What I Believe Changes Who I Am
In today’s short video, Paul reveals what it really means to “believe” in God and shows us how we can transform our lives from words and intentions to a life that emanates the very Life of Jesus who lives in us.
In 1 John 5:5 (NIV), it says, “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” It’s a great verse, isn’t it?
A very familiar word used in Scripture is “believe.” I’m sure you have also come across it many times. However, the way that word is used in Scripture is very different from the way it gets used in our modern day language.
Commonly, the word “believe” means that we have developed an opinion concerning the truth about something. It means we can now talk about something we consider to be true and it becomes part of our mind, our reasoning, our thoughts. We may even obtain a college degree to prove that we have reasoned and thought about a certain subject, and to show we are considered an authority on the matter.
In Scripture, “believe” means to become united with the very subject you're talking about.
To make it part of your belief system, integrated with your whole system of living.
It would be seen in our attitudes and proven by how we live our lives. Belief, or faith, in Scripture is not just some concept in the brain, it is evidenced by intentional behaviours and actions. As a result, our words and actions now reflect what we believe. Biblically, you only believe what you bring your life in alignment with.
Faith is not expounded merely in words. It's demonstrated in our actions and our behaviours.
There are a lot of things said in our modern-day Christian culture that are not backed up by any corresponding action. Words are cheap. We've heard that many times. You can fool many people by using the right words to make you sound winning, noble, and even smart. But your actions and character may reveal a completely different person. There’s a very thought-provoking illustration of this found in the book of James. It says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” James 2:19 (NIV). You see, the word “believe” that we looked at in 1 John 5:5 is very different than the word “believe” used in James. The demons’ belief in God is merely a mental assent. They knew it was factually true, but they were light years away from ever personalizing what they knew. Now, this illustration is a little extreme but you see, any belief in God that is just mental assent will get you nowhere. As my dad used to say, “That and $1.50 will buy you a cup of coffee.” It’s of no real value to you.
Make Jesus your life.
I want to encourage you today, my friends, to believe in Jesus; take all of Jesus into all of you. “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28a (NIV). It is then that your life will be more than mere words and intentions. Your life will emanate the very Life of Jesus who lives in you. And on top of that, you'll experience all the wonderful benefits that you have strived for all your life, but have never been able to attain on your own. Things like contentment, peace, joy, love, kindness, patience, and many, many more. It's all in the Life of Jesus.
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