Without faith it is impossible to please him. – Hebrews 11:6
Most people want their leaders to be “straight talkers,” speaking in simple and honest terms. Straight forward communication is truthful and breeds integrity. It sounds easy. But if the last few years of history have taught anything, it has been that “straight talk” is hard to come by when the stakes are high.
Jesus, in His life on Earth, was a master at direct communication. Old, young, rich ruler, poor beggar, no one missed His meaning when He spoke. Some refused His message of simple faith in God’s provision, like the religious ruling class of His day! They devised a cumbersome system of obligation and regulation, requiring people to strive for worthiness and offering little hope to achieve God’s acceptance. Christ turned that entire order upside down.
Liberating grace, through simple faith, is difficult for those bound to religious regulation to accept, both when Jesus walked the Earth and today. God’s grace seems too good to be true to the natural mind but, to the heart of the wounded and hopeless, it is the best news ever! Christ requires nothing other than surrender to His love. This is straightforward faith: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
America’s future may appear complicated, but God’s answer is easy. When the nation’s people turn to Him in faith, He will bless them with peace. Pray for governing officials from the local level to the federal halls of justice to speak truth, simply and honestly, trusting God with their lives and in their roles as decision-makers.
Today’s Verse: Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
2 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
