A friend of mine is going through a very difficult time right now. I have been trying to help him out any way I can, but he has been resisting, saying things like it's ok, he doesn't want to bother me, I already have too much on my plate, I should focus on my school and work, etc. I know that he meant those things for my benefit. But honestly, it kind of got to me. It seems that attitudes like that are becoming increasingly pervasive in the Church. Christians who say things like, "well, I'd love to help you, I really wish I could, but I've got to study for this test, or go to work, or make this meeting." It's like we've started to think that the day-to-day banality of life has suddenly become more important than the eternal impact that we can have on the people that God puts in our paths by living out our faith in their lives.
Now, don't get me wrong, it's important to study hard or work hard at whatever responsibilities God has given you. We can't allow laziness or poor work ethics to creep into our daily lives. But we also have to make sure that our priorities are set. Fifteen years from now, are you going to remember more about that exam that you made an A on, or the grieving friend you prayed with and comforted? Is it better to be able to give a knock-out presentation at work, or to spend time with and counsel someone who needs wise and godly advice? When you stand before the throne of the Most High God, is He going to be more pleased with you for making it to work on time, or stopping and buying that homeless person breakfast and sharing Jesus with them while they ate?
I grew up hearing that Christianity was not an act-based religion. "Works don't save you," was the all-too-familiar commentary that I would hear preached from the pulpit, the Sunday school teacher's mouth, or even the family dinner table. This is inarguably true - the only things that saves us is a belief in the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
But salvation is not the end of the story. The Bible says that "faith, by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead." Actions are the result of a genuine faith in the Lord. It's not always easy. It's often frightening. I'm sure that Gideon, Abraham, or Rahab were scared to death as they amassed their army, took their son to be sacrificed, or hid enemy spies in their home. But the point is not that they were afraid; it's that they had faith enough to act in spite of their fear.
Believing in God does not require an absence of fear. It takes courage to act upon one's faith. No one ever said it would be easy. But the real question is this: if you don't act on your faith, if you don't live out the love that you say is in your heart, if you don't behave in a manner that shows that you unreservedly trust in the goodness of the Lord.....if you don't act on your faith, do you really have any faith at all??
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[e] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Now, don't get me wrong, it's important to study hard or work hard at whatever responsibilities God has given you. We can't allow laziness or poor work ethics to creep into our daily lives. But we also have to make sure that our priorities are set. Fifteen years from now, are you going to remember more about that exam that you made an A on, or the grieving friend you prayed with and comforted? Is it better to be able to give a knock-out presentation at work, or to spend time with and counsel someone who needs wise and godly advice? When you stand before the throne of the Most High God, is He going to be more pleased with you for making it to work on time, or stopping and buying that homeless person breakfast and sharing Jesus with them while they ate?
I grew up hearing that Christianity was not an act-based religion. "Works don't save you," was the all-too-familiar commentary that I would hear preached from the pulpit, the Sunday school teacher's mouth, or even the family dinner table. This is inarguably true - the only things that saves us is a belief in the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
But salvation is not the end of the story. The Bible says that "faith, by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead." Actions are the result of a genuine faith in the Lord. It's not always easy. It's often frightening. I'm sure that Gideon, Abraham, or Rahab were scared to death as they amassed their army, took their son to be sacrificed, or hid enemy spies in their home. But the point is not that they were afraid; it's that they had faith enough to act in spite of their fear.
Believing in God does not require an absence of fear. It takes courage to act upon one's faith. No one ever said it would be easy. But the real question is this: if you don't act on your faith, if you don't live out the love that you say is in your heart, if you don't behave in a manner that shows that you unreservedly trust in the goodness of the Lord.....if you don't act on your faith, do you really have any faith at all??
James 2:14-27
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[e] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
beautifully said!
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