What is Faith?

Do you know why its so hard to have faith. Simply put, its because we can't see the future and none of us like to make mistakes. The very definition of faith is "believing in the unseen." It is trusting in God to know that he has never let me down and will not start now. When God speaks to us to do something, it is usually something out of our comfort zones. We all have a comfort zone of things that we are willing to do. When we are compelled to move out of that safe are we are not very happy with life. Like any good parent, God has a way of encroaching on our comfort zones and exposing us to more.  In those times when we are feeling God lead us to do something that wouldn't normally make sense, we must use our faith. It can seem like we are going out on a limb, as the old saying goes, to follow God's leading. But there is no safer place to be than when we know we have done our best to obey God. Faith is following a God I can hear and feel to lead me where I can not see. It might seem difficult (and even crazy) but the benefits always outweigh the doubts. Faith in God will never lead us wrong !

Trusting Him Daily,

Sullivan Jones 

Do you believe in angels?

Do you believe in angels? The scripture says  in Psalm 37:4 that the angel of the Lord encamps about those that fear him and delivers them. Wow! What a promise. God's angels are with me wherever I go to protect me. They are not to be worshiped nor prayed to but they are there for the protection of God's children. They have been known to make themselves visible when the occasion calls for it. Countless people have told stories of "someone" showing up at just the right moment when they needed help.

A lady minister whose husband was a commercial fisherman once told me the following story. As a commercial fisherman he had financed an engine for his boat with a bank in a nearby town. It was a very poor season and he did not have the money to make his bank note that Friday. Toward the end of the week she called the bank to talk to the loan officer. The loan officer assured this lady that her husband, I'll call him Bob, had come into the bank several days before and paid the note. Now the lady knew this was impossible but the loan officer was insistent. She said, "I know your husband and talked to him myself. He came up to my window and paid his note in cash." She thanked the lady and hung up. That evening when her husband came home she asked him and he denied paying the loan. The only explanation was that one of God's powerful angels went into that bank disguised as Bob and payed his bank note. God is good!

The angels are spiritual beings who were created to worship and serve God. As God's children, he often sends them to serve us as well. We need never be distraught, afraid, or frustrated when in need. God's angels are watching over us every minute of every day. Allstate has a saying: "you're in good hands, Allstate." Well, I would like to tell us all that we are in in even better hands, the hands of God and He is always right on time.

Living confidently in Jesus,

Sullivan Jones 

What is a Savior?

Savior! The very word implies that we needed saving from something. We have all heard (and probably used) a term such as "you're a life saver" or "you saved me" when someone helped us out in a pinch. Yet very few of us probably know what it really feels like to have your life saved. The women who was pulled out of a river by strangers when her car went off the road knows what it is like. This is a drastic situation but "life saver" is a drastic term.

We use the term "Savior" all the time for our Lord Jesus without really stopping to consider what he saved us from. Oh, some people do know. They give testimonies about how God saved them from drugs or alcohol. Maybe others came to God when their marriage was on the rocks. But what about those who grew up in Godly, stable homes with wonderful parents? What about those who have never experienced all the bad that life has to dish out? Do they still need a savior?

The answer is yes. Paul said it like this in Romans 5:6: "At just the right time, Christ died for the ungodly." But who is the ungodly? Romans 3:23 says "all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory." That all includes everyone of us so everyone of us needed a savior. We all deserved death but God gave us life instead through his shed blood on the cross. No matter how good or bad we've been, he is the savior. We should take time today to thank him.

Blessed beyond measure,

Sullivan Jones 

Where can I go to Worship God?

John 4:23 (NIV) - Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

These are probably some of the most well known of Jesus' words. They were spoken to a Samaritan women with whom Jesus went out of his way to speak. Why? To understand that and the meaning of this scripture, we must first understand about the Samaritans. 

After the death of King Solomon the nation of Israel was divided in two. The Northern Kingdom became known as Israel and the Southern Kingdom became known as Judah.The smaller nation of Judah was made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. They continued to worship God in Jerusalem at the temple. The Northern nation of Israel took Samaria for its capital and began to worship God in the city of Samaria. This split created a long history of hostility between the two different Hebrew nations. 

 Beginning in about 605 B.C.E., or 600 years before Jesus, the kingdoms were destroyed and most of the people from Judah were carried as slaves to Babylon. Most of the people of the northern nation of Israel were lost to history. In time, many of the Hebrew slaves that had been carried to Babylon returned to Israel. They partially restored the temple and continued their worship of Jehovah. 

After the Jews were carried as slaves to Babylon. the king of Babylon resettled people in the area of Samaria in place of the Jews. This is where most of the trouble stems from. The Bible tells us in 2 Kings 17 that God sent lions among them because they did not worship him. When the King of Babylon heard it he sent a priest from among the captives of Judah to teach the people how to worship the God of Abraham. So according to the Jews today, the people who call themselves Samaritans are actually gentiles from Babylon and other places who were settled in the land by the King of Babylon's command. They worship the God of Abraham because they were taught to. At best they are Jewish converts; at worst they are gentiles. 

The Samaritans on the other hand have a different story. They see themselves as descendants of the Northern nation of Israel who somehow managed to escape being killed or carried away as slaves during the Babylonian invasions. They worship God on Mt. Gerizim, near the place where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. They believe they are the true original Israelites. The Samaritans today number only a few hundred people but in Jesus day there were likely several million living in this area called Samaria. 

The Jews of Jesus day did not go through Samaria when they passed that way. They went long distances out of the way so they wouldn't have to confront the Samaritans. Tt was uncharacteristic of Jesus, as a Jew to go through Samaria. But he went with a purpose. He needed to show the Samaritans (and future generations) that God loved them as much as he did the Jews. But there is a greater understanding here. The Samaritan woman's main question was this: "where is the true place to worship? Here in Mt. Gerizim or in Jerusalem?" 

Jesus answer no doubt astonished here but it would have been offensive to the Jews as well. She expected him to say that Jerusalem was the place of true worship, giving her a reason to be offended.  But he didn't do that. Instead he replied that the true worshipers would worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. This idea was totally foreign. He was saying that it didn't matter where the worshiper was, it was the truth that mattered. Jesus prophecy came to pass. Soon after his death and resurrection, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. Those who had a revelation of him as the Son of God were scattered all over the world. Before long the church, mainly gentile, would understand that worship of God could be done anywhere, anytime. The only prerequisite is that we worship in Spirit and in truth.

This Spirit that he spoke of is the Holy Spirit that was poured out at the day of Pentecost. The truth, we know, is the word of God. So the only prerequisite to worshipping God authentically is that we must worship Him in Spirit (being filled with the Holy Ghost) and in truth (according to His word).  

Many people want to worship God but don't know how. According to what Jesus said, just any way will not do. We must search his word to find out how God wants to be worshipped. And we must worship him with Spirit. So if we want to worship God today in 2014 we can do so no matter our heritage. We can worship him not matter our social status or location. We can worship any time of day or night and on any day of the week. But we must worship him in Spirit and in truth. For the father seeketh such to worship him (John 4:24, KJV). 

Ready for an Audit

Philippians 4:9 - The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God peace will be with you. 

This writing from the Apostle Paul comes in the same chapter where Paul admonishes us to think on things that are lovely, pure, etc. It is also the chapter where Paul tells us that we can do all things through Christ and that God will supply all of our needs. But is there is a prerequisite to these things? Is there something I must do to have confidence with God? It seems to be so; Paul is telling the Philippians that if they will abide by his teachings then they will have peace and confidence that God will take care of them.

So it is with us. When we know that we have done what is required of us we are confident. No one is worried about an audit who has kept the necessary paperwork in order. An accountant who does his job correctly is always prepared for the IRS. This is what Paul meant. When we live our daily lives as we should, that is to the best of our abilities, then we need not worry when trouble arises. God will take care of us. If we do what we know to do, God will do what only he can do.

None of us can know the future but it is enough to know the God who knows the future. When we do our part, God will do his.

Trusting in Jesus,

Sullivan Jones

How to Eat an Elephant

How does one eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Or so the old saying goes. Personally, I've never wanted to eat an elephant but we all get the point. It basically means that we have to start somewhere. Personal goals are attainable if we take it nice and slow. Easier said than done, right? Right!

Are we wanting to lose weight? Many of us are? Perhaps you want to develop a better prayer life. Maybe you want to write that book you've always dreamed of righting. It will not happen overnight but you can start with 10 minutes of prayer in the morning and you can write one paragraph at a time. You might think that it seems too simple. "He's just trying to motivate me" might be your first thought. With most of us, the problem isn't diligence. We know how to be diligent. We work hard, take care of a house (and kids for some), and pay bills. Life is busy. For most of us, we just don't know where to start. How can we accomplish the dreams that God has put in our hearts. And for all of us the answer is the same as eating the elephant: one bite at a time. 

Are we afraid of failure. We must adopt the attitude of Thomas Edison and the light bulb. We might find 99 things that don't work but eventually something will work. We just have to try and see. I am firmly convinced that if we take the first step, God will lead us the rest of the way. We just have to have the confidence to try. 

So get up ten minutes early and read your Bible. Before you know it you might be reading whole chapters every week. Walk on the tread mill for ten minutes. Eventually it will be an hour. Write a few lines on a notepad and see where it takes you. It can't hurt to try. Some day you'll be glad you did. 

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength! - Philipians 4:13