Articles
Believe In Jesus
Believe In Jesus
We use the words faith and belief interchangeably. We use them in referring to two distinct areas: when we are talking about salvation, and when we are talking about Christian living. In the story regarding the death of Lazarus in John 11:1-27, we get a more vivid understanding of what it means to believe in Jesus.
Jesus Was Invited Into A Problem
The sisters (Mary and Martha) made sure Jesus was aware of the situation (John 11:3). As Christians, we must be aware this is always the right course of action (the action of inviting Jesus into our problem) (Matthew 11:28, Psalms 50:15, & Psalms 91:15).
Jesus Was Inclined To Solve The Problem
Jesus declared His intentions to fix the problem (John 11:11). Just like Jesus intended to settle the difficulty Mary and Martha were having with Lazarus, He is inclined to meet our needs as well (Matthew 6:25-33). However, we must understand Jesus acted in His own time and way then, and He does the same today (John 11:6 & John 11:14-15). In life, things do not always happen the way we want. Martha wanted Lazarus to get well (John 11:21). The rich young ruler never expected the demand Christ gave him (Luke 18:22-23). Naaman objected to dipping in the Jordan River in order to be cleansed from his leprosy (2 Kings 5:10-11). John the baptizer was not what people expected (Luke 7:24-26). We must keep in mind that God’s ways are not our ways. Listen to your Bible! In Isaiah 55:8-9, the Bible reads, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” We must remember God has His own time schedule (Acts 17:26).
We Are Not Always Inclined To Believe
Pessimism is the beginning of the end of faith. Faith ceases when complaining begins. Faith, by nature, is optimistic. What seems like faith is sometimes unbelief. Many implied that the situation was now hopeless (John 11:37). In John 11:20-27, Martha expressed doctrinal belief in Christ. As Christians, we must understand the following: 1) Doctrinal belief and trusting God are not the same, 2) One can be orthodox in belief, but weak in faith, 3) Doctrine does not help much in times of need, & 4) Jesus, the person, is our help in time of need. No matter what we are going through on this time-side of life, we can always depend on Jesus. If we have a problem, believe in Jesus by inviting Him to fix our problem like only He can. Have faith in knowing Jesus wants to see us well and not sick. He wants to see us whole and not broken. He wants to see us up and not down. Jesus wants to see us saved and not lost. So, He stands ready to help us always. In life, the problem is never God, but rather it is always us. Therefore, let us learn to trust in Christ all the time and not just some of the time.
