Eagles In Leadership

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Faith – we all need it in difficult times! Some have faith in people, others in politicians and still others in their family. However, in these uncertain times, we all would agree that only God knows what is best and only God can provide what is best.

But how does faith in God work? Jesus explains this through an interruption to his schedule …

Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.” Then Jesus went with them.

And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick. Luke 7:1-10 (NKJ)

We become like Jesus when …

o We demonstrate our faith by simply trusting Jesus to do what He says He will do.

Think about your faith today. What have you asked Jesus for lately? Simply trusting Him to act is what faith is all about. Jesus responds to our faith. We know that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11.6).

The action of faith is in the trust. By telling Jesus that you trust Him, that you are under His authority and know that He is good, you show your faith in Him. Jesus responds to our faith.

Today, take a moment to express your faith and trust to Jesus for the thing(s) you have asked of Him. And remember, Jesus responds to our faith!

© 2008 By Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

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Over the past few months we have seen people, companies, banks, and even governments crumble under the global economic troubles we have experienced. Wisdom is always seen in the storm. When the storm sweeps in, those who have planned ahead are those who are safe.

Jesus talks about the storms of life and their spiritual implications …

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Matthew 7:24-29 (NKJ)

We become like Jesus when …

o We practice the sayings of Jesus in our everyday life.

In stark contrast, Jesus identifies the key components of wisdom and folly …

1. Violent storms come in life, whether you are wise or foolish.
2. What you build your life on (the choices you make) will determine whether you will survive the storm or not.
3. In this life, and the next, the advantage goes to the person who does the things Jesus tells us to do.

Perhaps you can relate to the crowd as Jesus finishes his first long lecture from the mountain. Is it possible that you have a Christian ‘spirituality’ but you do not have a Christ-like life?

Today, as you complete this reading, could I ask you to stop? Take a few moments and ask yourself if you are ‘walking the talk’ of Jesus? In the long-run, you will be far better off!

Remember Jesus’ words of hope … “whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”

© 2008 By Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

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Fakes, phonies and cheats seem to multiply in turbulent times. Recently I heard of a crew of scammers defrauding retired seniors of the last of their savings through their smooth talk … incredible! Yet, we all know that these are desperate times and people need to be most careful of the con man or woman who seeks to take all they have of value.

While we are repelled by such duplicity, we need to realize that sometimes we ourselves are deceived into believing ‘facts not in evidence.’ One of the most critical areas is in the arena of eternity. Many people today talk a good line when it comes to spirituality. You hear them speaking of their path, the journey they are on and how they pray.

Yet Jesus wanted us to be clear about who really gets to heaven …

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJ)

We become like Jesus when …

o We do the will of God the Father in heaven.

When we look closer into these words of Jesus we realize …

1. ‘God – Talk’ doesn’t cut it when it comes to entrance into heaven
2. ‘God – Work’ doesn’t cut it when it comes to entrance into heaven
3. Only an intimate relationship with Jesus (demonstrated by loving what Jesus’ loves) cuts it when it comes to entrance into heaven

Melodee and I have Club cards to the two biggest shopping clubs in the USA. At our favorite store, I never have to flash my entrance card when Dan is there. Why? Because I know Dan and, what’s more important, Dan knows me! Heaven is like that – entrance is determined by who you know (Jesus) and, what’s more important, that Jesus knows me.

Do you have such a relationship with Jesus? If not, why not call our friends at 1-800-NEED-HIM right now. Someone is standing by to help you come to know Jesus in an intimate way.

© 2008 By Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

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Which direction are you headed? Have you ever sat down and ‘mapped out’ your life course? You know, you take a few minutes and do a brief assessment of the choices you have made and the places you wound up as a result?

After all, you know that every decision limits your future. When we choose to go one way, we cannot go a number of other ways (unless we clone ourselves, and even then it is not really us making that other trip). And when we look at where we are, and the decisions that got us there, we often see a pattern … our life pattern.

This is what Jesus speaks of in the context of our eternal destiny and our earthly choices …

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJ)

We become like Jesus when …

o We carefully, thoughtfully and deliberately make choices that honor our confession of faith in Jesus Christ!

Note that Jesus tells us that in all of our choices, there are only two directions; and each direction has its visible traits.

The broad way …

1. It has a wide gate
2. The way is easy to travel
3. There are many traveling companions
4. However, the end of this road is destruction

The difficult way …

1. It has a narrow gate
2. The way is difficult to travel
3. There are few traveling companions
4. But, the end of this road is life

Can I encourage you to sit down and ‘map out’ your life today? Where have you come to and how has the journey been? The visible traits listed above may be of great assistance as you determine which direction you are headed.

© 2008 By Dr. Matthew Lee Smith