Don't be troubled...

Tuesday, 4 July 2023

Don't be troubled...

“Let your heart not be troubled ; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” John 14. 1 Darby Version

During His last interview with His disciples Jesus told them not to be discouraged and to keep a firm heart despite the circumstances. Beyond His disciples Jesus speaks to us today, to this family who has just lost a child, to this mother who has just given birth to a stillborn child, to these couples torn apart by an incurable disease, to those lonely souls thirsty for moral support... etc. Do you find yourself in such a situation ? Are you trying to make sense of what is happening to you ? To all of us Jesus gives the same answer and the same hope : “you believe in God, believe also in Me !” He seems to draw a difference between believing in God and believing in Him. Many people, when asked the question “do you believe in God ?” actually answer in the affirmative, sometimes adding a vague explanation such as : “We must believe in a power that would govern our universe” or “everyone believes in their god, a little religion does no harm to anyone !” On the other hand, believing in Jesus seems more risky. For what ?

1- Because, although the reality of His life is attested by many witnesses, nevertheless His physical reality escapes us. Harold Sala tells the story of this 5-year-old boy whose mother orders him to wash his hands before eating : “Before you thank Jesus for our food, you have to go wash your hands.” The boy heads for the bathroom when his mother yells at him, "And don't forget to use soap to kill all those bacteria !" Irritated the little boy whispers : “bacteria and Jesus, bacteria and Jesus, that’s all I hear in this house, but until today I haven’t seen either of them !”

2- Because believing in Jesus requires thinking about who He is and why He came to our world. It also involves recognizing the importance of sin in our lives, falling at His feet in repentance, and acknowledging Him as our Savior. Believing in God is not enough. Demons also believe in God ! In fact Jesus says something like this : "believe in Me, believe in My words, believe that the Father has sent Me to die for your sins, believe in the true life that I want to offer you..."

Source (His Word for Today)