We have considered the unwilling heart and the seeking heart. Let’s
look at the believing heart.
A huge
crowd was watching the famous tightrope walker, Blondin, cross Niagara Falls
one day in 1860. He crossed it numerous times—a 1,000 foot trip, 160 feet above
the raging waters. He asked the crowd if they believed he could take one person
across. All said yes. Then he approached one man and asked him to get on his
back and go with him. The man refused! Mental or even verbal agreement is
not real "belief". [1]
It’s easy to say you believe…doing it is another matter. What does it
mean to believe?
Believe: To remain
steadfast; to be persuaded; to adhere to, rely on
Matthew 1:18–25 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as
follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came
together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her
husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send
her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be
afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her
is of the Holy Spirit. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus,
for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to
fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the
virgin shall be with child and
shall bear a Son, and they shall
call His name Immanuel,”
which translated means, “God with us.”
And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the
angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept
her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
There is a lot of talk about believing BUT not so much talk
about obeying! That is the test when it comes to belief. Do I trust, adhere or
rely on what God states enough to obey Him? When I do…then I know the belief
has moved from my head only, to now include my heart and my will.
When we move from seeking to “believing”, one key element
will be highlighted.
Our response will not be based on WHAT we know, but WHO we
know!
Joseph could not comprehend what God was going to do…but
he could understand what God wanted him to do.
Remember, real belief, does not require full comprehension…if
that were the case no one could believe in God except God!
We have good examples of those who believed without all the facts.
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by
going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went
out, not knowing where he was going.
Romans 4:19–21 Without becoming weak in faith he
contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred
years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise
of God, he did
not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,
and being fully
assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.
Abraham obeyed based on God not himself or the facts.
Some might take issue with me – however, we have a primary example of how
unimportant having the facts are when the heart is unwilling to obey. Consider:
Judas…he walked, talked, lived with Jesus – he witnessed
everything Jesus did, yet refused to follow.
You can have ALL the facts…the issue will never be anything else but
YOU!
Not what you feel or what the circumstances are, or
what is popular. It is and will remain what is in your heart.
This Christmas…What is God calling you to obey Him in?
Will you say you believe and not move…or will you seek His help to obey His
desire for your life this coming year?
[1]
Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700
illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations
for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible
Communications.
