Sigh.
I was taking one of our kids to a school event the other day, and about a quarter-mile out, I saw another student walking to the same function. My gut-reaction was to slow-down and ask them to "hop in", so that I could give them a ride the rest of the way. (If it was me, that's what I would have wanted, and it seemed like the right thing to do.)
Do you have teenagers?
Apparently offering a ride to school-people is not the norm, and my child (going to the same location) mildly revolted at the idea, and I kept driving.
But as my foot continued depressing the gas pedal, I knew that I had just compromised in my faith because I had compromised in my actions.
Be kind today, and let's let our faith lead our actions and good deeds (and not what we think others might think about us doing them).
We let the approval and judgment and "what if" of what others' think shape and control our decisions and our faith far too often. Faith is action too.
If we believe in God and love Him, we will be moved to action in order to love others in His name. There is no "I believe", without (also) "I do".
Faith and works/action/good deeds are a symbiotic partnership when we know and serve our living God.
And so, that student walked the rest of the way to the group gathering, because it was "uncool" for us to stop and take them the rest of the way.
This example is not the end of the world, but still...my heart ached because I knew that I had dishonored God by not serving the walker. This is a small example, but an example none-the-less, that our faith (by itself) is not "enough".
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? ~James 2:14
A best friend told me of a recent (terribly sad) funeral that she attended. An adult child (a husband and a dad), had moved back home with his parents for a while, as he battled depression and other struggles. He spoke of suicide but neither of his (unbelieving) parents, nor the others that he dropped his hideous life-ending-hints to, "knew what to do".
And that was the bleak notion whispered in low tones throughout the duration of his calling hours and funeral: people had seen where this young man was headed, and he even told them...but no one "knew what to do".
And then---this hopeless young man did what he said he would do.
It's tragic, and the consensus was that "no one knew how to help him".
I do.
You do too.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” ~Acts 4:12
There is hope in our Savior Jesus Christ. There is life in (knowing and serving) the living God. There is purpose for (and in) us (the created) when we come to know God, our Creator. There is acceptance and love when we invite our Heavenly Father into our hearts and lives.
We know what to do because we know Jesus. But--what are we doing with our faith?
Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.”
But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” ~James 2:18
Why are we not putting our faith-into-action by sharing God's life-changing and life-saving Truth with others who desperately need to hear it?
The young man whose life ended much too early did what he said he was going to do.
Why don't we do what we say we are going to do?
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. ~Matthew 28:19-20
Being a follower of God and reading the Bible in an effort to be transformed more into the likeness of His Son is not a solitary/passive/silent/individual pursuit. If God's Word and the example of how Christ lived and loved others doesn't cause us to do the same (and have "actions" to exemplify our service to God), then something is wrong with our faith.
Ours (then) is not a full faith. Our faith (without actions) is not an active nor a living faith.
~~~
The world is lost. People are failing and flailing, and looking for Truth. Do we "know what to do"?
Of course we do. But--why (then), don't we do what we say (as Believers in Christ) we will do?
Do it today! May our faith have action today!
Be kind today. Love others by speaking God's Truth into their lives today. Let's let our faith lead our actions and good deeds. We know what to do.
Do it.
~~~
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?
(15) Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, (16) and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
(17) So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
(18) Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
(19) You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.
(21) Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? (22) You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. (23) And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.
(24) So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone... (26) Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. ~James 2:14-24, 26
sarah
https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com
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