Where to Get your ‘Get up and Go!’
Last Saturday at a pre-breakfast devotional gathering of men from our church I shared with them some of the promises Christ has made with those who have placed their faith in Him. People who have done this – this “placing their faith in” – Christ Jesus, we call these people “believers.”
So what exactly is it they “believe” or “have faith” IN? These people believe Jesus Christ is Who He says He is, the Son of God (Luke 1:35; Matt. 27:43)… the Way, the Truth, the Life (John 14:6), and that if anyone wants to get to heaven He, Jesus Christ, is the only way (Acts 4:12). These people believe that what Jesus says, He will do. And I am one of these people.
I know of no better word for this than “promise.” If Jesus says a thing… wills a thing… the Christian… the “believer”… believes Him. It’s that simple!
So when Jesus calls Peter from his nets and says to him, “Follow me (believe me, put faith in me), and I will make you a fisher of men” He intends to do just that. And, as I hoped to point out in my message Sunday, all Peter’s many failings and fallings along that ‘following path’ were never a threat to God fulfilling His promise in Peter’s life!
This is the confidence the Apostle Paul had in Christ despite his horrid past of persecuting the faithful. God told Paul He would make Paul righteous, give him a place in His kingdom and use him to bring many Gentiles also to faith in Christ. Paul believed Him, burned his past bridges, counted himself nothing and followed on. His conviction was this:
“…I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love… No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38…39).
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:8).
Paul knew that whatever his past, present, or future failings might be, so long as he got back up again, believed still, and continued to move forward, nothing could stop the fulfillment of God’s work in Him.
Paul was confident of this in other believers too. He assured the believers in Philippi, “…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6). And He will do the same in you!
So believer, “Get up,” remember what Christ has promised, and “Go!”
More tomorrow…
thebrokenrunner 