"Jesus replied, 'This is the work [service] that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust in, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger].'" (Amplified)
rely: to be dependent for support, help, or supply; to place or have faith or confidence; bind fast
Psalm 84:5 "Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage."
Over and over again, the theme God is teaching me is "BELIEVE ME!!!" It started back in January and hasn't let up yet. I think the entirety of 2011 will continue in the same vein. And my prayer? "O Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" My hope? That by the end of the year, my belief and total trust in His Word will have ground by leaps and bounds. Victory is on the horizon!
I do not want verse 36 to ever be true of me (though final victory comes when I enter the heavenly realm)
"...you have seen Me, and yet you do not believe."
I know this is referring to salvation, but it echoes in my heart. I have seen Jesus work in my life so many times, in so many ways. Yet, when a new circumstances threatens my security, I find myself in a tizzy of anxiety. AND IT OUGHT NOT BE! If I had the confidence in Him I should, that He deserves, I would not be worried. And my prayer? "Lord, grow me, help me. If You don't change me, I will never be any better than I am. I believe; help my unbelief!"
Instead of wondering, "Will He come through for me this time?", I need to be shouting:
HE WILL COME THROUGH FOR ME EVERY TIME!!!
Psalm 54:4 "Behold, God is my Helper (every present moment); the Lord is the Sustainer of my soul."
Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
My goal is for confidence in Him
to be like breathing,
both natural and
involuntary.
In the remainder of the chapter, Jesus is talking about being the Bread of Life. And teaching that we must fully partake of Him, just as if His flesh were our bread and His blood were our drink. This teaching was taken literally and was too hard for most that were following Him. The majority left. It came to the point where Jesus asked the 12, "You do not want to leave too, do you? (verse 67)"
I love Peter's answer!
Verses 68-69: "Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.'"
Peter may not have known what to think about this current strain of teaching, but he knew Jesus was the Way. We need to know that as well. I think of it when I am struggling. I think, 'Well, where else will I go? There are only 2 sides, and I'm certainly not going to trust the Liar.'
Hannah Whitall Smith: We must choose, without any regard to the state of our emotions, what attitude we will take toward God. We must recognize that our emotions are only the servants of our will.
Another theme that stuck out was that God draws those who will believe in Him. They don't come to Him as their own idea. He initiates the relationship.
verse 44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws Him."
verse 65 "This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted Him by the Father."
I have quite a number of people I pray for that I hope are on 'the list'. (And oh how I hope they are not in the path of this verse: "For Jesus had know from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him." v64)
The last verse that I meditated on was verse 63: "It is the Spirit Who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The Words I have spoken to you are spirit and life." (ESV) The KJV says the 1st part of the verse this way: "It is the Spirit that quickeneth..."
This is my quest, the Spirit-led life. I am working at denying my flesh daily and taking up my cross and following Him (Luke 9:33). This is LIFE ABUNDANT! I hope you are seeking it too.
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future....You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with ALL your heart. I will be found by you,' declares the LORD." Jeremiah 29:11,13-14a
No comments:
Post a Comment