3-18-2019

 Good Morning All,

      Acts 16:31; “They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved.”

    How long does it take?  Have you ever asked that question?  How long does it take to take this test?  How long is the service going to be?  How long do I have to stay in the hospital?  How long is rehab?  How long will I be deployed overseas?  How long before we get paid?  We ask that question often usually because we associate the “cost” of doing something by the time we spend doing it.

    If you go into a restaurant, how long do you wait in line to get a table?  This depends on how good the food is and how much time we feel we have until the next appointment.  We place a premium on our time.  This is why people are often amazed at how long it takes you to accomplish some goals.  To be a doctor or a dentist takes college, med school and then internships or residencies totaling 10-15 years.  If you want to be a leader in China, they don’t look at you unless you are over 70.  Some people spend most of their adult lives trying to find certain species of butterflies or certain types of stamps.  Some things take years to complete.

     For someone to study the Hindu or Buddhist religion, they will spend most of their life in study and contemplation at different schools of thought within the religion.  It takes just a few years to be a rabbi but many to be one of the respected scribes who study the Torah and the Talmud.  It takes a long time to be involved in these religions.  This is usually because of the in-depth intricacies involved in the study.  It takes years to be able to clearly understand the nuances of the different teachings.

     That fact is one of the facets which make our Christian faith so unique.  It is simple because it doesn’t depend on us, our knowledge or wisdom plays no role.  This is one of the reasons why I think so many people will be surprised by who is in heaven.  People, that the “religious” types viewed as suspect, will be sharing at the table of the feast with everyone else.  It is not our actions or our knowledge but it is through our faith that we are saved.  Faith is the component and only God can see faith. 

    It is simple but not easy.  The devil tries all he can to subvert and destroy our faith.  Yet God graciously gives us the faith we need to trust in His words of promise.  We may stumble or fall but the Holy Spirit is there to pick us up and remind us of what Jesus is doing in our lives and giving us hope, forgiveness and peace.  This is His promise.

    The really good news is that we, only need faith.  We only need the faith which God gives us through his Holy Spirit.  We don’t need degrees or letters after our name; we need faith in our heart and believe in Jesus as our Savior.

Father of all tender mercies, we give you thanks for the blessings which you shower us with daily.  We especially give you thanks for the simplicity of our faith.  Give us a free and willing spirit to surrender our lives to your will and serve you with joy everlasting in your kingdom.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret