke those same words (v.32) Jesus responded by asking where Lazarus's body was buried, then proceeded to the tomb to resurrect him. (v. 34-44)         Why did Jesus respond to them differently? He could have just as easily asked Martha where Lazarus's body was buried. Perhaps Jesus wanted to engage the faith of each of these women at the level they were. In Luke, th...

"..Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hands." - Judges 7:9 (NASB)     The story of Gideon is remarkable. Gideon, the new judge, had enlisted a formidable 32,000 man army to go against the Midianites and Amalekites. However, the LORD did not want the people to think they could do this on their own. So, in a unique manner, Gideon was instructed to whittle the number down to a meager 300. If you do the math, that is 0.93% of the original size; not very formidable at all. Furthermore, as you continue reading, you discover that this army of 300 never lifted a weapon against their enemies. Gideon instructed them to simultaneously blow their trumpets, then break some jugs that contained torches, and then shout. As they followed Gideon's instructions, their enemies below turned on each other in sheer panic while God's people stood and watched.     Why did God do this in such a manner? Well, among other reasons only God knows,  it ...

"But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men." - Jn. 2:24 (NASB)    As I was reading this morning, I was completely caught off guard by one simple thought that the Holy Spirit challenged me with: Can Jesus have faith in me? Let me back up just a little. In the context of chapter two, Jesus has returned to Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover feast, as was His custom. While He was there He undoubtably performed signs and wonders of which John does not elaborate on (v.23). As the people saw the signs, John writes that many "believed" in His name. That is good news. Then, we read verse 24 where Johns writes, "But Jesus…was not entrusting Himself to them." Something was gnawing at me, so I began to research the original language and noticed something powerful. The Greek word for "believe", PISTEUŌ , is the same word used in verse 24 translated as  "entrust."* As I was thinking about the connection, the ...

"…and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip…" - (Acts 6:5-6, NASB)    Philip was an interesting man. If you trace his life in the book of Acts you will find a man who faithfully exercised the responsibilities entrusted to him. Very little is known of him at this time, other than he was full of the spirit and of good reputation. He was one of the seven, chosen from among and by the church, to serve the church under the disciples blessings.  Later, when the church is scattered abroad due in large part to pre-conversion Paul, Philip ends up in Samaria. There he preaches and teaches about Jesus, cast out demons, and performs miracles before the people. Philip's preaching of the gospel impacted Samaria so much that Peter and John came to further the ministry there. Later, Philip meets an Ethiopian who is searching the Scriptures. Philip teaches him about Jesus and baptizes him. As a result the gospel spreads into Ethiopia. Philip is m...