Calm!

Calm!

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. John 14:1 KJV

Context and Charge:

Jesus speaks here also to those who had taken the decision to follow Him. "Why does following Jesus involve so much trouble", someone may ask. Actually, the bigger issue at stake here is the knowledge and understanding of what is at stake. What holds my focus in all that Jesus said in the verse above? He lays out a problem statement, then follows it up with a solution with eternal consequences. If trouble does not come, how do I know if I can be trusted with the riches and wealth of heaven? 

If I only know good days and no bad ones, my experience of God will be limited. When God takes me on a journey, He already knows how it will end, but I have a role to play: trust Him totally. He does not promise perpetually blue skies, but He promises his perpetual presence and power. He does not say anywhere that life will always be smooth; but He promises that he will make the crooked paths straight. He knows that sin has brought trouble to the world, but he would want me to know that only in Him is the power of sin broken. 

Conviction and Conclusion:

I need to know and trust the God who speaks here. Jesus asks those who he was speaking to here to believe in Him. Now, whether I accept or not, it does not change the identity of the One who speaks; however, faith in the One who speaks activates the assurance that it will end well. When God asks me to believe in Him, he is asking for more than just blind loyalty. He is asking me to fully invest and trust Gim completely. I can't get away with half-hearted devotion, or sitting on the fence. You gain nothing by being indecisive. A man who is half-hearted in devotion and commitment is described as double-minded and cannot receive anything from the Lord. 

It is important that I know what is at stake and what's required to receive all that God has promised. I cannot believe in God and not believe in Jesus. The IN signifies location and position. It shows that God is my all; with no alternative plan or exit strategy. Does this describe me at this moment in time? Are there measures I need to take to be fully invested in that which God has for me? God's plan is eternal in outlook and outcome and if I can cooperate with Him, I am guaranteed a good end. God's time of favour is here.