Faith Archives - Page 71 of 117

Hold Fast to the Faithful One {No Matter What Monday}

August 14, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

My husband and I spent most of the 1990’s watching Seinfeld. (Anyone else?!) In one of my favorite episodes, Jerry arrives at the rental car counter and learns they ran out of cars. He is baffled that, despite his reservation, the company doesn’t have a car for him. He tells the employee, “You know how to take the reservation, you just don’t know how to hold the reservation. And that’s really the most important part of the reservation – the holding.”

We can sometimes fall into similar thinking about our faith. We’ve seen the Lord work in our lives, and we know His salvation – but will it stick? Will our faith hold until the end? How can we have an enduring faith?

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23, NIV)

In this verse, the writer of Hebrews encourages us to hold on to the hope we profess. This hope isn’t wishful thinking, the way we often use the word “hope” in English. For a Christian, hope is confidence in the rock-solid promises of God. We can hold unswervingly to this hope because—and only because—the One who makes these promises is faithful to keep them.

Our assurance doesn’t come from the strength of our faith, but from the object of our faith – the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. God can be trusted to always complete what He started (Philippians 1:6). His faithfulness is the reason we can grab on tight to hope and never let go.

When you wonder if your faith is enough, hold fast to the faithful One who keeps all His promises to you . . . the One who will hold you until the end.

No matter what you face this week, hold on to your hope, because He who calls you is faithful.

Anchor Your Faith in God’s Faithfulness {No Matter What Monday}

August 7, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

I used to think I was good at keeping promises, and then I had kids.

I want to be faithful to my word, and I try to not make promises I can’t keep. But sometimes, I start the day saying, “Sure, I can play chess with you today.” Then each of the day’s tasks takes longer than I expected. The afternoon gets longer, and my temper gets shorter. All of a sudden, it’s 5:30 pm. I should be fixing dinner, but I’m fighting the temptation to hide in my closet with a pint of Halo Top ice cream. The last thing I want to do at that moment sit across a chess board from a chatty 11-year-old.

As I strive to be faithful to my promises, my trust is not in my own faithfulness – and this is great news! My faith is in the faithfulness of One who always keeps His promises.

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19)

God is not like us. He doesn’t lie; He doesn’t change His mind. If He says it, He will do it. Each and every one of His promises will be perfectly fulfilled. What a beautiful anchor of hope for our souls!

When God promises to help us, we can depend on His help (Psalm 121:2). When He says He will strengthen us and hold us, He can and will do it (Isaiah 41:10). When He says He will wipe every tear from our eyes, we can count on a glorious future with Him (Revelation 21:4).

In each Monday devotional this month, we will read about God’s faithfulness to us. As we look ahead to a new school year, make commitments, and see the potential of a fresh start, let’s rejoice that God is faithful even when we’re not. We can trust Him to keep all of His promises us.

No matter what you face this week, anchor your faith in the faithfulness of your Heavenly Father.

The Work is Finished {No Matter What Monday}

July 31, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

I’m a list-maker. Are you? If not, I’d love to hear how you function – I’d never survive without my lists! I’ve got my daily list, my weekly list, my monthly list, and my “someday” list. (It’s a rare, exciting day when I cross something off the someday list!) Making sharp little checkmarks next to completed tasks makes me smile.

If you find me curled up in bed with a book or plopped down in a recliner in front of the tv around 9pm, it means my list for that day boasts a lot of checkmarks. I don’t sit still unless the day’s essentials have been completed and the non-essentials bumped to the next day’s list.

So I find it fascinating that nine times in the New Testament, we read that Jesus Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand. Jesus lived and died for us. He rose again. Then He ascended to heaven, and when He got there, He sat.

“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:12)

Christ’s sacrifice of Himself on the cross completed the work required by God for our salvation. He fully paid the debt we owed because of sin. Yes, there is work that God asks us to do as His redeemed people. But the work of salvation is finished. The sacrifice offered by the prefect Lamb of God was complete and sufficient.

Jesus Christ completed His mission, returned home to the Father’s side, and sat down. As we go about our tasks this week, whether we’re checking off a list or just doing the next thing, let’s joyfully remember that our Savior completed the most important work for us.

No matter what you face this week, remember that Christ’s work for your salvation is finished.

You Belong {No Matter What Monday}

July 24, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

Have you ever had a moment when you felt confident you belonged? Or a moment when you were certain that you didn’t?

This past weekend, I attended a conference for Christian writers and speakers. I loved it. I spent time soaking up great teaching and encouragement with several hundred women who love Jesus and words as much as I do. At one point, I texted my husband to thank him for letting me make this trip and experience this community. I told him, “These are my people.”

God created us with a desire to belong. And while we have moments when that longing is fulfilled, there are other times when we feel lonely, less than, or left behind. Even in the midst of connecting this past weekend, there were moments when I was the awkward girl hovering on the outskirts of a conversation, waiting to be invited in.

Our desire to belong will never be fully satisfied by our human relationships. It is meant to point us to the One who says we belong to Him.

Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:10)

God calls us His people. Not because of our impressive resume or sparkling personality, but only because of the perfect record of His Son. God, in His mercy, covers us with Christ’s righteousness and makes us His people.

When you long to belong, find comfort in knowing you are the Lord’s. He has made you His people by His mercy. He gave His Son so that you could be His child. He brings you into His family and says, “You are Mine.”

No matter what you face this week, because of God’s mercy, you are now His people.

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