Romans 10:10

“Trusting with the heart leads to righteousness and confessing with the mouth leads to salvation.” Romans 10:10

Paul talks about two processes by which we show ourselves as disciples. The two processes are trusting and confessing. I call these processes because neither is a one-time thing. Trusting has to be something we do every hour of every day. The Jewish concept of the heart (lev) is that this is the “total control center of human existence—encompassing intellect, choice, conscience, and spiritual life” (Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls).

Trusting, then, is an active choice-driven process. As we trust, we build a healthy right relationship (righteousness) with God. Think of it this way. A child holds Dad's or Mom’s hand, and as a result, they are safe. Every time this is the outcome, they trust this will always be the outcome. Every time a meal is available, a hungry person begins to trust that there will always be food available when they are hungry. 

Every time we trust God as the redeemer of our souls, we develop trust that our souls are safe in the palm of God’s hand. 

According to Paul, believing God redeems us and trusting with our mind and spirit that God redeems us is not enough. We must also engage the body. This is in part because Jesus tells us in Luke 6:45 that it is out of the overflow of the heart (lev) that the mouth speaks. 

We all know that sometimes the mouth speaks without prior thought. Things tend to slip out if we do not make it a practice to engage the brain first. Paul reminds us that our choices of speech and the process of speaking thoughtfully lead to salvation. We must recognize that salvation is not “going to heaven.” Salvation refers to being rescued from both the power and the penalty of sin. 

This again is a process. I say this because in my life I have seen the changes that occur in me as I live as someone who is saved (rescued) from the power and penalty of sin. This is another seemingly complicated concept. As I live as someone who is trusting, strengthening my relationship with God, my speech changes (what I say and how I say it). This change is because my speech now aligns with my relationship. Now, I must practice speaking in ways that witness to my relationship with God through Jesus. 

First, as my speech changes to reflect my new priorities, I am now influenced by that renewing relationship, not by the brokenness formerly represented by sin (sin’s power). Second, I am now freed from the penalty of sin, which is death. Life now abounds unhindered. 

Trusting and confessing are the processes by which we become disciples. It is a marriage of inner spirituality and outer actions. Thanks be to God. The Holy Spirit equips and empowers us to do both. Unleash this power in your life today and always. Amen.

The Cost of Unity

Unity is such a wonderful concept, isn’t it? It sounds admirable and certainly is something we should all not only long for but work toward. The problem is this. Unity is costly. Jesus told those gathered to count the cost.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Luke 14:28-30

Most of us, I am guessing, did not think about the cost of discipleship when we chose to follow Jesus. But it probably also did not take long for all of us to find out that being a disciple has personal and maybe even professional costs associated with it.

The same is true with unity. Our reading this Sunday speaks of attributes that lead to unity and those that lead to disunity. In the unity category, we have “humility, gentleness, and patience,” and on the disunity side, we have “deceitful scheming and the trick people play to deliberately mislead others” (Ephesians 4).

It is easy to see how these characteristics work, but still, the question in my mind is what is the cost of unity? It costs us to be patient when everything inside of us is screaming “Hurry up!” It costs us to be gentle when we are not feeling gentle. It costs us to be humble when we know we “are all of that and a bag of chips.” Yet, Christ asks us to take up our cross. Paul advises us to “grow in every way into Christ.”

Why? I believe it is because the cost may be great, and we should be soberly aware of it and agree to bear it. But greater than the cost is the benefit. When we choose to live in ways that honor God and use the measure of grace given to us, we grow those wonderful branches that are attached to the tree that is God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). When we are attached to that tree, we cannot help but prosper in spirit and in truth. We cannot help but grow in health. And our health cannot do anything but strengthen the entire tree.

Friends, I invite you this weekend to explore your connection to the true Tree of Life that shelters us from harmful rays, provides stability in wild winds, and nourishes us with strong roots. Explore your unity with our Lord and Savior and how, while costly, it cannot be compared with the immeasurable blessings we receive in return.

Doing Greater Things

⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:9-13 NIV).

Good morning, friends. There are many things in the Bible that can be difficult to wrap your head around. This week, I am pondering Jesus’ statement that we who believe in God, the Father, will do greater things. When I was younger, my mind conjured up raising people from the dead, miraculous and instant healings, or inviting people to follow and having them drop everything to follow. With this as the list, doing greater things than Jesus seems impossible. The change in my understanding began with earlier cues in the reading.

In verse 10, Jesus talks about the source of his authority and what we as Christians experience when we allow God to work through us. This is evidence of God’s grace as seen through healings. If the “greater things” are not based in healings the way Jesus did them, or raising the dead what are “the greater things” are we going to do? I have some ideas about that and invite your comments in response.

The first “greater thing” is geographic reach. The area of Jesus’ ministry was small, geographically about 3125 miles. Paul’s estimated reach was 15,000 miles. Most places on Earth have experienced either the negative or positive reach of Christians. The second “greater thing” is the size of the body of Christ. Jesus started with 12 disciples. By the first century, Acts reports there were at least 8,000 at Pentecost. This number is disputed. 

There are reportedly 2.63 billion Christians worldwide in 2026. A third “greater thing” is the blessings that have been made possible because of God’s people. The number of people who have been fed, housed, clothed, and freed cannot be calculated. 

Lastly, we move beyond focusing on the evidence our physical ears and eyes can grasp to seeing our evidence as the effects of the works (verse 11). The effect of physical healing is that people are not only made whole physically but are also restored to their families and communities. The effects of the healings that occurred through Jesus’ forgiveness not only made bodies healthy but also restored the healed spiritually. We can always participate in working toward the Shalom of all with whom we come into contact. When we can’t do the hands-on work, we can provide Shalom by uniting our work and resources with those who can.

The conclusion is clear. We are practicing greater things. I am not saying that everything Christians or the Christian church has been positive or Godly, but I am saying that when we live as Jesus did, allowing God to work in and through us, our reach is expansive. What we give as children of God is always amplified and multiplied when we do everything, we do it to the glory of God and in the name of Jesus. So, get out there, whether in body or in spirit. Empowered and equipped by God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and united as the Body of Christ, we are unstoppable. 

Thanks be to God.