What do you believe?

“Let everything that has breath praise he Lord! Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6)

We a re c oming up on the holiday season and I’m just not a fan starting with the “holiday” that just ended. I’m not a foodie so Thanksgiving does not do much for me. I am no doubt thankful for many things and I do like how this holiday compels us to take an inventory and count our blessings. I’m reading the new Henry Winkler book. I am a fan of the Fonz. I recently saw him on my social media feed, and they were talking about how he has a reputation for being the nicest guy in Hollywood. He disputed that, he said he was “grateful and if being grateful makes you nice then so be it.” So gratitude is a good thing and if Thanksgiving does that “so be it.”

Anyway, I know with the big holiday around the corner we are about to see signs in people’s yards and signs hanging in stores that say, “Believe.” And it always makes me think, “believe” what? It matters what you believe.

The other day on Instagram the high school where my dad graduated from were encouraging their football team to “believe” and if you believe “magical” things can happen. I shouldn’t have, but I asked these grown men that posted if they really believed in magic which only served to tick them off. But it matters what we believe in and our words matter, so what do we believe in when we say things like “believe” (by the way that school did make the playoffs and were one and done—so much for magic).

I believe Jesus died in my place. I believe that He suffered for me and that His death saved me from my sin and ultimately my death. I believe that His death serves as the catalyst for the way I live my life (Ephesians 4:17-32).

I believe one day I will stand before Jesus as judge and where I spend eternity will not be in question but rather how I spend eternity in Heaven with the Father is what is at stake.

Are my hands full of wood, hay and stubble? What did I do with the opportunities God gave me in this life? Did I waste my life on temporal, material things (Matthew 16:26). What did I pursue in this life, was I a God-chaser? Was I generous with my time and all of my resources?

Did I read the parable of the treasure of the field (one of my favorites, Matthew 13:44) and realize that was me. That when I found Jesus at 12 years old, I had found something worth everything.

Did I tell others about this treasure? Was I invitational? Was I intentional about hanging out with Jesus (abiding) through daily fellowship with Him and His people (the church, Acts 2:42-47). What did I believe (there is that word) about the church? Did I know I was the church? Did I know the church is not a building that it is a living, breathing organism? Did I cherish His word therefore I was a great student of it but not just a “hearer” but also a “doer” of what I read (James 1:22)?

Did I enjoy being a Christian and serving God and serving others or did I get robbed of the joy and the pleasure and the honor and privilege of being in this love relationship with God? Did I love God and love others and make disciples that became fully functioning reproducing disciples (Matthew 28:1820, Acts 1:8)?

What does believe mean and what do you believe?

He asked me to ask you that.