faith – Page 5 – Three Minute Bible

June 14, 2020June 14, 2020

1 Peter 1:7 — Refined by Fire

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

I don’t know about you, but I find this sentence confusing. I glanced through several other translations of this verse and you know what? They confused me, too.

Let’s deconstruct what Peter is saying here:

These have come…

In verse six, Peter talks about the grief believers suffer because of “all kinds of trials.” Peter knows what he is talking about here. He certainly has experienced all kinds of trials! But why do trials come? Why do we suffer if God is watching out for us?

June 12, 2020June 12, 2020

1 Peter 1:4(b)-5 — Funeral Time

A wood bench sits empty against a stone brick wall.

This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Jason sat on the bench next to the brick wall. He looked dejected. His shoulders slumped over resting on elbows supported by knees. His hands dangled.

Arthur Throckmorton III stood for a moment looking at the young man. He was only twenty years old but today he looked all of thirty. His grandfather had died two weeks ago and had been all the family Jason had known. Arthur had helped Jason with the funeral arrangements. Arthur was more than Jason’s attorney. He was also his friend. He had known Jason’s grandfather for more than fifty years and had known Jason all his life. He sat down next to Jason on the bench.

December 19, 2019December 20, 2019

Opposites – James 1: 6

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

James has just written that God is generous in giving to those who ask for wisdom. He makes the point that God is not looking to find fault. God simply wants everyone to have wisdom.

But then James adds this little caveat: “.. you must believe and not doubt…” He compares someone who doubts to a wave on the sea, tossed around by the wind first one way and then another. So what is he talking about?

March 5, 2019March 4, 2019

Master Plan – John 11: 36-38a

Then the Jews said, ”See how he loved him!”
But some of them said, ”Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.

Sometimes a guy just can’t do anything right. Jesus demonstrates compassion towards Mary and the loss of her brother and while some people see, “…how he loved him!” Other people seem to complain; couldn’t he have kept this man from dying? Yet even the complaints move Jesus because they speak of faith in what he could have done.