The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” – Vs 5

The thing that struck me the most out of this chapter was the request of the disciples for “more faith.” At first blush, this would seem to be a noble request. They appear to be asking the Master to increase their faith. But what they failed to recognize was that it is not a matter of the amount of faith we possess, but its presence. They were apparently wanting MORE faith so they could do MORE with it. Just take a look back at chapter 9. These guys had been sent out by Jesus and were given “power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.”

My take is that the disciples’ request for more faith was a not-so-subtle request for more power. They wanted more so they could do more. But Jesus’ response was that if they only had a little, they could do much.

It is interesting that Jesus then goes on to tell a parable about the slave owner and his slave in verses 7-10. If we keep the parable within the context, it would seem that Jesus is teaching them that their faith will be increased at the proper time. Right now it was all about Jesus and His ministry. The disciples, like the slave in the parable, were to serve Jesus and His needs. They needed to see themselves as “unworthy slaves” who were to simply do what they ought to do: faithfully serve the one who has called me.

I sometimes ask God for more, of even good things like faith, as a reward for my obedience and service. But instead, I need to do my job as an “unworthy slave” and faithfully serve, leaving any reward up to God.

Father, help me to be recognize my position. Forgive me for always wanting more, when you have already given me so much, including Your Son. I want to serve you faithfully, not for the recognition or reward, but out of gratitude for all you have done for me. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Know your audience

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than the people of light.” – Luke 16:8 NET

I spend 29 years of my life in the advertising business as a creative director. It was my job to come up with ads and marketing campaigns to help my clients successively sell their products and services to their customer base. To do so required more than creativity, it demanded that I know both the product and the potential purchaser of that product. I had to get into the head of the consumer and understand how they think. I had to learn their likes and dislikes. I had to understand what motivated them. I was spending my client’s money in an attempt to garner customers for their products. This was all about wise stewardship. But it was sometimes easy to see my job as just a place where I got to be creative and produce clever radio or TV commercials, or produce eye-catching magazine ads that displayed my creative skills. In other words, I could easily get wrapped up in producing ads that made me look good and not my customer. In fact, I produced more than my fair share of ads over the years that won me creative accolades but didn’t produce much in the way of revenue for my clients.

In the first part of chapter 16 Luke records the parable of the shrewd manager. It is a difficult parable that Jesus doesn’t bother to explain for us. But the basic idea seems to be that of stewardship. You’ve got a manager who loses his job because he squandered his master’s possessions. We don’t know exactly what he did, but he was dishonest and it cost him his job. So it seems that he was told to clear up all his accounts before his final day on the payroll. There is debate as to what exactly happens next, but the best bet is that this manager went to all of his master’s debtors and gave them a chance to clear up their debt by paying a reduced settlement. Many commentators believe he was able to lower their debt by eliminating what would have been his own commission. He is praised by the very man who had just fired him for his wise actions. He satisfied his former boss and his customers. Jesus also praises this man’s actions by recognizing that he knew exactly how to handle those with whom he worked and lived. He was a product of this age and he understood how to make the most of his interactions with others of this age.

So what’s the point of this parable? It seems that Jesus is saying that the people of this world actually think about how they use their resources. Whether they belong to them or someone else. Even if they misuse them, they still give it some thought. This man wisely used his position to come up with a workable, long-term solution to his problem and that of his master. He gained favor with his customers and a praise from his former boss. Jesus seems to be saying that we, as believers, must live in this world with a sense of responsibility for what we have been entrusted. We need to have an other-oriented mentality. Rather than obsess about us, we need to think about others – especially the lost. It may require that we sacrifice short-term rewards for long-term benefits. This man was going to lose his commissions, but he was gaining long-term favor with every one of those people he had helped. When he was out looking for work, he was going to have a great network of people who were favorable disposed to him. Jesus says that when we live in this world with a sensitivity to those around us and wisely steward the resources God has given us, we win over the lost. We make friends of those who have typically been burned by the self-centered, self-seeking mentality of this world. We can use money and possessions in such a way that we gain favor with men. We show them that our possessions do not possess us. The manager in the story knew how to use money to influence others. As Christians, we need to learn how to use the resources of this world, entrusted to us by God, in such a way that the lost see that there is something different about us. We are to live as those who worship one master, and it isn’t money!

Father, I want to be wise with what You have given me. Yet, I know that I have often misused Your resources and been unfaithful. I have not had an other-mentality, but a me-focus. I have used what you have given me to reward myself rather than to reach the lost. Give me a wisdom that sees and understands how the people of this world think. Let me show them, using the resources of this world, that I serve You as my master and nothing else. Money is not my god, You are. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Repent!

“I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” – Luke 15:7 NASB

Who in the world wouldn’t need repentance? Is there really anybody out there who is so righteous that they don’t need to turn from their sin and be rescued? Well, in Jesus’ day there was a group of religious leaders who truly believed they were beyond the need for repentance. They viewed themselves as righteous and certainly in no need of a Savior. The Pharisees were a group of self-righteous, pride-filled individuals who saw no need for repenting because they did not view themselves as sinners. They were taking care of their own sin by living in obedience to the law. They were their own saviors. Their righteousness was self-produced.

But sadly, they were delusional. They only thought they were righteous. There would be no celebrating in heaven over their pitiful attempts at redeeming themselves. In fact, Jesus said, “Count on it–there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue” (Luke 15:7 MSG). These guys had no need of rescue. In their minds they weren’t drowning. They saw all those around them as the ones who were in trouble. They despised their own people and viewed them as little more than dogs. They viewed themselves as the healthy ones and everyone else as sinners who were holding back the kingdom of God. That’s why they had such a hard time with Jesus and his association with the common people of His day. On one occasion, they confronted Jesus about his poor choice of dinner guests. “But when some of the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with people like that, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with such scum?’ When Jesus heard this, he told them, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor––sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.'” (Mark 2:16-17 NLT).

One of the first things we have to do before coming to Christ is to acknowledge that we are sinners in need of a Savior. But if we can somehow justify ourselves before God and earn his favor by our own efforts, then we eliminate the need for the cross. We also devalue Christ’s death on the cross. He died in vain. What He did was unnecessary if we could save ourselves. Self-righteousness turns grace on its head because it views the sinner as somehow capable of earning God’s grace through human effort. It is no longer a gift, but a payment for our performance.

But twice in this passage, Jesus says, “there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents” (Luke 15:10 NLT). Repentance is an acknowledgment of our sin and our awareness of our need for a Savior. But not just at salvation. The truth is, many of us as believers still rely on our self-righteous activities to somehow earn us favor with God. We try to keep Him pleased with us by doing things for Him. In his book, The Practice of Godliness, Jerry Bridges says, “So often we try to develop Christian character and conduct without taking the time to develop God-centered devotion. We try to please God without taking the time to walk with Him and develop a relationship with Him. This is impossible to do.” This is, in essence, nothing more than an attempt at self-righteousness. We don’t really need the Savior or a deepening relationship with Him. We think we can somehow develop Christ-like character on our own. This is exactly what the Pharisees were guilty of. That’s why Jesus told His disciples, “that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mark 5:20 NASB). Where do we get that kind of righteousness from? The Savior Himself. So every day I am to repent of my own self-righteousness and embrace the fact that I stand as righteous before God because of what Jesus Christ has done for me on the cross. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Father, I am a sinner in need of a Savior – as much today as ever. I still have need of Christ’s power, forgiveness, grace and mercy. I can’t live this life without Him. I try, but I always fail. I can’t sanctify myself any more than I could have saved myself. Your Son and the indwelling Holy Spirit make it possible. Never let me forget that. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Count the cost!

“Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.” – Luke 14:27 MSG

Discipleship. It isn’t a word we use a lot any more. And even when we do it carries a lot of baggage with it. When we say discipleship we tend to think of scripture memory, Bible studies, class room environments, and a small group of Christians who are really serious about their faith. Discipleship is for those who want to be students of the Word. They are wired differently than the rest of us. They have a special capacity for learning deep doctrinal truth and a desire to spend countless hours alone, studying, memorizing, and meditating on Scripture. They are just not like the rest of us. They’re a super-spiritual breed who are set apart from the rest. The are the few, the proud, the Marines. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Yet, when you read the words of Jesus you can’t help but realize that to a certain degree, disciples really are a breed apart. They are special. But it is NOT a classification of people within the Christian community who just happen to take spiritual matters a little more seriously. If you are a follower of Christ, you are a disciple. In fact, Jesus made it quite clear that you had to be willing to shoulder your own cross before you could follow Him. You couldn’t be His disciple without it.

There is a cost to discipleship. There is a cost to following Christ. It was never intended to be easy. John MacArthur has this to say about the cost of discipleship: “Discipleship…more than just being a learner, being an intimate follower, having an intimate relationship, following to the point where you would go as far as death out of love. There’s no question about the fact that the only message Jesus ever proclaimed was a message of discipleship. The call that Jesus gave was a call to follow Him, a call to submission, a call to obedience. It was never a plea to make some kind of momentary decision to acquire forgiveness and peace and heaven and then go on living anyway you wanted. The invitations of Jesus to the lost were always direct calls to a costly commitment.”

There is a cost to following Jesus. But that is not a popular message. It never has been. It wasn’t popular when Jesus communicated it more than 2,000 years ago. His followers didn’t want to hear Him say, “Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple” (Luke 14:33 MSG). This sounds harsh and demanding. But it is really the message of discipleship. Dallas Willard describes it as the life of an apprentice to Jesus. “Being his apprentice is, therefore, not a matter of special ‘religious’ activities, but an orientation and quality of my entire existence. This is what is meant by Jesus when he says that those who do not forsake all cannot be his disciple. (Luke 14:26, 33) The emphasis is upon the all. There must be nothing held of greater value than Jesus and his kingdom. He must be clearly seen as the most important thing in human life, and being his apprentice as the greatest opportunity any human being ever has” (Dallas Willard, How Does The Disciple Live).

Discipleship has a cost. So did our salvation. It cost Jesus His life. When I follow Him, He asks me to count the cost and determine whether I am willing to make His kingdom the most important thing in my life. Will I allow it to replace anything and anyone else? Will I, like Paul, count everything else as loss compared to knowing and following Jesus Christ as His disciple? (Philippians3:8).

Father, I want to be a disciple of Your Son who is willing to consider anything and anyone else as expendable compared to the joy of following Him. Anything it costs me is well worth it compared to all that I receive in return. Help me grow in my appreciation of the gift I have received and make Your Son and His kingdom the highest priority in my life. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

I don’t know you!

“And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you. Go away, all you who do evil.’” – Luke 13:27 NLT

Over in Matthew chapter seven, we have the companion passage to this lesson taught by Jesus. In both cases, you have people who, at the time of judgment, will come forward claiming that they had done all kinds of things for God. In the Matthew passage they say, “Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name” (Matthew 7:22 NLT). In the Luke passage they say, “We ate and drank in Your presence , and You taught in our streets” (Luke 13:26 NASB). In one case, they seem to be depending on their good deeds to save them. In the other, they are putting their hope and trust in the fact that they have some kind of a relationship with Jesus. But in both cases, it doesn’t work out too well for them. Jesus basically tells them, “I don’t even know you!”

Self-effort can never earn us favor with God. Self-righteousness can’t produce true righteousness. The Pharisees had been trying it for years and they still stood before God as sinners, condemned, unclean. But if you try to rely on just a surface relationship with Jesus, you will also be sorely disappointed. Many claim to know Christ, but have not placed their faith in Him. They have a knowledge of Him, but not a relationship with Him. He doesn’t know them because they are not really His. I love the way the New Living Translation puts it: “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21 NLT). Religion and rule-keeping are not enough. Doing things for God is not enough. Knowing about Jesus is not enough. God is looking for a relationship based on faith in His Son’s atoning death on the cross. That requires us to give up our quest for spiritual perfection on our own. It requires that we give up relying on some surface, skin-deep understanding of who Jesus is. In other words, it requires surrender to God’s only plan for salvation. Faith in His Son as my sin substitute. It is NOT what I can do for God that matters. It is what Jesus Christ has already done for me on the cross. It is not knowing about Jesus that matters. It is knowing that He lives within me. “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NLT).

Father, I know I can’t earn favor with You by doing more for You. You have already shown me Your favor by sending Your Son to die on the cross in my place. I know I can’t rely on a surface knowledge of Christ, but must constantly remember that He lives within me. It is His presence in me that transforms me and makes me Your child. You know me because I am known by Him. You see me as righteous because You see me through Him. And for that I am grateful. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Rich with God

“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” – Luke 12:21 NLT

This is an interesting passage. Typically we use it when we want to talk about giving. Which seems to make sense. But when you look closer at the context of the passage, it seems that giving is not really the point Jesus is trying to make. Jesus is using a comparison to the man in the parable He has just told. This man, who was a wealthy land-owner, was suffering from a eye problem. Actually it was an I problem. He was obsessed with himself. Just look at verses 17-19. In just three short verses he uses the personal pronouns I or my at least 11 times. It is all about him. His crops. His barns. His grain. His soul. He is large and in charge. He mistakenly believes that he is in control of his wealth and his destiny. Nowhere does he factor in God. His decisions are all up to him. His future is all up to him. After all, his abundance had been all up to him!

But God had other plans. God calls the man a fool. Because all the while he has been planning his future – filled with eating, drinking and good times – God had another plan and another schedule. That very night he would lose his life. All his plans would evaporate and all his efforts to store up for himself treasures here on this earth for future enjoyment would disappear. That is when Jesus turns to His disciples and says, “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself and in not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21 NASB). You see, because of the way this verse is typically translated, we think that it is telling us to be rich toward God. We are supposed to generous with our resources and give them to God. Now don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of verses that support tithing and giving, but I just don’t think this is one of them. I think this verse carries an even more important point. We are not being told to make God rich, but to be rich with God. We are NOT to fill our lives with stuff and set our hopes for the future on material things. No, we are to fill our lives with God – fully realizing that our present as well as our future are in His hands. We are to abound in His riches.

Jesus goes on to say, “He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” (Luke 12:31 NLT). This isn’t about us giving to God, but about Him giving to us. “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32 NLT). The problem with the man in the parable is that he didn’t need God. He had riches to spare and was putting all his hope for the future in them. But those kinds of riches can only deliver temporal satisfaction. They are unreliable for anything but short-term satisfaction. God has riches beyond anything we could ever imagine, and He wants to share them with us. His riches are eternal and everlasting. His treasure is in heaven, and is not of this earth. He makes that clear in verses 33-34. “Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no holes in them. Your treasure will be safe––no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be” (Luke 12:32-33 NLT). The Message paraphrases that last verse this way: “It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.”

This isn’t a parable about giving. It is a parable about receiving. Receiving riches from God and a treasure stored up for us in heaven that we can never lose. Are you rich with God today? Are you abounding in His riches today? Are you relying on His wealth of resources or are you counting on your own riches to bring your joy, contentment, happiness, and fulfillment?

Father, thank You that I don’t have to depend on my riches. First of all, I don’t have much. And what I do have is not going to last. It can’t even satisfy me right now, let alone in the future. But the riches that you offer are eternal. I want to be abounding in your riches. The riches of your grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. I want my heart to treasure what you have provided for me, not what I can provide for myself. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

The Eyes Have It

“The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness.” – Luke 11:34 NLT

How’s the health or your eyes today? Do you have blurry vision? Are you seeing double? Do you have trouble seeing things far away or up close?

In Jesus analogy, a healthy eye is a a clear eye. Jesus uses the Greek word haplous and it means single, healthy, or whole. It is an eye free from double vision. It is not clouded by cataracts or any disease that would prevent the light on the outside reaching the inside. The issue in this verse seems to be one of vision. Do we see things like God sees them? Do we have His perspective or is it clouded. John Piper puts it this way: “How you see reality determines whether you are in the dark or not.” Do we see things the way God sees things? Do we have a singular, focused vision or is it blurred by the things of this world?

It’s interesting that this same phrase is used by Jesus over in Matthew 7, but it is sandwiched between two teachings on treasure and money. Jesus seems to be saying that our spiritual vision must be clear or we will view everything in this world wrongly. If we see as God does, then we will see everything on this earth as resources to use for His kingdom purposes, not for building up our own little kingdoms. We will see that our treasure lies in heaven, not on earth. If we see things as God does, we will not try to serve God and wealth. We will have a clear view of the role money plays in this life. We will not make it our god or our savior. It is simply a tool at our disposal for accomplishing God’s plans.

When we have a “bad” eye or an unhealthy perspective on this world, we will be filled with darkness. We will fail to see clearly. To be filled with darkness is to be blind. It is interesting that one of the most common physical maladies that Jesus healed was that of blindness. He took people who were physically blind and restored their sight. He gave them the ability to see clearly for the first time in their lives. And one of the main accusations Jesus leveled against the Pharisees was that they were spiritually blind. They were like blind guides leading blind people. They were unable to see and would end up leading those under their care right into a ditch. They were so blind they could not recognize the Messiah standing right in front of them. They were blinded by jealousy, pride, arrogance, and greed. Jesus came to restore sight to the blind. He came to give us a new capacity to see clearly for the first time in our lives. But many of us still live in darkness, because we our eyes are not clear. They have been clouded by the philosophies and empty promises of this world.

But God has called us to a relationship with His Son. We are not to love the world or the things of the world. Our desire is to be for Christ and His kingdom. We are to have eyes for Christ. According to John Wesley, the believer’s goal is “to do not his own will, but the will of Him that sent him. His one intention at all times and in all places is, not to please himself, but Him whom his soul loveth. He hath a single eye; and because his eye is single, his whole body is full of light. The whole is light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth enlighten the house. God reigns alone; all that is in the soul is holiness to the Lord.”

So how’s your vision today? Is it clear? Are your eyes healthy? Do you see things from God’s perspective? If so, then you will be filled with light, and not darkness.

Father, thank You for the light of Christ that shines in my life. Open my eyes so that I might see things with an ever-increasing clarity and focus. I want to see life from your perspective and not my own. When I see things the way You do, then I will be filled with an awareness that makes everything around me clear. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Look at me, God!

“All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God’s authority over you and presence with you. Not what you do for God but what God does for you–that’s the agenda for rejoicing.” – Luke 10:20 MSG

I love this story. It is so typical of how we respond to God as we “perform” for Him. We get so proud of our efforts on His behalf. Like the disciples, we come back all excited about the power we have demonstrated. “The demons are subject to us in Your name!” (Luke 10:17 NASB). Look at us go! Aren’t we doing some really fantastic things for you God? Aren’t You proud of us? What would you do without us?

Yet Jesus responds to them in a very interesting way. He says, “do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20 NIV). This had very little to with what the disciples had just done, but it had everything to do with what Jesus was going to accomplish not too long into the future. We have a tendency to believe our own press clippings, and to begin to think that we are far more important to this story than we really are. In fact, we tend to want to make ourselves the stars of God’s redemptive story. But there is only one star and that is Jesus Himself. He is far less interested in what we can do for Him than what think about what He has already done for us.

In his classic devotional book, My Utmost For His Highest, Oswald Chambers says, “Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?”

We should rejoice that what Jesus has done makes it possible for our names to be written in heaven. We have permanent, irrevocable reservations there. Not because of anything we have done or will do, but because of what He has done on our behalf.

Father, thank You that my name is written in heaven. And it is not because of anything I have done or will do. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be there at all. It is simply because of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross as my sin substitute. Forgive for the many times I put far too much value in my accomplishments for You. Forgive me for trying to serve You more than worship You. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Not Exactly Good News

“For I, the Son of Man, must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “I will be rejected by the leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. I will be killed, but three days later I will be raised from the dead.” – Luke 9:22 NLT

When these words came off the lips of Jesus, His disciples were less-than-ecstatic. In fact, they were surprised and confused. This wasn’t exactly what they had signed up for. After all, they were fully expecting Jesus, as the long-awaited Messiah, to set up His kingdom on earth and destroy the oppressive rule of the Romans. He was going to be the warrior-king who, like His ancestor David, would wage war against the enemies of Israel and set up His kingdom in Jerusalem. It was going to be great, and the disciples thought they would be ruling right alongside Christ in His earthly kingdom. Now here He comes talking about suffering and death at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes of Israel. None of this made sense. Why would the religious leaders of their day want to kill the Messiah? This all had to sound preposterous to the disciples. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Jesus goes on to tell them that they were going to have to deny themselves and take up their own crosses if they were going to continue following Him. Wow! Not exactly good news.

But we know that is exactly what it was – good news. Jesus’ death was the key to His coming. He came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for all. Ephesians 5:2 tells us that Jesus “gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” He died so that we might live. His death resulted in a different kind of victory than the disciples were looking for. He came to set them free from the rule of sin and the penalty of death, not the Romans. He came to give them victory over the grave, not some foreign occupying army. The life Jesus was offering was going to require death. His own. And it would require of the disciples a daily dying of themselves. They were going to have to die to their expectations and dreams. They were going to have to die to their addictive habit of trying to save themselves. They were going to have to lose their lives in order to gain the new life that Jesus offered. But it would prove to be an exchange that was well worth it. Our sin for His righteousness. Our forgiveness for His condemnation. Our new life for His death. His power for our weakness. Our salvation for His sacrifice.

So the bad news would prove to be very good news after all. And it still is.

Father, thank You for the good news regarding Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for coming up with a plan that was far better than anything the disciples could have dreamed up or dreamed of. Your way is the best. And I am grateful that the bad news regarding Your son’s death would prove to be the best news of all time. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Where is your faith?

“And He said to them,’Where is your faith?’ They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” – Luke 8:25

Where is your faith? This isn’t so much as a question of its existence as to its focus? In other words, we all have faith. We all trust in something or someone. The issue has to do with the who or what our faith is in. For the disciples, they were having to learn to have faith in Christ. And every time they turned around they were having their misguided, misdirected faith exposed. In the case of verses 22-25, they had their misguided faith in themselves exposed. Think about it, a good portion of these guys were professional, seasoned fishermen. They had been around and on the water for most of their lives. They had seen their fair share of storms. So they knew what to do when one blew in while they were out on the water in a ship. They could probably predict the weather without fail. The could read the signs. They could ride out the worst of storms like the best of sailors. In other words, they had faith in themselves and their own abilities.

In this story they found themselves in a storm on the sea of Galilee and they began to panic. They woke up Jesus who was calmly sleeping in the bow of the boat. They fearfully explain the gravity of their situation to Jesus. “Master, Master, we are perishing!” (Luke 8:24 NASB). What happened to all their boating acumen and experience on the waves of the Sea of Galilee. It was all gone. They suddenly discovered that they were no match for this storm. They weren’t going to be able to get themselves out of this one. No, from their perspective, they were about to drown. Which is right where Jesus seems to want them. Jesus heard their cries and calmly rebuked the wind and waves. The sea suddenly calmed and so did the disciples. To a degree. They were now fearful because of what they had just witnessed. They realized that they had just been part of something truly amazing. They had just seen a power displayed that that they had never seen before. A power greater than the waves and winds of nature. A power greater than anything they could bring to bear on the situation. Jesus asked them, “Where is your faith?” It seems to be a rhetorical question. He knew the answer. Their faith was non-existent. At one time it would have been in themselves and their own abilities. Now it was nowhere. Nothing they had ever relied on before was going to help them out of this predicament. Only Jesus!

That’s where we need to be each and every day. We need to stop putting our faith in anything or anyone other than Christ. And every day they spent with Him was going to be a lesson in faith. They would watch Him heal. They would hear Him teach. They would see His power on display. They would take in all His parables and witness Him casting out demons and healing the sick. They would even see Him raise the dead. They were eyewitnesses to the power of Christ. And it was rocking their faith system. Over time they would learn to put their faith in Him and not in themselves. That is the journey of the disciple. Before we can place our faith in Christ, we must openly admit where our faith has been. In whom or what have I been trusting? Where have I been turning for comfort and consolation? Tearing down the idols we have erected and the sorry substitutes we have turned to for years is the first step in putting our faith in the One who is always faithful.

Father, I feel as though you are asking me each and every day, “Where is your faith?” And the truth is, I still struggle with putting my faith in the wrong things. I still want to trust myself and others more than I trust You. Forgive me for that and show me how to trust You more. Your power is limitless. You alone are worthy of my faith. Everything and everyone else will fail me. They don’t deserve my faith. But You do. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org