Unbelief

http://bible.com/116/mat.13.57-58.nlt
And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.”  And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.

Observation
It’s easy for us to look at the person close to us and see them only in the flesh, and miss out completely on seeing Christ in them. We’ve seen their sin, we know their character faults, we know their weaknesses and their struggles. It’s easy for us to not believe that Christ could do amazing things through their lives, because our faith and trust in God battles against the piles of physical evidence about them the great accuser has piled up in front of us as he attempts to hide the Christ in them from us. You see, the enemy knows how’s dangerous it would be for us to realize and have a daily reminder of Christ walking so close to us,  that the physical evidence is piled meticulously in order to hide the spiritual truth.

Don’t you know this is true when you hold your spouse in your mind under such tighter expectations of perfection than you would someone else in your life? When your own children push you quickly past the short limits of patience when you could remain self controlled for much longer when dealing with someone else’s children’s faults? Yes, we do not use honest or fair scales when examining our own family and loved ones,  the ones closest to us every day. And it is because of unbelief.

It is because we don’t believe that God is using them mightily to change the world around them. It is because we don’t believe that they are anything more than the sum of their actions. It is because we have either not believed or we have forgotten who they are in Christ.

Call to Action
And our disbelief in them is a reflection of our disbelief in Christ and forgetting who we are. Because don’t we see the mistakes in our own lives and say to ourselves, “Look at this pile of evidence against me,  the Lord can’t use me.” Foolish child, it is not you who does the work for Christ,  it is Him that does the work through you. Do not let your distraction and misunderstanding of who you are demonstrate an unbelief in Christ!

If you are His, YOU are a child of God. YOU have the full, unabridged, undivided, power of Christ living in YOU. That same power that raised Lazarus from the dead,  that same power that overcame death and raised Christ up to sit at the right hand of God lives in YOU, child of God. But YOU have to decide to believe it.

He calls us to BELIEVE, to be saved through our Faith,  not our works. To take up our cross and follow Him, too be his students, to learn from Him,  too talk with Him, to walk with Him, and to take this gospel to all nations,  and to baptize in His name, and to make other people His students as well. Yes,  He’s talking about YOU, dearly beloved! Not just one or two to stand and preach on Sundays in a religious practice,  but for every one of us to allow Him to work through us to avoidable that goal.

Do you believe that YOU are being greatly used for the Kingdom of God? If not, get to work, friend. Get to work praying and asking God how your eyes can be open to see the Christ in others, how you can love them and share the truth with them and see past their faults, how you can help those in need, how you can equip yourself and share your testimony,  how you can visit those sick, how you can visit those imprisoned, how you can share light with a world lost in darkness, how you can dedicate more time to stuffing at the feet of Christ in the Bible,  prayer,  and in fellowship with other believers.

Or if you don’t believe that you can be greatly used,  how can you say that you believe Christ? Listen to what He says about you, child of God.

http://bible.com/116/jhn.14.12-14.nlt
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.  You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.  Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

Do you believe? Can you see past the pile of evidence?

Pray
We pray together with me for the saints,  friend –

Heavenly Father,  creator of all good things that are used for your grand purpose and design, we praise your Holy name, we lift up our praises to you who are Faithful and True and worthy of our praises. Lord, we pray for your amazing Kingdom work to be done on earth through the lives of your servants,  those that you call as saints,  those who seek your will. May they be empowered with vision to see past the physical evidence and into the spiritual truth of who they are as your children,  so that your will may be on earth as it is in heaven. Give us the spiritual strength of your Holy Spirit and the physical resources to meet the needs of your people and to insure the rule of the nations, under God, until your return. Forgive us our sins and shortcomings,  and humble us to forgive the sin of those who have sinned against us, while sharing truth with those who would claim your name but remain sinning against you. Keep us from temptation, and in the trials strengthen us and deliver us from evil. And let our lives be a living sacrifice to honor you,  Lord.

And if my prayer seems long and proud and public,  forgive me,  friend. Maybe no one will read it if that is the case.