My friend Pete shared with me yesterday this that his pastor spoke of sometime ago. The pastor gave them this verse: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Then the pastor asked them to substitute the word relationship for the word faith. 'Now "relationship" is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' My friend Pete said but this messed him up real good. We talked about this for several minutes yesterday. It makes sense probably in more ways than one. One way we talked about was this. The word faith in New Testament is "pistis." The same word is also translated as trust and belief.So this verse might be translated "now trusting is" or "now believing is."
Of these possibilities "trusting" most clearly shows the existence of a relationship. If I don't trust you I'm not likely to pursue a relationship with you. If I don't believe you The same is likely so. Who wants to hang around untrustworthy people who cannot be relieved? Who would rely on, who would have confidence, who would have faith kind of people. If I did have faith in these kind of people what would my relationship with them imply? I think it would imply that the substance of the things I hope for and the evidence of things I don't now see would be very different than what actually came in reality. We don't hope for evil from God. But if we put our faith in the untrustworthy, that is to say if we trust the unfaithful, we shouldn't be very surprised if our hopes are dashed. It seems pretty clear that our relationship to God must be solidly and fully grounded in trust. If a person is untrustworthy he or she is not trustworthy. if unbelievable, then not believable and if unfaithful then they are not faithful.
So we are well and properly and VIABLY related to God in faith trusting and believing him with whom we have a relationship and not yet seen.
John chapter 6 is an extraordinary clear and powerful testimony of safe and relationship. Jesus feeds 5000 people by multiplying five loaves of bread and two small fishes! and after they all ate they had twelve baskets of bread to spare! It's no wonder they couldn't find him the next day they tracked him down on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. When they found him he immediately informed them of this revealing truth; they were seeking him not because a great miracle had been done but because they were hungry again. Their hunger for food, food which spoils, prevented them from knowing and believing who he was!
Jesus went on to tell them: "Don't work for the meat which spoils; labor for the meat which abides in everlasting life (is from eternal heaven), meat which the Son of man will give you: the one God the Father has sealed."
The Father was beginning to unseal and reveal the precious plan of all time in the Messiah! And his people the children of Israel the Jews and the religious Jews for the most part we're not understanding. they needed a relationship Father through faith in Jesus who is the Son of man and Son of God.
They asked him, "What should we do in order to do the work of God?"
It seems that Jesus was beginning to penetrate their carnal nature. And whose answer to them was wonderfully clear and simple!
"This is the work of God that you believe on him whom he has sent."
And so it is seen that believing God is work! Believing takes energetic effort and God requires believing! Later on the Apostle Paul writes to us in Galatians 5:6 that faith, that believing works by love!
When God thrust Adam out he had just told him that what he had done he would toil and sweat on and in a cursed ground in order to eat bread. This is the bread that spoils and we still toil and sweat for THAT bread.
But for the bread of eternal life God requires a different kind of work. it's not the sweaty toil of busting sod.
Come unto me all you that are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest! Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: for my yoke is easy and my burden is light
Animals are yoked together that they be able to work together. If we are yoked together in Jesus yoke it is in order to work. And if, or since the work of God is to believe Jesus the Son of man and if believing, if faith works and is energized by love...
💔❤💗💓💖💕💥💞💞💞💞💞
😶😯😮☺😊😀😁💥😇😇😇😇
So when we hear that it's all about relationship we should not be afraid to have 1 or 3 or 20 or 20,000 relationships. Each one and they all together are simply and marvelously opportunity for eternal love in God in the Messiah who is love. ❗❗❗
