RedeemedSample

"Have faith in what God has accomplished for you" Did you know that before you even give one thought to believing in Jesus, God is calling you to Himself? He calls us by name. God knows who you are, what you are, and where you are. And when God calls you, the call is so very personal, you recognize He is speaking to you. God is calling you back into relationship with Him. Many people “believe” a lot about Jesus, but their version of believing is more like an acknowledgment of facts. The Greek definition of believe in John 1:12, and the Bible’s intended use, means there is more to believing than just agreeing. Here in North Carolina, at the top of Grandfather Mountain, there is a bridge called the Mile High Swinging Bridge. And everything makes that bridge swing. A little breeze. A big wind. Dorky teenagers fast-walking beside you. We believed the bridge was safe and sturdy, but that is not the kind of believing the Bible speaks of regarding Jesus. The Greek word for believe requires more. In the Bible, to believe in Jesus means to entrust your life to His truth. At the bridge, it meant stepping out, onto the thing I believed would hold me. And praise God, it did. To believe in Jesus requires: knowledge + conviction + trust. All of these things together = FAITH. Some days having faith in God feels a whole lot like stepping out onto that bridge. There wasn’t one thing pretty about the way I walked across the Mile High Swinging Bridge that day. I had tears in my eyes. I was clutching the steel side rails for dear life. And some days, there is nothing pretty about our faith either. In much the same way, to embrace this God will require us to believe. To have faith. Exactly what is God asking you to believe? He is asking you to believe that in Jesus you can be saved from the penalty of your sin. Exactly how do we tell God we believe? The only requirement for believing is faith. The only way to do this wrong is to pretend. Or say words you don’t yet believe. Or just go along with a crowd. Or pray a prayer you don’t mean. The only way not to believe “correctly” is to not believe. Today, do you believe what Christ has accomplished for you?