Monday 9 September 2019

The Debt We Owe

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So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”
--John 4:35
You know, it’s funny. Human nature really hasn’t changed much since Jesus walked the earth 2,000 plus years ago.
Back then, people wanted a sign… a miracle… from Jesus. They wanted something tangible, something they could see, to believe in Him. And today, people are the same way! So many men and women say they would believe in Christ if only He would show Himself physically… if only He would come through miraculously in their lives.
But when Jesus said, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe,” He was saying, “Don’t wait for a sign to believe and trust in Me. Don’t wait on some miracle. Don’t demand that I perform for you in order for you to believe in Me.”
You may be struggling to trust Christ today in your life. While I don’t know what you may be facing, I want to challenge you to trust Him even if you can’t see Him in your circumstances right now.
Jesus had no confidence in the kind of faith that demands sight. Because faith that demands sight is not real faith! It’s just doubt expecting evidence!
I know it’s hard to come to grips with this fact, but oftentimes, you just can’t figure God out. There will be times when you cannot see in the dark. There will be times when you just have to keep clinging, singing, and bringing your heart to God by faith. And this may be that kind of time in your life.
Trust me, I know it’s hard. But Jesus wants to get you to that place in your life where it’s not about the miracle… but all about Him. Where you are willing to trust Him, regardless of the outcome. 
So, if you find yourself in a place today where you need a miracle, look to Jesus. As the writer of Hebrews says, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Heb. 12:2-3).
It’s my prayer that this encourages you to trust Jesus today, no matter what you face. Because He is fully trustworthy!
TRUST CHRIST TODAY… EVEN IF YOU CAN’T SEE HIM IN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES.

The Debt We Owe

Monday, September 09, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.”
Romans 1:13–15
Most people are very familiar with debt, having borrowed money for a house, a car, or an education. In these cases, we know who we agreed to pay back. They will send statements each month until the original loan has been repaid. If the payments are not made, steps will be taken to collect what is owed. While the Bible contains many warnings about the dangers of borrowing money, it also tells us about another debt that we owe—to share the gospel with others.
Financial debts require an agreement. The borrower signs a note or declaration that the money is owed and that it will be repaid. Unlike those, the gospel debt comes to us not by a contract, but by a gift. Based on the gracious love of God for us and having become recipients of the incredible gift of salvation, we owe it to others to share the good news of the gospel with them as well. This is not the kind of debt where we pay someone back; it is the kind of debt where our plenty obligates us to share it with those who have nothing. To not share the gospel with the lost around us would be like eating a steak dinner in front of starving people. We simply owe it to others to tell them about Christ.
The response of others to the gospel is not our responsibility, but sharing the gospel with them is. Paul recognized that his debt extended even to those living in faraway nations. As Christians, we have what they most need, and the only hope they have for eternity. Our debt to them must be paid in full if we are to obey God.
Today's Growth Principle: 
We are God’s plan for reaching the lost, and we must not fail to tell them how they can be saved.

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