Faith

October 1, 2010

HOW DOES YOUR 

FAITH HOLD UP?--FAITH

Scripture Reading--Hebrews 10:35-39

Just wondering--did you you happen to check the strength of the chair you're sitting on right now?  Did it cross your mind to see if the chair could handle the weight of your body?  You may think it's ridiculous to ask such a silly thing.  After all, you just sat down.  In fact, if you're a teen, you probably either "flopped yourself" down or "collapsed yourself" into the seat.  No big deal, right?  We do it all the time.

  

Finding a seat is no big deal as long as the chair holds you up.  Sitting down is simple until you find yourself on your back in a pile of splintered lumber!  Like sitting, faith is also a simple matter.  The part of faith that is so critical, however, isn't the "sitting" part but the choosing the "seat" part.

The seat part of your faith is what you're trusting.  Your faith will be as strong as the seat on which you choose to sit.  A strong faith comes from trusting something or someone who is strong enough to hold you.  A weak faith is the result of trusting something or someone who will fail you.  

What are you trusting in?  In other words, what are you depending on to hold you?  It's a great blessing to have faith in God because you're placing your trust in Someone who cannot and will not fail you.  You can trust Him for salvation, for protection, for direction, and for everything else you may need in your life.

Faith in God is a great foundation on which to build your life.  Depending on God is the key to providing stability and strength in your life.  Your confidence is not in yourself but in a God who will not let you down 

( like the chair that wasn't made for someone your size ).

DISCUSSION:  What are several things we could depend on that would fail us?

--Tom Palmer--  

                   

Treasure

September 30, 2010

VALUABLE TREASURE FOUND

IN AN UNLIKELY PLACE

In 1988, during a clearance sale of unclaimed property, a man bought a painting for $1,000.  Though the painting was in poor condition, he thought it might be worth as much as $1,500.  Securing the painting to the roof of his van, he drove it to Christie's Auction House in New York City, where collectibles are sold.  He told an attendant there that he would accept a little as $1,500 for his find.

When the resident expert saw the painting, he realized with surprise that is was one of the better Italian Renaissance paintings.  Commissioned and painted around 1530, the painting had disappeared during the 19th century.  But now it was found.

The painting went to auction on January 11, 1989.  Though sellers expected to sell the painting for $600,000 to $800,000, a London dealer bought it for $4 million!  Later, the Paul Getty Museum purchased the painting, though it was in need of repair.  One leg of the male figure had been punctured in several places, and the painting was so damaged and dirty that many of its details were lost.

The painting's restoration was a three-year project, including an extensive study.  The restorer said, "It was a slow, tedious process--really mindboggling."  But her work paid off.  The original warm gray background that emerged lends to the picture a haunting, atmoshperic tone.

She repaired holes, filled in cracks, restored losses of paint, and gave the painting a coat of varnish.  The result is dramatic, but museum visitors see only the impact of the finished work.

God's work is a "salvage business."  Through grace, He saves, sets apart, and uses saved sinners to rescue those who are perishing.  Our witness can result in the salvation of those who will bring many to Christ.

THOUGHT:  Everyone will spend eternity either in heaven or in hell.  What could be more valuable than an eternal soul?

--Harold Vaughan-- 

September 29, 2010

WE KNOW WHO

HOLDS THE FUTURE

Scripture Reading--Psalms 78:1-8

Earlier this week, we read, "We may not know what the future holds, but we know who hold the future."  What a wonderful encouragement that truth is!  In Psalm 78:7, we discover that one of the most important values we will ever pass on to our children and grandchildren is "that they might set their hope in God."  If we can successfully teach them to hope in God, we have given them something priceless.  We've given them what they need to face the future.

Some years ago, Stuart Hamblen wrote a great song about facing the future.  The chorus goes like this:

     Known only to Him, are the great hidden secrets;

I'll fear not the darkness when my flame shall die;

I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future,

It's a secret known only to Him.

Yes, the future holds many secrets we cannot know until we get there.  But we need not fear the darkness.  Remember what Adoniram Judson said.  "Our future is as bright as the promises of God!"  Don't get caught sitting on the premises or leaning over the precipice when you should be standing on the promises!

The best way to communicate confidence in God to the next generation is to live it before them every day.  No one watches us more closely than our family members.  They want to see if we will face life's uncertainties with confidence.  If they see us in despair, their hope will be diminished.  But if they observe that our hope is in God, they'll know where to find hope for their future.

The greatest test of our confidence is when we've exhausted every human resource.  That's when God's at His best.  Remember, He's not our last hope; He's our only hope!  

ASSIGNMENT:  Choose Bible verses that give hope to your family as they face the future.

--Jack Palmer--   

OUR CONFIDENCE

FOR THE FUTURE

Scripture Reading--Psalms 42-43

So many face life without hope.  No wonder most suicides occur among teens and young adults.  As they consider life with all of its uncertainties, they conclude that there's no reason to go on.  This hopelessness is not limited to the unsaved.  Many professing Christians struggle, too.  What a sad commentary on life!

As you read Psalm 42 and 43, your hear the cry of one who is desperate for God.  There is no better place to be than in desperation for God.  Many in humanly hopeless and helpless situations have discovered their only hope in God.  Romans 15:13 describes Him as the "God of hope."  Apart from God, there is no hope.  That's why the psalmist wrote, "Hope...in God" ( Ps. 42:5,11; 43:5 ).  Don't look for hope in government, in the judicial system, in education, in money, in military strength, or in any of man's solutions. You won't find it. 

In 1982, I was asked to preach my dear mother's funeral service.  My mother had been a godly woman who served the Lord at my father's side for many years.  As I pondered her life and asked the Lord what I should preach, He directed me to 1 Corinthians 13, the great love chapter.  I was especially drawn to verse 13--"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity" ( emphasis added ).

I concluded my message by saying, "It was faith that gave Mother courage, it was hope that gave Mother confidence, and it was love that made Mother complete."  Events like burying three of her children could have caused her to conclude that life was hopeless.  But her confidence didn't rest in the unpredictable circumstances of life; it rested in her God.  Therefore, she was able to face the future confidently for more than 81 years.  She was an inspiration to all of us.

DISCUSSION:  As a family, talk about seemingly hopeless difficulties you may face.  Reaffirm your confidence in God as you face the future.

--Jack Palmer--

The Future

September 27, 2010

GREAT CONCENTRATION

ON FACING THE FUTURE

Scripture Reading--Acts 2:46-47

"And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking

bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and single-

ness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people.  And

the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved"

( emphasis added ).. 

He who aims at nothing will certainly hit it!  Many challenges in life require great concentration.  That's especially true in the sports world--hitting a golf ball straight down the middle of the fairway, shooting a jump shot into the basket at 20 feet, kicking a field goal through the uprights at 35 yards.

A colony of ants lived in a golf course sand trap.  A golfer hit a ball into the trap.  When he tried to hit the ball out of the sand, he missed several tries and destroyed many ants in the process.  One ant said to another, "If we're going to get out of here alive, we better get on the ball!"  That fellow didn't know much about concentration.

Concentration requires intense focus.  The early church had that kind of focus and did everything with "singleness of heart" ( v. 46 ).  Christian families need that kind of focus to face the futures uncertainties.

Peter lost his concentration.  In Matthew 14, we read that Jesus invited Peter to walk on the water with Him.  Peter was doing great until he took his eyes off the Lord and focused on the storm.  Immediately, he began to sink.  "Lord, save me!" he cried.  Jesus rescued him but also rebuked him for his lack of faith ( v. 31 ).

As you face future unknowns, you must maintain an intense focus on the Lord, on His Word, and on prayer.  If you take your eyes off Him, your faith will falter; and you, too, will sink under the "waves" that threaten to wash over you.

APPLICATION:  What potential "storms" do you anticipate facing in your future?  How can you prepare so you will not lose your concentration?  What can you do to maintain you focus?

--Jack Palmer--    

The Future

September 26, 2010

FACING THE FUTURE

WITH GREAT CONVICTION

Scripture Reading--2 Timothy 1:12

"For the which cause I also suffer these things:

nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed,

                                     and am persuaded that he is able

                                        to keep that which I have committed

                                         unto him against that day" 

                                      ( emphasis added ).

The apostle Paul faced an uncertain future.  He was a prisoner of Rome because he had faithfully preached the Gospel ( 2 Tim. 1:8 ).  He had suffered much for the sake of Christ, and apparently death was inevitable.  In Acts 20:22-24, he spoke confidently about his future, knowing that in human terms the worst awaited him.  "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy" ( v. 24a ).  How could he, not knowing what was ahead of him, be so courageous?  He was a man of great conviction.

Sure of his salvation, he knew God had called him to preach the Gospel.  He knew he was in the center of God's will.  He knew that no matter what happened to him, God was in control.  He knew nothing could touch him without God's permission.  He knew he was on his way to heaven when he died, and he based everything on his convictions.

Conviction is what we believe based on God's Word.  A conviction is something we are willing to live or to die for.  It's knowing what we believe and why we believe it.  When we believe right, we will live right.  Convictions are the anchor of our souls against the storms of life.  Someone once said, "He who stands for nothing will usually fall for anything."

Preferences change, but, but convictions don't.  Patrick Henry said, "Give me liberty or give me death."  When you have the kind of conviction he had, you can face the future victoriously.  Build strong convictions because everything in your life will stand upon them.

ACTION POINT:  Talk together about your family convictions.  Be sure you are basing them on Scripture.

--Jack Palmer--