Morning Devotional
July 27, 2005
"Down in the Dumps" (Part 4)     
    by Don Emmitte

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body.  (2 Corinthians 5:6-9 NLT).

 

Even when Jesus comes and speaks a word of truth and encouragement to us, such as He did for Paul in Acts 23:11; we still have to walk by faith. Jesus told the people following Him that the work He wanted them to do is to “believe” in Him (cf. John 6:29). That’s still His greatest “job” for us today.

 

When you and I get a handle on this truth, that the greatest act we can ever do for Christ is to believe in Him, it will greatly enhance our walk with Christ. In other words, better than serving Christ, better than reading our Bible everyday, better even that simply praying, is to put our whole belief system in Him. Not that any of the things we do for Christ are bad, in fact, God’s Word encourages good works, but God first and foremost wants our simple trust in who He is and what He can do! He wants our faith more than He wants our service.

 

If you are going through a really difficult time and you want some encouragement from God, don’t try to find it in what you do. Find the encouragement for life in what you believe. Is God really God in your life? Is He the author of life? Is He sufficient? Can He meet all your needs? Has He got a plan for your life? Seriously consider those questions for a few moments.

 

After you come to an honest answer of these questions, I want to encourage you to read through the Book of Job. See how this man of the Bible, a godly man, faced with greater trials than any of us could probably ever imagined, received encouragement from God and he ended well. What was that encouragement? Well, if you will read Job 38-41 you will see that God’s encouragement to Job was a reminder to Job of who God is! When we trust in the person of God we can find encouragement for the trials of life.

Ask yourself today, “Do I believe God is fully God, and am I trusting Him today?”

 

It has worked for me. I have found that when I begin to doubt the decisions I have made, or the things I have done, I must remember that ultimately it is not what I have done or decided that determines my true peace of mind. That can only come from faith in the indwelling presence of Christ! There are no irrevocable mistakes made in the life of a believer who has done their best to follow Christ. No matter how far you may have gone, Jesus is merely a prayer away!