Dear Friends,
Sorry for the silence from this end, but I just returned from a wonderful month of doing ministry in Tanzania, Africa -- which I did not want to announce publicly beforehand. After three weeks with no "thought" sent out, I got an email asking if I was ok. Thanks! Your concern (S and L) was appreciated! My wife and I are fine, and I am now back in the office greatly refreshed!
Therefore I will pick up where I left off, sending this week's "thought" to you from a man named T. Austin Sparks. It was passed on to me by a friend who found it greatly encouraging, and since it also resonated with me, I thought I would pass it along to you. It is short but wonderful in its transparency, and both convicting and encouraging in its truth. Enjoy.
"I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief." Mark 9:24
"Here is something that you and I must dwell upon. Personally I am constantly brought to this: I have not yet learned -- thoroughly -- to believe what I believe in. I believe in the finished work of Christ, yet sometimes I am just as miserable about myself as any man could be. I'm often almost at the point of giving up, because of what a wretched thing I am. If there is anything in this world that would cause me to give up the Christian ministry, it is myself. Do you understand what I mean?
Oh, how we are discouraged by what we find in ourselves. And so we don't believe what we believe in! We believe in the finished work of Christ, and that God puts all that work to our account. God does not see us in ourselves, He sees us in Christ. He does not see us, He sees Christ in us.
We don't believe that. If we really did, we would be delivered from ourselves and would indeed be triumphant Christians. Of course that does not mean we can just behave any way we like. We should speak and act accordingly. But for every Christian there is a refuge, a mercy seat. It does not have to be made, it is there with the precious blood. That blood needs not to be shed, it was shed. There is a High Priest making intercession for us. There is everything that we need. The work is finished. Completed.
Oh, we Christians must believe our beliefs! We must take hold with both hands of the things that are of our Christian faith."
It is so true that salvation by faith (from a given standpoint) seems "too easy." Yet, as I myself have often found, the Gospel is such good news, and at such great odds with everything else we experience in life, that it is actually quite difficult to believe! If it were easy to believe, and we really and truly believed it in the depths of our being (our hearts), we would live much more joyful, humble, loving, selfless, holy, gentle, peace-filled, patient, kind, restful, and fruitful Christian lives!
Of course, some experience this more than others, but many long-term believers still struggle to experience those things in any consistent and ongoing way. And in some cases (not all) the reason may be that they simply cannot believe (deep down) that Christ did all that needed to be done to secure their full acceptance with the Father. Thus, they strive to attain by their efforts what the Gospel declares is already theirs. The Gospel is such good news believers can struggle to believe it, and therefore wrestle with a sense of guilt for things the gospel says were forgiven and pardoned long ago, or wrestle with a sense of shame and condemnation, even though the Gospel clearly states, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom. 8:1).
Luther was right when he pointed out: "Someone will say: ‘But the Law is divine and holy.’ Let the Law have its glory. But no Law, no matter how divine or holy, has the right to tell me that I obtain justification and life through it. I will grant that it can teach me that I should love God and my neighbor, and live in chastity, patience, etc. But it is in no position to show me how to be delivered from sin, the devil, death, and hell. For this I must consult the Gospel, and listen to the Gospel, which does not teach me what I should do—for that is the proper function of the Law—but what someone else has done for me, namely, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has suffered and died to deliver me from sin and death. The Gospel commands me to accept and believe this, and this is what is called ‘the truth of the Gospel.’ It is also the main doctrine of Christianity, in which the knowledge of all godliness is comprehended. It is, therefore, extremely necessary that we should know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually.”
In your struggles, believer, may you truly believe, Pastor Jeff
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