Belief: March 22, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY MARCH 22, 2013.

BELIEF

DEFINITION:

Something believed; opinion; conviction; confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof; confidence; faith; trust; a religious creed or trust.

SCRIPTURE:

God from the beginning chose you for salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. II Thessalonians 2:13, 15.

He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching. Titus 1:9

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Anyone who says he is a Christian is saying that he has a belief in Jesus Christ and follows His teachings. The dictionary defines belief as confidence in the truth or existence of something. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6. God and Jesus are the source of all truth and that is the basis of our belief. Therefore, those that put their belief or trust in Jesus can have confidence in the truth of His teachings.

God’s message of Salvation that we have in Jesus is trustworthy and we should have a strong, unshakeable and confident belief in what Jesus taught us so we can encourage others to believe in Him and receive the gift of eternal life.

The book of Titus is a letter that Paul wrote to Titus. Paul had given to Titus the responsibility of appointing leaders for the churches that Paul had been involved in establishing. In Titus 1:5-9, Paul describes to Titus the leadership qualities that leaders in the church should have. All who believe and have received Jesus are children of God and should strive to meet these qualifications in their lives today.

Paul says we must be blameless, not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, and not pursuing dishonest gain. After this list of what we must not do, Paul gives us a list of what we must do. We must be hospitable, love what is good, be self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. The way we live our life is a testimony to our faith in what we believe.

The keys to making belief or believing a reality in our lives are:

•    TRUSTING GOD: This comes first, no matter what we are facing in life. Our belief is in God and our faith is strengthened by trusting God. We must trust in the Lord with all our heart. (Psalm 37:3 and Proverbs 3:5 are good verses for you to read)
•    DO GOOD: Our faith is demonstrated by the good we do whether it is by word or deed. Psalm 37:3 instructs us to trust in the Lord and then do good.
•    RELY ON THE LORD: When we have troubles we are to “Cast all our cares on Him.” I Peter 5:7. Thus, at all times, when we face a situation that is difficult for us, we are instructed to give it to the Lord. We do not have to go it alone. We can rely on the Lord to be a constant help in our troubles.
•    COMMIT OUR PLANS TO GOD:  Every day when we begin our activities, our belief in God allows us to “Commit to the Lord what ever you do and your plans will succeed.” Our problems usually arise during the day because we have not committed our plans to our Lord in the morning and given Him the opportunity to guide us.

Many people living in today’s world have no belief in God. We do not know how we could make it even through one day without our faith in the Lord. With all the stresses and all the uncertainties of life in today’s world, we are certain that if we did not have our strong belief in God and Jesus, we would be in deep despair. How strong and real is your belief in God?

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 4:35.

Do not say there are still four months and then comes the harvest. Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.

PRAYER:

Thank You Lord that You can give me strength to live every moment of this day for You. Keep my belief in You strong and help me to trust You, to do good, to cast all my concerns upon You and to commit each situation I face to You. Bless me, my family out of the abundance of Your goodness. Make me a blessing to others.