2020 - A Year to Believe and Trust God
Dear Saints:
Like many of us, I tried to clean my closet at the end of 2019. I was looking for clothes and shoes I had not worn for more than one year and setting them aside for donations to charity. I came across this one shirt and I liked it very much but it met my criteria. I struggled within me to let this shirt go and be a blessing to someone else. I looked closely and written on the label was this word, “TRUST”. I had never seen it before. There and then, I heard a small voice speak to me and saying, "Will you trust Me"? I immediately surrendered and let go of the shirt.
In 2020 and in this decade, the word for me is TRUST.
As we continue our study of John 14 (please read the entire chapter), I am again confronted with the word TRUST, just as Jesus reminded His disciples. Listen:
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:1-3.
"Believe" in the Greek literally means "to place one's trust in another". This is the key word in the whole Gospel of John and it appears about 90 times. The Lord is absolutely very clear about our believing and trusting Him; not necessarily about experiencing his miracles but Himself as a person.
Believing and trusting is the Genesis of Christianity and claim to any relationship with God the Son, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (John 1:12, 3:15 and 16 and etc.).
Why would Jesus insist on his disciples to believe and trust in him after spending three years with them? It is because he saw that they were troubled and had doubts. Jesus was going away physically. Oh do we get troubled these days and sometimes begin to doubt our God? Yes.
Thomas spoke for all of us even in our pretense. “5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Do you know the way, the truth and the life ? We are not talking about a doctrine or theology or religion. We are talking about the person of Jesus Christ himself. This year and decade is not for playing the church game but to truly trust in Christ. When you don't see your prayers answered immediately and/or never, will you still trust him? Have you ever put your faith and trust in Christ? Now and today is the time.
Notice that in this chapter and many others, Jesus declared His deity. Jesus is God period. “Believe in God believe also in Me.” …He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” etc. My Muslim neighbor and acquaintance sent me 38 out-of-context bible quotations why the Muslims believe that Jesus “IS TRULY NOT GOD” including John 14:28, “My Father is greater than I.” I smiled and began to pray for him. I can't convince him but the Holy Spirit will.
Many (including the Mormons, Muslims, Jehovah Witnesses and etc.) recognize Jesus as a prophet, good teacher, miracle worker, and an angel but they deny that he is God. If he is not God the Son, then let's forget about the sacrifice for our sins and relationship with God. If Jesus is not God then he will be imperfect and cannot save us. Jesus is not a created being; he is the Creator of all things (John 1:3).
This year and decade, when you do not see your "political Messiah", will you continue to trust in Christ? Many were disappointed and stopped trusting God the Son for the same reason while he was here. Are you more committed to sharing your political opinions than sharing the Gospel of Christ?
This is the year and decade of great harvest. Let us join Jesus in his call to “make disciples.” Our hearts will be troubled and worried like the pagans if we don't obey Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 6:31-34 that we should not worry like the pagans to seek worldly goods but to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. It therefore means that as long as we are not first focused on seeking God and building and living out God's kingdom and His righteousness, then our lives will be full of worries and cares of tomorrow.
Will you and I believe and trust God this year and this decade? Will you be a committed disciple and make disciples for Christ? At the end of this year, this decade and for eternity, your obedience to making disciples is the only thing that will matter and last forever. The people whom you help by God's grace to believe and trust in Christ are the only accomplishments that will go to heaven with you. Of course sharing the Gospel is not the basis for your salvation but the product/fruit of your salvation in Christ.
Is it going to be business as usual in 2020 and in this decade for us and as we lived last year and last decade? I thank God who has given us another chance to rightly live out our confession of Christ. May we not squander this year and another decade. Amen.
Please write down at least one person you will love and pray for this year and ask for God's grace to share the Gospel with the person. If you don't have any then pray for my four names: Omar, Tom, Jonathan and Grace. Thank you. Ask God to enable you and invest in equipping yourself to share the Gospel and financially support the spread of the Gospel.
Chillax and trust God in 2020 for He will cause His grace to abound for you and for every good work (see 2 Corinthians 9: 6-8).
Remember Jesus’ sure promise: “I will come again and receive you to Myself.” Jesus could come today or any time soon. Amen.
Happy New Year and New You in 2020!
Like many of us, I tried to clean my closet at the end of 2019. I was looking for clothes and shoes I had not worn for more than one year and setting them aside for donations to charity. I came across this one shirt and I liked it very much but it met my criteria. I struggled within me to let this shirt go and be a blessing to someone else. I looked closely and written on the label was this word, “TRUST”. I had never seen it before. There and then, I heard a small voice speak to me and saying, "Will you trust Me"? I immediately surrendered and let go of the shirt.
In 2020 and in this decade, the word for me is TRUST.
As we continue our study of John 14 (please read the entire chapter), I am again confronted with the word TRUST, just as Jesus reminded His disciples. Listen:
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:1-3.
"Believe" in the Greek literally means "to place one's trust in another". This is the key word in the whole Gospel of John and it appears about 90 times. The Lord is absolutely very clear about our believing and trusting Him; not necessarily about experiencing his miracles but Himself as a person.
Believing and trusting is the Genesis of Christianity and claim to any relationship with God the Son, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (John 1:12, 3:15 and 16 and etc.).
Why would Jesus insist on his disciples to believe and trust in him after spending three years with them? It is because he saw that they were troubled and had doubts. Jesus was going away physically. Oh do we get troubled these days and sometimes begin to doubt our God? Yes.
Thomas spoke for all of us even in our pretense. “5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Do you know the way, the truth and the life ? We are not talking about a doctrine or theology or religion. We are talking about the person of Jesus Christ himself. This year and decade is not for playing the church game but to truly trust in Christ. When you don't see your prayers answered immediately and/or never, will you still trust him? Have you ever put your faith and trust in Christ? Now and today is the time.
Notice that in this chapter and many others, Jesus declared His deity. Jesus is God period. “Believe in God believe also in Me.” …He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” etc. My Muslim neighbor and acquaintance sent me 38 out-of-context bible quotations why the Muslims believe that Jesus “IS TRULY NOT GOD” including John 14:28, “My Father is greater than I.” I smiled and began to pray for him. I can't convince him but the Holy Spirit will.
Many (including the Mormons, Muslims, Jehovah Witnesses and etc.) recognize Jesus as a prophet, good teacher, miracle worker, and an angel but they deny that he is God. If he is not God the Son, then let's forget about the sacrifice for our sins and relationship with God. If Jesus is not God then he will be imperfect and cannot save us. Jesus is not a created being; he is the Creator of all things (John 1:3).
This year and decade, when you do not see your "political Messiah", will you continue to trust in Christ? Many were disappointed and stopped trusting God the Son for the same reason while he was here. Are you more committed to sharing your political opinions than sharing the Gospel of Christ?
This is the year and decade of great harvest. Let us join Jesus in his call to “make disciples.” Our hearts will be troubled and worried like the pagans if we don't obey Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 6:31-34 that we should not worry like the pagans to seek worldly goods but to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. It therefore means that as long as we are not first focused on seeking God and building and living out God's kingdom and His righteousness, then our lives will be full of worries and cares of tomorrow.
Will you and I believe and trust God this year and this decade? Will you be a committed disciple and make disciples for Christ? At the end of this year, this decade and for eternity, your obedience to making disciples is the only thing that will matter and last forever. The people whom you help by God's grace to believe and trust in Christ are the only accomplishments that will go to heaven with you. Of course sharing the Gospel is not the basis for your salvation but the product/fruit of your salvation in Christ.
Is it going to be business as usual in 2020 and in this decade for us and as we lived last year and last decade? I thank God who has given us another chance to rightly live out our confession of Christ. May we not squander this year and another decade. Amen.
Please write down at least one person you will love and pray for this year and ask for God's grace to share the Gospel with the person. If you don't have any then pray for my four names: Omar, Tom, Jonathan and Grace. Thank you. Ask God to enable you and invest in equipping yourself to share the Gospel and financially support the spread of the Gospel.
Chillax and trust God in 2020 for He will cause His grace to abound for you and for every good work (see 2 Corinthians 9: 6-8).
Remember Jesus’ sure promise: “I will come again and receive you to Myself.” Jesus could come today or any time soon. Amen.
Happy New Year and New You in 2020!
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