Live and Believe

In John 11, Jesus goes to Bethany because His good friend Lazarus has died. When He arrives one of Lazarus' sisters approaches and tells Jesus if he had been there her brother would not have died. Jesus says the unbelievable--"Your brother will rise again."

She responds by saying "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Here is Jesus' response:

     I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and
     whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26)

If you are a follower of Jesus you may be familiar with this verse. Sometimes familiarity can cause a person to miss all of what Jesus is saying.

So many times I hear people say all you have to do is believe in Jesus. People will say that in order to experience the resurrection all that is required is belief. But that is just part of what Jesus says. He says that in order for us to never die (spiritually) we must "live" and "believe."

The believe part is considered fairly easy to accomplish. All a person needs to do is say they believe in Jesus. I can make that statement in this post: "I Scott Baker, believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and even though I die, I can live for eternity."

I confidently can make this statement because of the redeeming quality of God, through His Son, Jesus. I have life because of God's grace.

It is the second part to my belief that is most convincing. Do I "live" in Jesus? Is my belief so strong in Jesus that my life is different from the world. Can people tell I am a disciple of Jesus by the way I live?

It is the "living in Jesus" that defines me as a Christian. It is more than a statement of faith verbally. It is a statement of faith physically--faith by action.

Do you believe in Jesus enough you are going to be defined by Him--is your identity found in Jesus?

Are you a Disciple?

And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. -- Luke 14:27

 

 

Without over analyzing this short statement by Jesus I want to think through what Jesus is trying to say to those who would call themselves His disciples. I want to look at the last part of His statement first--"Cannot be my disciple."

 

If we have a desire to identify ourselves with Jesus, which is really what defines a disciple, then maybe we should think about what it is Jesus says disqualifies us from being a disciple. Jesus makes it very clear that just stating that we are a disciple of his is not enough.

 

There is something more than just stating our allegiance to Him. It involves movement and a cross. Jesus was beaten and then had the burden of carrying the cross to his death. When we get a mental picture of this journey we begin to understand Jesus' commitment to the mission. This mission required a sacrifice. So if we are going find identity in Jesus the first thing is to have a willingness to sacrifice.

 

Sacrifice!? Sacrifice what? Whatever get is in the way of the second part of the qualifier. Jesus said we must carry our cross and "Follow Him." When our identity is found in Jesus we will follow his ways while we live on this earth. We will reflect His image.

 

In order to qualify as a disciple--someone who identifies with Jesus--we must sacrifice what ever gets in the way of following Jesus. And then we follow Him.

 

As we approach Easter and as we talk about the cross, find something you are willing to sacrifice in order to follow Jesus. 

What if you had access to the smartest and most powerful person in the world to help you build your life, your business or your church, would you listen to them?

Of course you would. You may ask some questions and push back, but ultimately you would respect that persons knowledge and strength.  Most, if not all of your decisions would be based on that access.

Then why is it so difficult to let God lead? I mean he is the most powerful--the creator of the universe. He is the wisest--Paul says that "the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength" (1 Corinthians 1:25).

If this is true, and as a follower I believe it is, then why can't I let Him lead?

Think about this verse from Psalms 127:1:

     "Unless God builds the house, its builders labor in vain."

Get out of the way and let God lead. Let Him be the center of your family, your career or your church.

He has the greatest wisdom and the greatest strength. Only a foolish person would go it alone.

Stop . . .

Elihu, the younger friend of Job is angry because Job charges God of being his enemy. So he speaks to Job, correcting him for questioning God.

In the middle of going through hell on earth, this young friend of Job utters these words, "Stop and consider the wonders of God." (Job 37:14)

Elihu is challenging Job to look at how God has blessed him despite the major set backs in life. Before Elihu tells Job to consider the great things God has done, he tells him to "Stop."

What great advice for all of us. Something goes wrong at home, at work or at church. Frustration sets in, we begin to rant about our situation. We blame God for our circumstances or the current situation. We begin to get angry because we have not gotten what we want. What should we do?

     Stop!

     Pause!

Think about how you have been blessed. Too many times we think about what we don't have instead of thinking about the things we do have.

Look around you. How does God show His wonder? Do you ever consider the ways of God? Do you ever consider God's presence in your life?

A lot of times we miss the wonders of God because we don't take the time to "Stop." Their is great purpose in taking a days rest to experience the blessings of God. How often do you rest in the presence of God and consider His blessings?

Not the things you want? But what he has blessed you with--food, water, clothing shelter, relationships and His grace. "Stop" and consider His wonders, thanking Him for the blessings you need.