Mark 6:6
I
have a hard time believing sometimes. Do you? For me the issue of trusting the
LORD is settled. I trust Him. I might have to fight fear sometimes, but if I
just settle myself, I know the LORD is faithful. No matter what, He will be
there. Even death can’t end my relationship with Him.
But
sometimes I have problems trusting people. The reality is some people aren’t
trustworthy. Their lives demonstrate that fact again and again. They over commit
and then drop the ball. No one can say yes to everything. We all have limits. Or
they have never learned that it is OK to say no to things. Relationships aren’t
so fragile that one “NO” won’t end it.
Jesus
has gone to His hometown. They have, for the most part, rejected Him. They can’t
get over His background and family connections. When they see Him, they see the
carpenter and His family. They can’t reconcile the reports they have heard with
the boy and man they knew. And this disconnect gets in the way of faith.
I
run into people every day whose ideas about Jesus get in the way of having
faith in Him. The things they have learned, even when they are wrong, put
obstacles in the way of believing. They must unlearn before they can learn.
You
can’t have faith in Jesus and believe that the universe is an accident, or that
every belief system is equally valid. These are mutually exclusive concepts.
You can’t believe in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause and claim to be a mature,
rational adult. Sometimes you must give up one belief in order to pick up
another. You can’t believe Jesus was just a good man AND that He has the
ability to forgive your sins. A man, no matter how good, can’t forgive sin.
That is the exclusive job of the LORD.
The
people of Jesus’ town, His family, friends and neighbors, have a hard time
believing in Jesus as Messiah. They can’t seem to give up their beliefs about
Him formed over the years of knowing Him. Until they do, they won’t be able to
believe something different about Him.
We
must give up beliefs in order to have faith and trust in Jesus. What are you
believing that contradicts what Scripture declares?