Day 241: Faith of our Own

John 16:4-33; 2 Chronicles 24; Psalm 81

Jesus tells the disciples, "I am going to do what is best for you." Isn't that awesome! What a great promise!

Jesus also says some powerful statements about the truth that the Spirit will show people of this world: that they are "wrong about sin, because they didn't have faith in me. They are wrong about God's justice, because I am going to the Father, and you won't see me again. And they are wrong about the judgment, because God has already judged the ruler of this world." I don't know enough about denominational theology to connect these to certain churches or even other religions, but I do know that the thoughts expressed here are serious causes for conflict. We have ideas about sin, about believing in Jesus, about justice and judgment. Whatever all this may mean, one point that I definitely get is that the Spirit shows what is really true. So how do we know what is Truth? We get connected intimately with God's Spirit. How do we do that? Pursuing a relationship through scripture reading and prayer.

And finally, Jesus promises unalterable joy in the days to come. We might have struggles here on earth that bring great sorrow, but that isn't what eternity will be made up of. Christ promises reasons to be joyful beyond measure.

Joash did a good thing by repairing the temple, but his faithfulness was only so deep. He wanted the temple to look good and followed The Lord as long as the priest Jehoiada was keeping him accountable. But as soon as Jehoiada died, king Joash was adrift in this world of deception and unfaithfulness. It is clear that his relationship with The Lord was not of his own initiative. He fell away and was swayed very easily. Our faith in The Lord needs to be our own. We can't depend on others to keep us strong and devoted.

This psalm is demonstrating that God deserves our praise and wants to save and provide for us. But why wouldn't he? Because we, people, turn away. I've written about this before, but here it is in scripture again: If we want God's blessing and protection, then we need to worship him. If we aren't willing to submit to him, then we can forget about his favor. God isn't going to force himself on us, he even says, "I let you," showing that God allows us to go our own way. But how could we not serve a God who promises, "Just ask, and I will give you whatever you need....I would feed you with the finest bread and with the best honey until you were full." My mouth waters just thinking about that! God loves us, that's why he warns us not to turn away; that's why he allows us freedom. I pray that our hearts and lives would focus around the God who wants to bless and love on us in a way that no one or nothing else can.