Corona Devo 44
I got pushed yesterday. By Jesus.
I had been thinking, and praying, and hurting for a friend who was in need, but then the Lord told me to get off my duff and do something.
Of course I didn't hear Him say this outloud, but He spoke to me loud and clear through my Bible reading, and I knew it was a call to action.
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. ~James 2:14-17
I had wanted to do something for my friend and her family, but what? And how (during Corona quarantine), and (again) what?
But when I read these verses, and knew that Jesus was calling me to action (wouldn't you have interpreted them that way?), and I knew that the what didn't matter as significantly as the just do it.
My friend and her family had just suffered an accident, and although it was not a tragedy, it could have been. The realization of almost losing someone, of the recovery process physically and emotionally (for the injured and the family surrounding him). It's a lot. And add home-schooling and not being able to leave your house to that. I'm overwhelmed! I knew that my friend was too. And I wanted to do something, but I just hadn't moved into action.
So, (per my Biblical admonishment) my family made an effort. We did some simple "deeds", as evidence to our faith in loving Jesus and serving others out of that love. It wasn't much.
We gave their family a couple games to play together. We made a meal that so that she wouldn't have to cook for one night. One of our kids baked them muffins for breakfast. Our daughter is "into" making pudding by putting an instant mix into a gallon baggie, adding 2 cups milk and squishing it by hand or tossing it back and forth with someone until it is "mixed". This is a cheap activity that satisfies her for quite a while. She tucked in a package of pudding mix and a baggie. They have 4 kids--I think someone will have fun with that. I wrote a note.
It wasn't much. It wasn't gourmet or professional. Our efforts were simple, but in love. We had gone too many days just saying, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” (James 2:16) but we had done nothing about it. Now, we did something, and I leave the rest to the Lord.
I don't share this to in any way puff up the "deeds" of our family. Quite the contrary. Five days went by where our family was praying (critically important), but I knew in my soul that she (they) needed support in a physical, tangible way.
For five days I was saying “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but (I did) nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? (James 2:16).
I am ashamed of those 5 days.
Sometimes you need to act-out love. Show love. Show your faith with deeds.
And Jesus knew that. He knew I wanted to do something, but it wasn't getting done. Jesus will push us (and pull us) into His will. Thank goodness, or we would only serve ourselves! This is how the Holy Spirit works in us---it prompts us into action.
As a side note, I will also caution that this is a dangerous area of Christian faith: faith and works. Let me clarify that the Bible makes it very clear that we don't have to DO anything to be saved. Only believe in Jesus, admit that we are sinful, and accept the Lord's salvation over our lives. "...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved". ~Romans 10:9
We do not have to earn God's love and our salvation. In fact, we cannot earn it. It is only by grace that we are saved. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. ~Ephesians 2:8-9
So, we have established (the Bible establishes!) that we come to Jesus and His salvation by faith, and not by earning it. But once we have become a son or daughter of the King, and we read His Word, and follow His example: a natural outpouring of our spirit is to serve others, as Jesus served others. And in a word, the action of this can be called "works".
We didn't serve this family in order to "put another brick into paving our road to Heaven". That kind of thinking is not Biblical--Jesus doesn't say to serve others so that we can earn our way.
But instead, out of love, we were spurred to action as Christians. We have faith, and God called us to put it into action. In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ~James 2:17
I don't want to be spiritually dead. (But I have been there.)
It's lonely. It is empty. You fill yourself, but you are never satisfied. The money, lust, shopping, travel, gambling, substances, achievements never satisfy. There is always a gaping hole.
Christ and His purpose for us fills that hole. It's the only thing on earth that can fill the holes in our souls.
And so, we dropped off tacos and some smiles.
I know that it didn't take away the difficulty and stress of their situation, but sometimes it can lighten your load dramatically to know that someone cares about you. Jesus cares for this family, and He cares enough about me to prompt me to care for them. It's a unique cycle not found in too many worldly pursuits. But Jesus centered His ministry around it--around loving others and serving them.
Is He prompting you to put your faith into action today?
Blessings,
sarah
I had been thinking, and praying, and hurting for a friend who was in need, but then the Lord told me to get off my duff and do something.
Of course I didn't hear Him say this outloud, but He spoke to me loud and clear through my Bible reading, and I knew it was a call to action.
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. ~James 2:14-17
I had wanted to do something for my friend and her family, but what? And how (during Corona quarantine), and (again) what?
But when I read these verses, and knew that Jesus was calling me to action (wouldn't you have interpreted them that way?), and I knew that the what didn't matter as significantly as the just do it.
My friend and her family had just suffered an accident, and although it was not a tragedy, it could have been. The realization of almost losing someone, of the recovery process physically and emotionally (for the injured and the family surrounding him). It's a lot. And add home-schooling and not being able to leave your house to that. I'm overwhelmed! I knew that my friend was too. And I wanted to do something, but I just hadn't moved into action.
So, (per my Biblical admonishment) my family made an effort. We did some simple "deeds", as evidence to our faith in loving Jesus and serving others out of that love. It wasn't much.
We gave their family a couple games to play together. We made a meal that so that she wouldn't have to cook for one night. One of our kids baked them muffins for breakfast. Our daughter is "into" making pudding by putting an instant mix into a gallon baggie, adding 2 cups milk and squishing it by hand or tossing it back and forth with someone until it is "mixed". This is a cheap activity that satisfies her for quite a while. She tucked in a package of pudding mix and a baggie. They have 4 kids--I think someone will have fun with that. I wrote a note.
It wasn't much. It wasn't gourmet or professional. Our efforts were simple, but in love. We had gone too many days just saying, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” (James 2:16) but we had done nothing about it. Now, we did something, and I leave the rest to the Lord.
I don't share this to in any way puff up the "deeds" of our family. Quite the contrary. Five days went by where our family was praying (critically important), but I knew in my soul that she (they) needed support in a physical, tangible way.
For five days I was saying “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but (I did) nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? (James 2:16).
I am ashamed of those 5 days.
Sometimes you need to act-out love. Show love. Show your faith with deeds.
And Jesus knew that. He knew I wanted to do something, but it wasn't getting done. Jesus will push us (and pull us) into His will. Thank goodness, or we would only serve ourselves! This is how the Holy Spirit works in us---it prompts us into action.
As a side note, I will also caution that this is a dangerous area of Christian faith: faith and works. Let me clarify that the Bible makes it very clear that we don't have to DO anything to be saved. Only believe in Jesus, admit that we are sinful, and accept the Lord's salvation over our lives. "...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved". ~Romans 10:9
We do not have to earn God's love and our salvation. In fact, we cannot earn it. It is only by grace that we are saved. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. ~Ephesians 2:8-9
So, we have established (the Bible establishes!) that we come to Jesus and His salvation by faith, and not by earning it. But once we have become a son or daughter of the King, and we read His Word, and follow His example: a natural outpouring of our spirit is to serve others, as Jesus served others. And in a word, the action of this can be called "works".
We didn't serve this family in order to "put another brick into paving our road to Heaven". That kind of thinking is not Biblical--Jesus doesn't say to serve others so that we can earn our way.
But instead, out of love, we were spurred to action as Christians. We have faith, and God called us to put it into action. In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ~James 2:17
I don't want to be spiritually dead. (But I have been there.)
It's lonely. It is empty. You fill yourself, but you are never satisfied. The money, lust, shopping, travel, gambling, substances, achievements never satisfy. There is always a gaping hole.
Christ and His purpose for us fills that hole. It's the only thing on earth that can fill the holes in our souls.
And so, we dropped off tacos and some smiles.
I know that it didn't take away the difficulty and stress of their situation, but sometimes it can lighten your load dramatically to know that someone cares about you. Jesus cares for this family, and He cares enough about me to prompt me to care for them. It's a unique cycle not found in too many worldly pursuits. But Jesus centered His ministry around it--around loving others and serving them.
Is He prompting you to put your faith into action today?
Blessings,
sarah
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