Devotional Message

"The Importance of Believing"

"And they were offended in him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." Matthew 13:57-58

Each of us believe in something! Some things are worthy of believing and can edify us and make us better people. Some things we believe in that are negative and demeaning and can only make our lives miserable. You could be superstitious about certain things and even though those things are not true, it doesn't really matter. It will limit us and keep us from moving forward because of that instilled belief system that we have grown accustomed to. I used to be told I'd never amount to anything and I suppose I believed it for a time. But on the day I decided that this pronouncement was in error, I was able to move past it and became a successful person in this life.

There are times that we tell ourselves we don't believe in something but we hold on to that belief just in case it might be true. Consider the story of an American scientist who once visited the offices of the great Nobel-prize-winning physicist, Niels Bohr, in Copenhagen. He was amazed to find that over Bohr's desk was a horseshoe, securely nailed to the wall, with the open end up in the approved manner (so it would catch the good luck and not let it spill out). The American said with a nervous laugh, "Surely you don't believe the horseshoe will bring you good luck, do you, Professor Bohr? After all, as a scientist -- " Bohr chuckled, "I believe no such thing, my good friend. Not at all! I am scarcely likely to believe in such foolish nonsense. However, I am told that a horseshoe will bring you good luck whether you believe in it or not."

But as I said, we all believe in something. The trouble is that we may not believe enough to make it worth our while! Consider how strongly the Christians who were martyred in the Roman Coliseums. The other day I was watching the History Channel and it was about this archaeologist who loved to discover what lies beneath the cities throughout the world. He usually discovers some very fascinating stuff! On this particular program, he was allowed to go underneath the city of Rome. What he discovered there were hundreds upon hundreds of bodies of women who were buried in mass graves. They determined that these women were Christian women who refused to renounce Christ. It was believed that Emperor Nero sent them to their deaths for refusing to renounce our Savior.

The archaeologist examined the bodies and each of them had the same distinguishing marks on their bodies that were made by lions that had crushed their skulls and legs and arms. They took the jaws of a lion's skull and matched the mandibles to the teeth marks found on the bodies of these poor women. Think of what they must have suffered and the terror they experienced as they saw those lions that were unleashed on them after not eating for a week! All they had had to do to be pulled out and rescued was to say they renounced Christ! I suppose some who may have had a weak faith may have denied Christ. But consider all those hundred and even all those thousands buried in unmarked graves who did not surrender their faith!

I was a boy once when I saw a Rottweiler dog attack a little boy. His mother ran off her porch and fought off the dog valiantly. He bit her numerous times until she finally fended him off. What does that mother and those Christian women have in common? They each had a strong belief system and a love that superseded fear and aversion to pain! That mother loved her little boy so much that she was willing to die for him. She believed in the importance and commitment to that little boy completely. Those ladies were able to sacrifice their lives because they too believed and loved this man called Christ with a total commitment.

I believe that the Lord is calling us to believe in Him with that same kind of commitment today more than ever. It takes that kind of belief in Christ to really impact the world for Him! Yet many of us have grown slack in our faithfulness and we have lost that intensity of belief that our predecessors had long ago. Wouldn't you like to see that kind of commitment to the Lord in the church today? Let that brand of belief and faith start today and may it begin with you and me.

"Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." Matthew 22:37 --