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.

There are scenes in at least two spy movies, that I know of, showing the main character sneaking into someplace wearing a wet suit then once inside, taking off the wet suit revealing a tuxedo underneath, and the spy proceeds to blend into the fancy event.

Though farfetched, this is the image that comes to mind when I read the passage from Colossians 3:9-10 where Paul writes, “since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

I like to envision that we take off our sinful self, and underneath lies our new self, that God sees as righteous because of the sacrifice made by Jesus to pay for our sins.

Dear Lord, It is only a result of the grace we receive through Jesus Christ that we are able to be seen as acceptable to God. Like peeling off an old outer layer, we can leave our sinful self behind and be made new. Lord we thank you for this grace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I think we all know people or maybe we have been one of the people, who have made bad judgments and started down a path that could have ruined our lives, but turned around and got back on course. We may also know people who started down the wrong path and followed it to their demise, or are on their way.

What is the difference?

I believe the difference comes down to one decision followed by one more decision and one more, and so on… At any point, we can choose to turn away from our sinful way and begin back on the right course, or choose the next step toward destruction.

The Bible is filled with stories of people who saw that they were going the wrong way and turned back on course. Usually someone had to bring it to their attention. In 2 Samuel 12 After David had Bathsheba’s husband killed so he could marry her, Nathan brought this sin to David’s attention. Verse 13 says, “Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you,..”

As King, David could have, just as easily, eliminated Nathan, and continued down the wrong path, but he chose to turn back, and God forgave him and made him a Great King.

We all must know and believe that we can be reconciled with God, no matter how far down the wrong path we have gone. It only takes one right decision.

John tells us in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Dear Lord, It is an amazing blessing for us to know that you will forgive us if we confess and turn back to you. Though for some it may seem impossible, it is not. You are just a prayer away from helping us make that first decision. Give us all the strength to turn to you and stay on your path. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

If you have listened to many motivational speakers you have probably heard the illustration of the commander of a conquesting army, who tells his troops to “burn the boats” when they arrive at the shores of the new land; As a result, they are committed and there is no turning back. They must succeed or die trying.

In a similar way, we need to look at our faith in God as a “burn the boats” faith. We put our faith and trust in God, and burn our doubts and half hearted belief on the shore. Like the song says “I am trusting thee Lord Jesus, trusting only thee.”

Jesus says in Mark 11:22-24, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Dear Lord, How often the limits of our belief are what prevent You from answering our prayers. Help us truly put our trust in Your power, without doubt. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Have you experienced one of those moments when you were working to solve a difficult problem, or learn something very difficult, like a math problem, a riddle, a rubix cube, or a new piece of music. You work and think and practice, then in what seems to be a split second, something clicks and all the pieces come together. You have it figured out.

In John 20:8-9, John is writing about the empty tomb after Jesus’ resurrection, “Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.”

Jesus had told the disciples that he would have to die, but would rise again, many times. However, they could not understand. They had the scriptures, Jesus’ stories and illustrations, the facts of his capture, persecution and crucification but could not put them together. Finally with the empty tomb, all the pieces of information came together in their minds and they understood and believed.

This is why it is so important for us to read and study the Bible, go to worship, and fellowship with other believers. We all have un-answered questions, and just maybe that one piece of information, or inspiration we receive will tie it together and we will understand.

We have the joy of knowing the whole story. Jesus fulfilled the scriptures, was crucified, died, and rose, so that we can be saved and say, “He is Risen….He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!”

Praise and glory to you Lord for the miraculous gift of salvation we receive through Jesus’ Resurrection. Amen.