Category Archives: Devotionals

Which of us has never been disappointed by others? Which of us has not experienced feelings of hurt and betrayal by what others have done? While the actions of others disappoint us and may even harm us, perhaps we experience the greatest hurt when someone breaks their word to us. They make a promise and do not keep it. They say they will do one thing, then do another. They mislead us or lie to us.

Each time someone misleads us or breaks their word to us it also breaks the trust we have in them. Once trust is broken, it is difficult to restore it. And so, we continue to alienate each other and move apart.

In contrast to mankind, the Bible assures us that us that God does not lie (Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Hebrews 6:18). To do so is contrary to His nature. He will keep His word regardless of the circumstances. We can trust Him. Therefore it should be of great comfort to us to read God’s words in Psalm 89:34, “I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.” (NIV)

God said those words about the covenant He entered into with the Israelite people. The terms of this covenant are given in the Law of Moses.

But though God does not lie and He keeps His word perfectly, mankind does not. The Israelites were unable to keep the terms of their covenant with God. For this reason, God promised that He would make a new covenant. The Bible says, “But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”” (Hebrews 8:6-12 NIV)

Just as God promised that He would never violate the old covenant, He will never break the promises He has made in the new covenant. The Bible also assures us that this new covenant is not only for the Israelite people, but for all who choose to follow Jesus. The question is, are we in the new covenant? Do God’s unbreakable promises apply to us?

Many people insist that there is no God. Many others proclaim that it is self-evident that God exists. The truth is that there is no absolute proof one way or the other. Even those people who have been raised in very religious homes, if they are honest with themselves, have, at some time in their lives, wondered whether God really exists or whether He is merely a product of their own imagination. Though there is a great deal of evidence which points to God’s existence, the evidence only goes so far. After a certain point we must decide whether God is or not, on the basis of faith.

If God exists, why does He not disclose Himself to us in such a way that there can not be any doubt? Why does He give us the choice to believe? The answer tells us something about both God and ourselves.

We need Someone who transcends all of nature and our experience. Would a god whose existence could be proved be worth believing in? If God is no more than we can imagine, how weak and small He would be! If His thoughts were not beyond our understanding, He would be like us. If God is not supernatural, that is beyond what we can measure and count; if He is unable to provide solutions to our problems beyond our own devising, we would have no need of Him. No, if God exists, He must be greater and other than us. In other words, He is beyond our ability to conceive or comprehend. And, what we do not have the capacity to comprehend, we do not have the ability to prove. As the Bible says, “How great is God – beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.” (Job 36:26 NIV)

There is another reason God does not force the fact of His existence upon us. It is an indication of His love for us. Rather than force us to believe He gives us a choice. Without that choice, there would be no opportunity for faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

Because God does not force belief, we seek Him and serve Him because we want to, not because we have to. The beautiful thing is that when we do seek God, He discloses Himself to us. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)

No, we will never be able to prove that God exists. But we can find Him! It depends on whether we want to.

We have a saying, “Seeing is believing”. The saying is a reminder to use a little caution when someone tells us something. We should not always believe everything we’re told. The more important the claim, the more diligent we ought to be to verify the claim before accepting it. For example, it would be unwise to buy a house without first inspecting it to see whether it is worth the asking price. Many people have been swindled because they did not take the time to verify what the seller told them.

However, there is a time when demanding more proof does not demonstrate appropriate caution, but an inexcusable lack of faith. The Apostle Thomas was guilty of this when he was told about Jesus rising from the dead. Scripture says, “When the other disciples told him that they had seen the Lord, he declared, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”” (John 20:25 NIV)

At first this looks like commendable caution. But when we take a broader look at this incident, a different picture emerges. Thomas had witnessed Jesus perform countless miracles – including raising people from the dead. Thomas had personally heard Jesus say that He would be killed and that He would rise from the dead on the third day. Thomas knew the character of the men who reported Jesus’ resurrection to him, that they were trustworthy. Yet, in spite of all the evidence, Thomas refused to believe until he had personally seen the resurrected Jesus with his own eyes. “Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29 NIV)

How much evidence do we need to believe the claims of Christ? Some people say, “If only I could go back in time and see Jesus for myself! If only I could see the miracles myself, I would believe!” No you wouldn’t. We have even more evidence than Thomas did. If you won’t accept the testimony of a former skeptic like Thomas, then it is not likely that you would believe even if you could see Jesus for yourself. As Jesus pointed out in one of His parables, “…If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16:31 NIV)

Thomas’ faith became so strong that he gave his life for Christ. Will we believe, or will we insist that we still need to see more evidence?