Mark 5 includes a number of well known accounts of Jesus’ miracles. In verses 21-43 Jesus was asked by Jairus, a leader of a local synagogue (church), to visit his home to heal his daughter who was dying. As Jesus was traveling, he was interrupted by the crowds. Before Jesus and Jairus reached Jairus’ home, messengers arrived to tell him that his daughter had died.

How difficult this experience must have been for Jairus. He came to Jesus having heard that he was healing people around the countryside. As Jesus had become a “celebrity” Jairus must have been hopeful and optimistic when Jesus agreed to come to his home. Then to have Jesus delayed in the crowd and then ultimately hear that his daughter had died must have crushed his hope and spirit.

Verses 35-36 say, “They told him, Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now. Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”

Don’t we all have those situations when we could lose our hope for a positive outcome. At those times Jesus says to us, “Don’t be afraid, Just have faith.”

We don’t know what God has in store, but we do know that he loves us and has plans for our good.

Dear Lord, help us remember to put our faith and trust in you even when it looks to us like all hope is lost. You have powers we cannot imagine and plans we would not expect. Thank you Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon, who God allowed to be the smartest person ever to live. (1 Kings 3:12) In Ecclesiastes, Solomon writes about his search for meaning. He goes through a methodical process of experiencing and considering many of the excesses of life, pleasure, drinking, folly, wisdom, wealth, and possessions. Solomon determines that all this is meaningless. He concludes in Ecclesiastes 3:12,13 that, “there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.” and in 5:18, he says, “Well, one thing, at least, is good: It is for a man to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, accept his position in life, and enjoy his work whatever his job may be, for however long the Lord may let him live.” NLT

So the smartest, and wealthiest man of his time, with access to every opportunity, concludes that satisfaction in life comes from being thankful for the gifts God has given us, and enjoying our work and what it provides us; More will not make us happier or more satisfied.

Dear Lord, help us to be satisfied and content with what you have given us, realizing that if we are not happy and thankful for what we have today, having more will not make us happy. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

You may have heard this before, and if you haven’t, it is something worth thinking about. “Faith is the currency of heaven.” Wait, you might say, you can’t buy things with faith. However, Jesus said to the blind men in Matthew 9:29, “According to your faith let it be to you.” Or to the woman who touched Jesus’ robe believing it would heal her in Luke 8:48 Jesus said, “your faith has made you well.” On many other occasions in the Bible, Jesus tells people they are healed because of their faith. They obviously didn’t pay for the healing like purchasing a product, but the value of the faith is what Jesus said mattered.

Jesus also criticizes others on occasion saying, “you of little faith” in several passages where those involved needed Jesus to rescue them, like Peter walking on the water. So the size of the faith affects the outcome. Maybe this is partly what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 6:20 in saying, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

It is a different way to look at faith.

Dear Lord, we know that you want us to have faith, hope and trust in you to guide, protect, and also do great things with us. Help us remember that if faith is a currency, our account is only limited by ourselves. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

It is so natural for us to want to rely on ourselves. We see virtue in being “self made”, however, God wants us not to rely on ourselves, but on Him.

Our big bank account, security fences, super health and fitness routines are fine, but we are all familiar with situations where these things have failed those who rely on them.

Being a responsible person is what we do to honor God in our lives, not to replace him. When we need to be confident about our health, finances, security or any area of our life, we should turn first to God, by reading the Bible, praying and putting our faith in Him.

Paul tells in 1 Timothy 6:17, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment”

God is our source of peace, love, joy, and security, in this life and eternally.

Dear Lord, help us to put our trust in You to provide us what we need. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I have not seen a scientific study on the subject, but it seems to me that people’s expectations and attitude have an effect on how things work for them. When people tend to expect things will work out, and are optimistic, it seems like things tend to go well for them. On the other hand, people that tend to see and talk about the negative results, and tend to expect that things will not work out, tend to get what they expect.

The Bible appears to allude to this in a couple passages. Proverbs 11:27 says, “Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it.” Though used in a little different context, Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

As Christians, we know God loves us, and is watching over us. We also know that we are saved for eternity. With this foundation, how can we not be optimistic and move forward expecting good things.

Dear Lord, you have offered peace to those who follow you, and we should have joy knowing that you care for us. Help us move forward therefore, seeking good as Proverbs says and expect the favor you promise. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.