Even though we encourage one another to present evidence to others we ourselves are in need of evidence. In order for us to establish the fact or reality of God’s Kingdom we also need spiritual evidence. While the act of presenting evidence to others is itself evidence we still need to have our commitment and connection to this invisible realm become stronger.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Job 23: 14 For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such things are with Him.
Psalm 138:8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Our connection with God and His Kingdom is a function of the work that Jesus did and this connection is now displayed by the work of God’s own Holy Spirit which dwells inside of us. This present day work is invisible to the eyes of those not awaken to this spiritual world. It is also invisible our natural eyes and therefore we must continue to use our spiritual eyes to see the spiritual Kingdom in action.
The circumstances of this world should cause us to turn to the Kingdom of God to get solutions and resources for the needs presented to us. God has designed this world so that it constantly demands more than we can physically produce in order that we might rely on the Spirit within. A lot of people work diligently to meet all of their physical needs but the world will keep evolving and presenting greater demands, and trying to escape these demands is missing the point of our being.
This is where faith comes in. It is a personal exercise of our trust in God. Scripture indicates that we can grow tired in well doing and our desires to live in ease presents a loud voice that calls us away from leaning and trusting in God. In this information age we are constantly made aware of the needs around the world. Sometimes the cry is so loud and the demand is so relentless we want to hide.
Matthew 6:31-33 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Everyday a greater level of faith is required than yesterday. Everyday more evidence is needed to cause us to believe that our reliance on the invisible spiritual Person of God will be there to meet the challenges. This is why we present evidence for our personal lives. By daily exercising faith in God we are establishing the fact that He will never forsake us, that he will perform that which is presented to us. Our response these everyday request is simply one of faith.
We cannot allow the demands of the world to choke out our faith.
When the Stock market crashed in 2008 (777 points) what was our reaction. Where was our faith at that moment? Was it in our retirement accounts, jobs, homes, business, America’s health care system or was it in the very Person of the God that dwells within each of us. More importantly where is our faith today and where will it be tomorrow? How many believers lost or our losing their faith during this crisis? How many people returned to seeing with their material eyes and abandon the use of their spiritual eyes. Has faith been reduced to superstition so that our personal relationship has faded from being with Him to being about Him?
We see an example of how we can react to these everyday situations when we observe Jesus at a wedding that runs out of wine, when He was with a large group that needed to be fed and when He faced a natural storm at sea. In all these circumstance Jesus remained focused on His spiritual connection to Father. It is the action of faith that opens up possibilities and allows the Holy Spirit to produce evidence which we get to present to ourselves and others.
Another area we must be mindful of is that God is infinite and He has resources that we cannot comprehend. If we view the resources of the world as finite using our material eyes then we only see limited resources in a world that has a demand that is forever increasing. Therefore in our material thinking we plan and work to get our share resources and only after our share and that of family is secure do we think about generosity. But even that material generosity has a limit and it must not make our material security insecure.
So if we see someone getting resources that we perceive could be ours we may become jealous. Even some of the motives of the religious tend to pick winners and looser as a determinant of who should partake in God’s blessings. The scripture below is from the end of the prodigal son story and it depicts this. After the youngest son took His inheritance the oldest son reasoned that all remaining stuff was his. When the youngest son returned the older son that stayed behind became angry. Can you guess at some of them?
Luke 15:28-32 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ 31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”
We like that older son must renew our mind with one thought. “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.” The reason our faith must grow is because the demands on us is ever growing. If we allow the fear of greater demands or jealousy over material stuff then the wind has blown and the flood water have risen and the relationship we have built is not on a true foundation and our faith can be swept away.
When we become awaken to the Personal Presence of God we enter His Kingdom. More importantly He enters our personal Kingdom and the two become one. Our material consciousness must become spiritual if we are to avail ourselves of spiritual resources. Faith is the evidence which gives us this access to the unseen realm.
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
We are designed in the image of God with the purpose to love Him, others and ourselves. Can we see and comprehend this truth? As with John the Baptist who baptized Jesus, heard Gods voice and told his disciples to follow Jesus acted in faith. But when his circumstance changed and he found himself in jail he sent two disciples to Jesus to ask if He was the one.
Our faith is the evidence of our relationship with the Father’s Holy Spirit but it must be renewed daily. We are human and a long distance relationship only last so long. This is not God’s fault. He recognized that man could not live alone. So He placed Himself in the very midst of us and now the two of us have become one. We are new creatures possessing divine nature. We are more than a mere image we are animated with the very Presence of God.
As His Presence overflows the boundary of our physical body, the Kingdom is manifest that others may understand the evidence as to freely enjoy the fruit (God Himself) of the Kingdom and like us become responsible citizens of God’s Kingdom.
2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
EVidence LOCKER 