“And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”
Genesis 15:6
Genesis 15:6 is one of the most important passages in the Bible. Here the heart of God and His redemptive plan are reflected. God insists that we not only believe that what He is saying is true, but that we exhibit active trust in Him as well. Abraham believed IN God and received the blessing of imputed righteousness. Ellen and Pastor Gilbert are a wonderful object lesson in this regard. After soup ministry on Friday, Ellen was in need of a ride home. While all us believed THAT Gilbert, a seasoned motorcyclist, can take a passenger to their destination safely, only Ellen believed IN the good pastor to actually do so. Only she was the recipient of that particular blessing. “Let not your heart be troubled,” said Jesus, “you believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1). James reminds us that even demons believe that God exists. Not only is this knowledge not comforting to them, it causes them to tremble! (James 2:19). John 8:30-31 mentions two groups of people: those that believed IN Jesus and those that simply believed THAT what He was saying was true. The Lord rebuked that latter group: “You are of your father the devil,” he said, “and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him” (John 8:44). Let us be people who not only believe God, but actively put our trust in Him, moment by moment, for big things, little things, and everything in between.
God bless,
pastor john
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