“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”  (John 14:1 NIV)

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus gives some important instructions to His disciples shortly before He is to be crucified. He knows they are about to experience a huge crisis. Their leader is about to be arrested, publicly tortured, placed on a cross, die and be buried! They are about to be scattered and everything they have been taught is about to be tested.

Maintain control!

Jesus tells them to do two important things. First, not to panic (Do not let not your hearts be troubled), and secondly, to believe in Him (You believe in God; believe also in Me.”

Trust in God's Word!

You trust in God by putting your trust in His written Word because God and his Word are the same. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 NIV)

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12 NIV)

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matt. 7:24 NIV)

 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10 NIV)

Have you ever been lost?

I have been lost many times over the years! I'm sure glad they finally invented GPS systems, which I depend on a lot! When I was growing up my family used to jokingly say, “Mike could get lost at a picnic.” They were probably right. When I was about five, I was with my dad and big brother David, in San Francisco. Dad stopped at a department store downtown and parked right in front of the entrance. We went inside together and walked around looking at things. Somehow I got separated from them. It was a large store and I still remember clearly how afraid I felt when I realized they were no longer near me. I looked around the store but could not find them.  Eventually I remembered that we had parked in front of the entrance, so I found the door and headed out to the street to find our car. It was gone! I didn't know what to do and sat down on the curb and cried. I was sure they had left without me. Then a woman walked over to me and asked what was wrong. I told her I couldn't find my daddy. She saw a policeman on a motorcycle and called him over.  At that moment out of the store walked my dad and brother! I jumped up and happily ran to them. They had been looking for me. All along. I was so relieved to see them! When I told my daddy that the car was not where he had parked it, he explained that the big store had several entrances that looked exactly alike, and I had come out the wrong one. The car was exactly where it had been all along.

Jesus told lots of stories about lost and found things

The parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), and the parable of the lost sheep, (Luke 15:3-7) are two examples about lost and found things that Jesus spoke about. And, of course, I can't leave out the story of the prodigal son, about the young man who had left his father deliberately, and was seemingly lost to the world. But, he finally came to his senses, headed back home and there found his father, who had been watching all along for his return. The lost boy had been found and the father welcomed him back home with a party (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus said this is an example of how God is towards us.

God is happy when you return to Him!

“Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty.” (Zach. 1:3 NIV)

 "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” (Prov. 18:21 ESV)

“I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:3 NIV)

“If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.” (Psalm 91:9-10 NIV)

Control what you let come out of your mouth!

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Eph. 4:29 ESV)

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Prov. 15:1 ESV)

It comes from your heart!

“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart...” (Matt. 15:18 ESV)

Your words can bring healing

“Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”  (Prov. 16:24 ESV)

“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Prov. 12:18 ESV)

You will someday give an account for every word you speak

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.” (Matt. 12:36 ESV)

 “Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.” (Jos. 21:45 NLT)

“Soon I will die, going the way of everything on earth. Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the LORD your God has come true. Not a single one has failed!” (Jos. 23:14 NLT)

“Praise the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave through his servant Moses.” (1 Kings 8:56 NLT)

Not one Word has failed!

“For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The LORD always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.” (Psalm 145:13)

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Heb. 10:23 NIV)

 A costly sacrifice for us!

“You never hear Jesus say in Pilate’s judgement hall one word that would let you imagine that He was sorry that He had undertaken so costly a sacrifice for us. When His hands are pierced, when He is parched with fever, His tongue dried up like a shard of pottery, when His whole body is dissolved into the dust of death, you never hear a groan or a shriek that looks like Jesus is going back on His commitment.” – Charles Spurgeon 

 “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Isa. 55:11 NASB)

God has the power and will to fulfill His promises!

The Bible is filled with thousands of wonderful promises to cover every possible need you could ever encounter (2 Pet. 1:4). They are placed there for you by God Himself and are all 100% guaranteed by Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). You just need to find them, mix faith with them (Heb. 4:2 KJV) and believe they will work for you (Mark 11:24).

“And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” (Rom. 4:21 KJV)

 "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Num. 23:19 NIV)

Trustworthy God! 

Trustworthy is defined as reliable, dependable, honest, honorable, upright, principled, true, truthful, as good as one's word; ethical, virtuous, incorruptible, unimpeachable, above suspicion; responsible, sensible, loyal, faithful, staunch, steadfast, reputable, and completely straight-up. All of this describes God!

God’s unchangeable nature is trustworthy

"When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, 'I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.' And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.” (Heb. 6:13-18 NIV)

A trustworthy saying to fully accept!

“This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” (1 Tim. 4:9-10 NIV)

God is a trustworthy confidant

“Blessed be the Lord, Because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him” (Psalm 28:6-7, NASB).

We can be completely confident!

“This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God--who does not lie--promised them before the world began.” (Titus 1:2 NLT)

“Trust would not be trust if it did not require some commitment from us to walk by faith and not by sight. God is a trustworthy confidant, for He constantly seeks our good.” – Billy Graham

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3 NIV)

Notice that the above verse says He “has blessed us” (past tense), because God has already done it! It's totally accomplished! Finished! Done!

Every spiritual blessing in Christ!

Notice that the second part of the above verse says that He's provided you with “every spiritual blessing in Christ.” That means all of them have been given to you without exception. There are no blessings excluded! That’s right, you get them all! The entire group! The total amount.

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8 NIV)

God blesses you to be a blessing to others!

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2 NIV)

"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12 NASB)

Life has its challenges – press forward through them!

Shortly after purchasing our first house, we decided to build a deck off the back porch. I had never built a deck before, so I went to a friend of mine, a home builder, to ask him for some advice. He said, “Do you know what you want your deck to look like?” And I said, “Yes, I do.” He then relied, “Great! Now just get started and build it!” I said, “But, I have never built a deck before!” And he said, “The main thing is to make your plan. Get all the materials you need. Then get started and keep working at it until it is completely done. “That’s it?” I said, “What if I run into problems?” And he said, “Every job has problems! That's just the way it is. But, you can't  allow anything to stop you. You solve problems as you discover them. Then, you eventually get to the end with a completed project.”

So, I did exactly what he said and built my first deck. Yes, I did run into a few problems along the way, and figured out a solution for each one.

It's pretty much the same with anything you need to get done

Whether it's something at home (building a deck), at school (assignments), at work (job projects), or at play (sports or hobbies), it's the same process. You need to know what it looks like (envision it). You need a plan (steps needed to do it).  You need to collect the materials to do the job. You need to get started. You need to solve problems as you discover them. And, most importantly, you need to keep working at it until it gets completely done.

Keep pressing forward!

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14

Some interesting epigrams about perseverance

• There aren't any hard-and-fast rules for getting ahead in the world - just hard ones.
• You don't have to lie awake nights to succeed. Just stay awake days.
• There is no poverty that can overtake diligence. -Japanese proverb
• "By perseverance the snail reached the Ark." – Charles Spurgeon

• Triumph is just "umph" added to try.

“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:15-19 NIV)

Saying thank you!

I heard a story about a woman who had searched for, found, and thanked, the many who had responded to a horrific accident she had been involved in ten years before. What was amazing to see, was the reaction she received from those she thanked. Many of them were moved to tears. One of them said they had never been thanked before! Can you imagine that? In all those years they must have helped a great number of people in crisis, yet not one had bothered to go back and thank them!

Only one in ten thanked Jesus

Jesus had healed ten lepers but only one came back to thank Him! Jesus noticed and said, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”  (Luke 17: 18-19 NIV)

God’s will is for you to be thankful in all circumstances

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18 NIV)

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:17 NIV)