Jan 1 Believe

Mark 1:15, “And saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe~~ in the gospel’

Trust is hard to gain and easy to lose, yet it is the most gratifying gift to give to another person. Every relationship is based on our willingness to believe in others—-that is, to trust their character, their integrity, and their word.

There is a difference between believing a person (i.e., knowing he tells the truth) and believing in a person (i.e., deciding to trust him with your life). Nothing expresses our loyalty to and trust in our Savior more than obeying the command to “believe in” the good news of our Lord Jesus.

The word believe means to “think or count on something to be true or to place one’s confidence in.” It is used 124 times in the New Testament; it is used 10 times as a present imperative command, which means to “be continually believing.”

This act of believing is not merely an intellectual exercise or a superficial acknowledgment of the facts of Christ’s death and resurrection; rather, Paul clarified that we must “believe in [our] heart[s] that God raised Him from the dead” (Rom 10:9–-10).

The idea of “believing in your heart” is best captured in Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding”—-that is, we must get wisdom outside of ourselves, especially from God’s revealed word. When you depend exclusively and constantly on a truth or an object that is believed in, then you trust (and believe) with all your “heart,” or life. Are you willing to risk your eternity on the promises of the words of Christ?

Jesus wanted us to believe enough in His promised good news that we would decide to continually trust in the offering of His sacrificial death as full payment for all our personal sins. As in Proverbs 3, if someone trusts with all his heart in the Lord, then whatever Jesus says is likewise accepted as true and trustworthy and can be counted on as the best way to live.

Paul said, “Just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord [by trusting in His word], continue to live your lives in him” (Col 2:6). Our trust in Christ is never just for the benefit of salvation. We are to believe in Him as a whole person and to trust Him completely—-at all times, in every circumstance, and in everything He says. Can you trust Him with your life now—-not just for eternity—-and continuously trust His instructions? Tell Him so now.

“Lord, as I learned to trust You for my salvation through Your word, so teach me to trust You for how to live every day.”

 

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