Author: jeffclawson

I'm the campus pastor at Piedmont International University piedmontu.edu, husband to Laura and father to Bethanie. I'm a pastor, preacher, speaker and writer of all things pertaining to Jesus.

Living by Faith?

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Struggling to live by faith today? We often do struggle because we misunderstand or even misdefine faith. So, what is faith?

I was reading the story in Genesis 22 of Abraham’s testing as God instructs him to sacrifice his only son. Remember, Isaac was not only his only son, but a miracle son who came because of a promise of God. Needless to say, this was test. But, this was not the first “test” that Abraham lived through. His faith had been tested several times before as God so much wanted Abraham to come to the place in life where he could truly trust God with all.

This “testing” of Abraham was to find out if he now really believed the promise of God.

Paul, in Romans 4 sums up exactly how Abraham grew in his faith and what faith actually is. According to Paul, the reason Abraham was willing to do what none of us would ever consider doing, killing our son, was because of what he believed God was going to do.

Paul writes that Abraham placed his faith in God, “in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”[1] Abraham’s faith was that he determined if he trusted God and did what God asked him to do, God, by His own promise, would be required to raise Isaac from the dead and fulfill the promise that Isaac would be the promised blessing to the entire world. In summation, Paul gives the definition of Abraham’s faith:

“fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” (Romans 4:21, ESV)

Abraham isn’t considered the “father of faith” because he believed God would give him ability to do certain things; he’s considered a great person of faith because he believed God would do certain things. And note this, he believed even though he couldn’t see. Why did Abraham believe?

Abraham believed because he had already been tested and learned that God does everything He promises, without fail!

Faith is not in your own ability or even in the hope that God will give you more ability. Faith is believing that God will do what He promises, and that’s life changing, attitude changing, day changing faith. This is why you can trust God even in situations when you can’t see the answer.

“Faith can be defined as living in advance what you will understand only in reverse.”[2]

[1] Romans 4:17

[2] Wayne Cordeiro. Sifted: Pursuing Growth Through Trials, Challenges and Disappointments. 39

ReFocus

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As I was studying and writing preparing to preach a sermon from Matthew 15, a truth jumped out at me from the text. In Matthew 15:29-31, Matthew records that Jesus, as He did many times, had a large crowd around Him full of people who needed help. I could say it this way, they were people who desperately needed their circumstances changed. This leads me to a question, however. What is the purpose of Jesus changing someone’s circumstances? 

The response of the crowd, after Jesus did all this healing and  circumstance changing was pretty awesome. Matthew records that ” the crowd wondered.” I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure if I brought a friend to Jesus, or I was the friend who was carried, I would be in some kind of state of bewilderment when Jesus came through and healed. When Jesus changes circumstances like that, it’s always an attention getting act!

But, why is He trying to get our attention. Well, there’s a clue later in that same verse but before I tell you that let me share this truth:

Jesus does not change circumstances simply to get you to look more favorably on your circumstances.

Jesus doesn’t step in and make life better or heal or help financially or answer a prayer that we’ve prayed asking for some kind of possession, (let me make clear that I’m not saying Jesus doesn’t answer those prayers, He does), just to get us to be more satisfied with the world around us. He’s not trying to get you to focus your attention of your stuff, even when it’s stuff He’s provided. So, what is He doing? Here’s a second truth that helps me put this into focus:

You always go in the direction in which your attention is focused.

When Jesus steps in and changes circumstances He does so to get your attention and focus it on something other than your circumstances. Notice what the crowds did when Jesus healed those who came for help, “And the glorified the God of Israel.” The Lord knows, that you will be going in the direction today in which your attention is focused, and He wants you going in His direction!

Where’s your attention focused today? That’ll be the direction that you are heading. I want to encourage you to place your focus fully on God, not your circumstances whether they’re good or bad. When your attention is on God alone, you’ll always be heading in the right direction!

God Has Not Forgotten

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I was reading through the flood narrative this morning just thinking what it must have been like for Noah as he spent all those years building the ark. God not only asked to do something unprecedented but it also took as many as 55 to 75 years for him to make it happen.[1]

Can you imagine? God giving you a task that will take so many years to fulfill? Of course for us today, since we don’t live 800+ years, 55 to 75 years is a life time. But, the days were just as long, or short as it were, in the days of Noah as they are today. A task that takes ten years, or even five years can seem like an eternity!

But, I’m reminded in the story of Noah that God is working out a pretty big plan of which He’s chosen to develop over a long period of time.

So, what kept Noah going? I’m positive the Noah was just as human as we are. I’m sure he had the same emotions, the same seasons of life (some good and some difficult) and I’m sure Noah had times when he was wondering why he was doing what he was doing. Don’t you think he ever stopped and asked himself, “Why am I building this ark,” in all the years that he labored to do so?

Through Noah’s story, however, the same phrase pops up four times between Genesis 6:22 and 7:16, “Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.”

Noah continued in the work that he was commissioned by God to do, even in the days it was difficult to do so. Then, some of the greatest words in the Flood narrative during the most devastating time in human history, Genesis 8:1 happens, “God remembered Noah.”

If you find yourself in a difficult season with the work God has called you to do, just remember, God hasn’t forgotten you! It may be a difficult season but as you continue in faith, just as He did with Noah, God will remember you.

My Prayer

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Last night I preached a sermon from Matthew 15 about the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus to ask Him to heal her daughter. It’s obvious when you read the story, this woman is asking Jesus this because she knows He’s the only one that can help her. She seems to understand who Jesus is, even when so many religious leaders and Jewish people who were supposed to be looking for the Messiah didn’t.

This brings her to such a place of humility. I can almost hear her voice quiver and see the expression of pain on her face when she pleads, “Lord, help me.”

This brought me to the conclusion of this truth and then a prayer I want to share with you today:

You will never seek God to do something in your life you believe you can find somewhere else.

I wonder how many times I’ve looked to myself or to something else in our world, to find the help and comfort God was waiting for me to ask Him to give. Here’s the prayer I wrote that came out of this thought:

God, you’re the only one who can give me joy. So, I won’t look for joy elsewhere. God, you’re the only One who can make my family whole, so, I won’t try to make it whole by other means. God, you’re the only One who can make my life complete, so, I won’t try to find completeness somewhere else. God, you’re the only one who can give me peace in my life, so, I won’t look for peace somewhere else. I won’t look for these things within myself; I won’t look for these things within my culture; I won’t look for these things in technological advances; I won’t look for them in external stimuli, I will only look for them in you. 

Then You’ll Be A Witness

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For my morning Bible reading time during the last month, I’ve been following a pre-made reading plan called “thirty days with Jesus.” I’m constantly looking for Jesus when I read the Bible but it’s been great to spend 30 days in passages that consist of His story on earth and His teaching.

As Jesus instructs His disciples near the end of His life on earth, He spends a lot of time encouraging them about the future. Now, if you’re reading passages like Luke 21, you may wonder how I can use the word, “encouraging.” But, the focus of Christ’s words, in my estimation, are not about the end times as much as that the disciples, and followers of Jesus, will be ok.

Here are a couple of encouragements that I see in Luke 21 as Jesus teaches:

1.     The most difficult days of your life will be when God speaks through your life the most.

Jesus tells the disciples that they’re going to be arrested, imprisoned and some even killed because of the Gospel. But, His encouragement in all that bad news is found in these words: “This will be your opportunity to bear witness.” (Luke 21:13, ESV) In other words, Jesus is telling them, no matter their circumstances, they will be able to live the life to which He’s called them.

The same is true for you and me; difficult circumstances don’t mean that you can’t live your life in Christ today. Actually, Biblically, the opposite is true. Difficult circumstances mean you can live the life Christ has for you.

2.     The Gospel is never bound by circumstances.

If you were to study church history, you would notice that the church flourished when persecution was the highest. There can certainly be an argument for the same today as it’s believed that one of the nations with the fastest growing church is China which is a country that is closed to the Gospel.

Just as it seems the proclamation of the Gospel may be stopped, Jesus’ words to His disciples rings true again. “For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.” (Luke 21:15, ESV)

Just when I think I can’t be a witness for the greatness of Jesus and His story, He gives me the words and wisdom to do just that.

This is the good news of Jesus’ teaching that can make all the difference for you today. If you’re having a difficult day, this is the greatest opportunity for God to work in and through your life.