Category Archives: Faith & Hope

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November 10, 2025

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Bible Stories, Church & Worship, Faith & Hope, Salvation: A New You, Sharing Our Faith, Wisdom & Guidance

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. [1 Corinthians 15:1-5 (NIV)]

I came across an article questioning whether we have to believe certain things to be a Christian or is it enough just to trust God. The author believed that Christians don’t have to “assent intellectually” to the facts of traditional Christian teaching or agree with the Christian creeds. “Faith” to the author is simply placing one’s confidence in “Spirit” (not the Holy Spirit) and following Jesus’ teaching is more important than believing certain things about Him. Having nothing to do with dogma or creeds, Christianity was seen as a wisdom tradition and way of life rather than a belief. Claiming they were “man-made” and date from the 4th century and Emperor Constantine, the author believed Christianity’s creeds should be disregarded.

A creed (or confession of faith) is simply a statement of what we believe; every time we share what we believe with others, we are confessing a creed. The first creed predates Constantine by at least 1,600 years and was given to us by God. The Hebrew Shema, found in Deuteronomy, declares the fundamental belief of Judaism: “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” [6:4] To be recited every morning and night, this declaration of belief remains the cornerstone of the Jewish faith. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, we find worshippers recalling the Lord’s faithfulness with confessions of faith like that in 1 Kings 18:39 that, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” The belief that, “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone,” is a cornerstone of Christianity, as well!

In the New Testament, we also find confessions of faith or creeds. Christianity’s fundamental belief was confessed by Peter when he stated that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” [Mat 16:16] and again when Nathaneal acknowledged Jesus as “the Son of God…the King of Israel!” [John 1:49] When other followers deserted Jesus, the Lord asked the twelve if they would leave. Peter responded, “You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” [John 7:68-69] Although short, these confessions of faith were creeds.

The earliest creeds of the church can be found in the epistles of Paul. His words in today’s verse from 1 Corinthians 15 appear to be an early creed. That he “received it,” means Paul wasn’t the original author and, since he’s reminding them, it predates Paul’s first trip to Corinth (49-50 AD)! In his first letter to Timothy, Paul emphasized the importance of preserving and proclaiming the truth and includes what historians believe to be an early hymn summarizing the theology of the incarnation.[3:16] In Philippians 2:5-11, we find another early hymn explaining the dual nature of Jesus. It’s believed that Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all,” were an early creed that was recited by new converts when they were baptized. If we believe Scripture is God-breathed, those words of belief aren’t man’s—they’re God’s!

The article’s author contends that belief and faith are two different things and that belief is not essential for faith. I think the Apostle Paul would disagree. Belief is intellectual acceptance that something is true and faith is trusting in the promise of that belief and they seem to be two sides of the same coin. If I believe the boat is sea-worthy, it’s my faith in it that gets me to sail it out to sea. On the other hand, if I don’t believe it’s sea-worthy, I wouldn’t have faith enough to take it sailing. Faith involves trust, commitment, and action and, without knowing and believing the promises of God, how will we have faith enough to trust them? Our creeds are the foundation of Christianity and help us know exactly what it is in which we have faith! It’s that knowledge that keeps us from falling for the false “feel-good-anything-goes” theology we find in the world today!

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. [Timothy 3:16  (ESV)]

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September 15, 2025

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Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Patience & Perseverance

STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND

Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.” So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, just as the Lord had said. [Deuteronomy 34:4-5 (NLT)]

Zion Nat'l Park

We all know the story of Moses. When his mother can keep him hidden no longer, she puts him in a waterproof basket and lays him in the reeds of the Nile. He’s found by Pharaoh’s daughter who, taking pity on the crying infant, adopts him. Moses’ sister appears and offers to find a wet nurse for the infant. Moses and his birth mother are reunited but, once he’s weaned (around two or three), the boy returns to Pharaoh’s daughter who raises him as her own. Unfortunately, with only eleven verses of Scripture about Moses’ childhood, there’s no way of knowing how much contact he had with his birth family after that or what he knew of his Hebrew heritage. Nevertheless, Moses must have been torn by the knowledge that he was living a privileged life in the palace of the man who was mercilessly oppressing his people. Did he ever feel he belonged in the palace? As a Hebrew boy being raised as an Egyptian prince, I suspect he never was fully accepted by those in Pharaoh’s court. Even though he was raised as a prince, was he too much of a Hebrew to be considered an Egyptian by the people around him?

When he was grown, Moses went out “to visit his own people” but we don’t know why. Was he visiting his birth family, supervising some labor, or merely curious? Scripture only tells us that when Moses saw an Egyptian abusing a Hebrew slave, the outraged man killed the Egyptian and hid the body. The next day, when Moses returned to his people, he happened upon two Hebrews fighting. When he tried to intervene, he was sarcastically rebuffed: “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” Apparently, Moses was too much of an Egyptian to be considered a Hebrew by his own people!

To escape Pharaoh’s wrath over the homicide, Moses fled to Midian. The man who belonged to both the overlords and the slaves became a foreigner in a strange land. Reflecting this sense of not belonging, he even named his son Gershom, meaning “foreigner” or “stranger.”

While the years spent as a prince in Egypt and as a shepherd in Midian were the perfect preparation for the man who would deliver Israel, Moses didn’t know that. It’s easy to understand why he was so reluctant when God told him that he’d be the one to lead the Hebrews to freedom. What did Moses know of his people and God’s covenant with Israel? He hadn’t even circumcised his son!

Part of me finds the story of Moses incredibly sad. He spent a third of his life as an outsider in Pharaoh’s palace, a third as an exile in Midian, and a third as a nomad in the wilderness. A man who always lived as a stranger, he never really had a place to call home. Although Moses was the one who led his people to their home in Canaan, he never stepped into that Promised Land. After viewing it from a distance, he died and was buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Moab.

Yet, isn’t this what the Apostle Paul was talking about when he gave his examples of faith in Hebrews 11? He wrote of faithful people like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who, like Moses, only viewed God’s Promised Land from a distance. True faith, however, allows us to see beyond what is right in front of us. We’re all strangers in a strange land because this world is not our home. The Promised Land is not a piece of soil; it is the Kingdom of God and a piece of eternity.

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. … But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. [Hebrews 11:13,16 (NLT)]

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September 11, 2025

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Word: The Bible, Peace of God, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets

WORDS OF COMFORT

For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. … So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 5:17,21 (NLT)]

Tears are a tribute to our deceased friends. When the body is sown, it must be watered. But we must not sorrow as those that have no hope; for we have a good hope through grace both concerning them and concerning ourselves. [Matthew Henry]

Monday’s devotion (“No Words of Comfort”) originally was published back in 2018. It came to mind because my son-in-law recently died. His death was sudden and unexpected and, when my daughter told me, I was sure I’d misunderstood her words. Not Mike! Still a young man in the prime of his life; it couldn’t be, but it was! Just as we all know we’re going to die someday, we know the people we love will die. It’s just that we expect those deaths to be on our timeline. But they’re not—they’re on God’s. The only guarantee that comes with life on earth is that it will end!

Because we are believers, as was Mike, there was no need for sentimental drivel or faulty theology at Mike’s Celebration of Life. Instead, there were the reassuring words and promises of the New Testament. As Christians, even though we mourned our loss, we could celebrate the life that had been lived and the eternal life that lay ahead. Rather than saying “Good-by” to Mike, it was more like wishing him, “Bon voyage!”

That Mike’s life goes on, however, doesn’t mean we don’t want him back here with us! Being Christ followers doesn’t mean we don’t hurt or mourn nor does it mean we aren’t angry at God for His timing. Like C.S. Lewis, we even questioned if God is a “Cosmic Sadist” who pulls the rug from under us just when life gets really good! We may be people of faith but we’re human and grief, like learning to walk, is a process that involves falls, bumps, and bruises along the way. As David did in the Psalms, we pray honest prayers and freely bring God our pain, queries, anger, and grief. He’s a big God and can handle our questions and lament.

Our anchor in grief is our faith; it keeps us from drifting away in the storm. Hope is where we find our strength. It’s what allows us to face the future—to look to the uncertainty and challenges of the tomorrows ahead and not be afraid. As for love: love comes from God and we are thankful for the years God gave Mike to us—for the love Mike gave us and for the opportunity to know and love him. Death can’t take away our love; Mike remains in our memories and our love endures.

We all grieve for Mike and for the future we expected. Even though an enormous gap now exists in the lives of my daughter and grand, there is a sense of peace surrounding us all. Yes, we mourn our loss and my daughter continues to feel as if a part of her body has been amputated. Nevertheless, we have peace in our heartache because Scripture tells us where Mike is and where we’ll eventually be. Not only do we know how the story ends, but we also know that Jesus, the man who wept at Lazarus’ grave, has not abandoned us. He walks with us in our grief. Our words of comfort are found in Jesus and His promises. They are what enable my daughter to say, “God so graciously gave me Mike. Through His wisdom he took him back home and He will graciously give me healing in my pain. God is faithful.”

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. [1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NLT)]

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August 28, 2025

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Faith & Hope, God's Grace & Love, Knowing Him, Thanks & Praise, Wisdom & Guidance

MARVELOUS WORKMANSHIP

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. [Romans 1:20 (NLT)]

We were discussing when and how we came to believe in the existence of God. Those who’d been brought up in families of faith said there never was a time they weren’t aware of God’s presence. Others spoke of believing in God because He is visible in His creation—in flowers, majestic mountains, birds, sunrises and sunsets, the vastness of space, or the miracle of birth. One came to believe in God while attending Vacation Bible School with a neighbor and another met God through a campus ministry. After apologizing in advance for “grossing” us out, one woman shared her experience while in medical school.

Not a believer at the time, she was sure science explained everything that needed explaining until she dissected a human brain. As she cut into the tissue and started labeling parts, she began to wonder. While slicing through the 100 billion neurons of a man’s brain, she questioned where she’d find the part that loved stroking his wife’s hair, knew the sound of his children’s laughter, taught his boys how to play football, or built a dollhouse for his daughter. She wondered which of those billions of neurons learned the alphabet and times tables, struggled to learn Spanish, loved his parents, knew how to play the guitar, told jokes to his friends, called blue his favorite color, or enjoyed both the Beetles and Bach? With each slice she asked things like, “Is this the part that knew sorrow at his child’s death or joy at his daughter’s wedding? Where is the memory of his first bicycle, first kiss, or honeymoon?”

She held the most fascinating and complex organ of the body in her hands and knew the name and function of every part of it but she couldn’t find the answers to her questions. Touching this man’s brain, she knew him more intimately than anyone. Nevertheless, she couldn’t uncover what made him who he was. When she couldn’t find his essence—his very soul—she realized that man is greater than the sum of his parts. Understanding that inside us all there is something unique that cannot be seen, cut into, labeled, or even explained was her “Aha!” moment. It was then that she recognized something or someone far greater is in charge. That moment she finally believed in God—the creator of heaven and earth and all things in between.

When she finished speaking, there was dead silence in the room and she started to apologize again for talking about cadavers and dissections. We reassured her there was no need for apology. Her compelling story had not turned our stomachs; rather, the beauty of it had taken away our breath! We sat in stunned silence as we each reflected on this great and marvelous Creator God who reveals Himself in such wonderful and unique ways.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. [Psalm 139:13-15 (NLT)]

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August 25, 2025

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, God's Promises

SWIMMING WITH HOPE

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. [1 Peter 1:3-4 (CSB)]

Back in 1957 (long before PETA existed), Curt Richter, a professor at Johns Hopkins, conducted a series of cruel and inhumane experiments to demonstrate the power of hope and resilience in overcoming difficult situations. In this case, the difficult situation was rats being put in a bucket of water with no means of escape and timing how long it took them to drown. After two preliminary experiments, Richter hypothesized that introducing hope to the rats would increase their survival times.

In his third experiment, after being dropped into the water, the rats were observed as they progressed towards drowning but were rescued just before they gave up and died. After being dried and given time to recover, they were then re-immersed and the experiment repeated. Once the rats realized intervention and rescue was possible, they had hope of being rescued again. That glimmer of hope in their tiny rodent brains was a motivating factor for their perseverance and resilience and, instead of giving up and drowning within 15 minutes as they earlier did, they managed to swim 60 to 80 hours before finally giving up and drowning in exhaustion. (I said the experiment was cruel!)

In theory, Richter’s study applies to people as well as rats—if we have hope, we can survive (or at least survive longer) but, without hope, we will surely give up and drown. In 1 Peter, we find the Apostle writing to early Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor. Probably written around 64 AD, these new believers were encountering hostility and, before the year ended, they would experience wholesale persecution after Rome burned. Peter, however, wrote of hope, joy, and a priceless inheritance during their many trials. His message applies to Christians today, as well. Although our hope is eternal life, we don’t have to wait until the future to receive it; it is in the here and now! We have an inheritance that never will fade or decay!

Like all believers throughout time, we will encounter trouble and trials in this world but we can be confident in God’s plan and presence, put fear aside, have resilience in trials, and persevere as we tread water in our challenges! As Christians, we have good reason to keep swimming amid our trials and difficulties. Even if we’re not rescued from our problems in this life, we still have hope. Whether we continue to swim or sink, we’ve already been saved and have another, far better life, yet to come!

It’s been said, “Where there’s life, there’s hope!” The fact of life, however, isn’t what determines hope; it’s the faith of our life that does! As Christians, we have a living hope—a confident expectation that our God is present, faithful, and will do as He says. Unlike Richter and his rats, we know that God is not toying with us nor are we subjects of a cruel experiment. He doesn’t give us hope only to snatch it away; the hope He gives us is both living and lasting. We may not be rats but, like Richter’s subjects, we all need a reason to keep swimming! As Christ’s followers, we have it!

A Christian will part with anything rather than his hope; he knows that hope will keep the heart both from aching and breaking, from fainting and sinking; he knows that hope is a beam of God, a spark of glory, and that nothing shall extinguish it till the soul be filled with glory. [Thomas Brooks]

You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.…Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. [1 Peter 1:6-7,21 (CSB)]

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August 11, 2025

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Attitudes & Behavior, Faith & Hope, God's Grace & Love, Knowing Him, Salvation: A New You, Trusting God

HE’S BIGGER

Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. [1 Peter 1:8-9 (CSB)]

lion - tanzania

Although C.S. Lewis never intended the seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia series to be allegories, they are filled with Christian imagery and allusions. Having enjoyed reading (and re-reading) the Narnia books, I was pleased when the Pastor opened his sermon on “The Supremacy of Jesus” by quoting from it. In Prince Caspian, after a year’s absence from Narnia, Lucy encounters Aslan the lion (the Christ-like figure in the series) and says, “Aslan, you’re bigger.” The lion replies, “That is because you are older, little one.” When she asks, “Not because you are?” the lion assures her, “I am not.” He then explains, “But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

Only a year had passed in Lucy’s world since she last saw Aslan, but 1,300 years had passed in Narnia. Even so, in all that time, Aslan hadn’t gotten larger. As Hebrews 13:8 reminds us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Indeed, God is unchangeable in His being, character, will, attributes, power, and promises.

Lucy’s misperception of Aslan’s size is not because she’s another year older or two inches taller. While we tend to think of growing as getting older or larger, growing in the spiritual sense is different. It’s a little like seeing people from a distance. From afar, they seem small but, as we grow closer to them, they seem to enlarge. Once face-to-face, we finally perceive how large they really are! Spiritual growth is coming closer to God so that we perceive how big He is and how small we are. Growth in our spiritual life doesn’t mean there is more of us; if anything, there is less of us and more of God! While God is immutable, our relationship with Him is not.

As we grow and mature spiritually, like Lucy, our perception of God will change proportionally. The more we move toward Him, the larger He becomes! We will come to see both our spiritual brokenness and the greatness of God’s mercy, our sinfulness and His immeasurable holiness, our weakness and His infinite power, our poverty and His limitless grace, our emptiness and His abundant love. As we accept our inadequacy and hopelessness, our small perspective of God changes and we begin to grasp the full extent of God’s wisdom, glory, power, and majesty. Indeed, our God is a big God!

Aslan played a prominent role in the first Narnia book so all four of the children know he exists. Nevertheless, upon their return to Narnia, they don’t see him. But, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t there. Lucy is the only one who finally sees him, perhaps because, unlike her siblings, she was the only one who believed Aslan would help them. For the other three children, Aslan remains invisible until, one by one, like Lucy, they start having faith in him. It’s been said that “seeing is believing.” In this case, it is the believing that allowed for the seeing! I expect that, as their faith increased, like Lucy, each sibling said, “Aslan, you’re bigger!”

And, so it is with Jesus. We must believe in Him to see Him and the more we trust Him, the bigger He gets!

Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” [John 11:40 (CSB)]

Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” [John 20:29 (CSB)]

Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. [Hebrews 11:6 (CSB)]

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