Is Seeing Believing?

We are hours away from the premiere of the movie Noah. In the past couple of weeks, so many questions have been asked about the movie. Will it follow the biblical story? Will it be too Hollywood? I myself wonder will seeing the story cause someone to believe?

I know that it has happened before. Friends of mine saw the Passion of the Christ and realized that Jesus was real. Others credit Charleston Heston's portrayal of Moses in the Ten Commandments with convincing them to follow God. My own sister told me how much seeing Left Behind helped her. So you can see why I would wonder if this movie, a man made creation, would be the gateway to faith in Christ?

The bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. If this is true why must we look to entertainment to validate what God has already told us in his Word? Why is our belief established in the scope of 20/20 vision instead of the beauty of a natural eye that has never had the ability to see? Why do we speak so highly of our faith when we truly value it so little?

We value the $10 that we will pay to see Noah. When the movie ends, many will say it was worth every penny. Others will say I have to see it again it was just that good.

Just as the flood waters rise and the storm begins to rage, hearts will begin to beat faster. A tear or two will fall for the people who CGI magic will dramatically sweep away. "My God" will be whispered just as a woman, then a man, a boy, and a girl have their Jesus moment. "I can see it now. It's so clear to me. Lord forgive me for doubting you." The words will sound sincere, heartfelt, and full of emotion. But the question that you should ask your neighbor if you hear them or the man in the mirror if you utter these words yourself is do I believe in God because of what I'm seeing in a movie or is my belief tied to my faith and nothing else?

John 9:39

Jesus said,[a] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Adayinthelife:-)

Position, Power, & Purpose

"You have seen something with your own eyes today. The Lord put you in my power in the cave. They said I should kill you, but I was merciful. I said, 'I won't harm my master, because he is the Lord's appointed king." 
1 Samuel 24:10


A series of questions will begin my time with you today. The first being, can you remember the time when you were perfectly positioned to get back at someone who you used to love? Do you remember the feeling you had when you realized that you were given the power to settle the score with them? And what about the thought that repaying wrong to them was your God given purpose? In the scope of your thoughts, you had position, power, and purpose. The most important question for today is how did you use them?

To begin with, when God places us in position it is to elevate. This is true regardless of the situations that we are faced with. Take for example, you find out your spouse has cheated on you. God placed that information before you to elevate the person. By this I mean your assignment is to help restore them back to God. Cheating may feel like a personal attack, but you must view it as an opportunity for you to position yourself before God in prayer on behalf of your spouse.

Next, when God empowers you to do something, it is to bring the focus back to Him. We do this by actively showing God's love to the people who have wronged us. For example, when your most trusted friend tells a lie on you, do not respond in anger. Respond in God. Tell him that you forgive him. Apologize for allowing a division to come between the two of you. Yes, I said apologize when someone lies on you. The apology will humble you reminding you of the times that you have been where your friend is. The apology will also open the door to an understanding that won't be reached if you are holding on so tight to repaying a wrong.

Finally, when God sets His purpose before you, you will submit your life to Him. We often miss our purpose because we are hurt by that cheating spouse or that lying friend. We are angry because someone forgot to thank us or maybe they took credit for what we assumed was our moment to shine. However, our purpose in life is to live a life unto God. Life unto God erases any thoughts of revenge or get back. Life unto God leads us to think only of how we can use our power to position ourselves and others in the best place to receive Him.

**Please take the time to read all of 1 Samuel 24.**

Adayinthelife:-)

I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me

I have often recounted the story of what happened the first time that I spoke before the congregation. I had prepared my message days before and I was confident that it was what the Lord wanted me to speak on. However, prepared or not I was afraid to stand and speak in front of people. I wanted to be anywhere but standing in the pulpit. I got so panicked that I cried and told the pastor that I could not do it. I was not ready. I wanted to sit down.

In the days leading up to it, I hoped that something would happen to sabotage the whole thing. You see it was not that I didn't want to share God's word. The problem was that I was certain that I could not do what I had been asked. I was certain that God had chosen the wrong messenger. I was not strong enough or equipped to carry through the task. In this way I was a lot like Jonah. God commanded Jonah to go preach to the people of Nineveh. Jonah knew that God had spoken to him. He knew what God wanted him to do, but he decided in his own mind that he could not do it. Jonah went so far as to run away from the Lord and deliberately go in the opposite direction of the assignment that God had given him.

What does this have to do with I can do all things through Christ you ask? Well, the problem that I faced, the problem that Jonah faced, and the problem that many of you have faced is the inability to believe God's word for yourself. We believe that God can do all things through the pastor. We believe that God can do all things through the praying mothers of the church. But when it comes right down to it, we don't believe that God can do all things in and through us. We don't have faith in the scripture. We don't have faith in God.

The scripture I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me has become a catch phrase instead of the living, breathing, life changing word of God. If you find yourself panicking or running away from what God has commanded you to do, take a moment to pray. Honestly tell God that you are unequipped and unworthy and you are asking Him to increase your faith and remove all of your doubts. Whatever you do, do not run away in the direction of a boat unless you wish to find yourself in the belly of a whale.

Scripture Reference: Please go back and read the book of Jonah.

Adayinthelife :-)

Does It Really Take All of That?

I can remember distinctly what I was told some years ago when I joined the church.

"Make sure you buy a bible, concordance, and a notebook. You will need the bible and the concordance to study. You will need the notebook to take notes during the services and bible lessons. Also, you will need to attend First Steps classes so that you can learn more about God. Make sure you attend each Wednesday night bible study. Write the scriptures down so that you can go back and study them. Everyday read a passage from the old testament, the new testament, a psalm, and a proverb"

I saw my teacher's lips moving, heard her talking, but I swear somewhere around her telling me to buy a notebook all I could think was... 

"Does it really take all that? I said I wanted to give my life to God and this lady just gave me a laundry list of things to do. I thought they said give your life to God and He will do the rest. I promise you I know why people don't come to church. They want you to do too much. And what on earth is a concordance? I have to read all of that EVERYDAY?"

Needless to say I did not voice any of my objections. I just sat there wondering what I had gotten myself into. I had been away from God so long that I had forgotten there was more to being saved than just saying I believe God. I actually had to learn about Him by reading and studying His word. The list of things that I was told to do was just the beginning. It was the kindergarten step in my journey to truly knowing God.

You see the bible tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16, that All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. With this in mind, the instructions that I was given were not only necessary, but they were vital to my growth as a Christian. God intended for Christians to hide the word in our hearts as is described in Psalm 119. We are to accept His words and store His commands as is instructed in Proverbs 2:1. Finally, we are to meditate on it day and night. I found that in Joshua 1:8. Old testament, new testament, a psalm, and a proverb maybe my teacher knew what she was talking about after all.

Adayinthelife :-)