Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think we kind of live in a “do what I say, not what I do” culture.
Or more like a “please ignore the fact that I say one thing but do another” culture.
Hey, I’m not condemning or convicting anyone (totally not my job– plus, I struggle with this too. It’s like we are sinners or something.) But we act as if this whole concept of living up to the call on our lives is negotiable, like we can make the rules.
Newsflash: It’s not and we don’t.
Think about it. Christians everywhere can quote a passage from the Bible about not judging others, but the minute they are out of earshot, they are passing around judgement like gravy at Thanksgiving.
We all know His Word says to “love our enemies” but when push comes to shove, we would be OK with not even LIKING them, let alone being a loving Jesus light in their life. Yes, we be sippin’ that haterade.
Fulfilling the call as Christians can be hard– but it’s not impossible. Why? Here’s our motivation and Hidden Ah-Ha for the week:
“‘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.” ~James 2:18
Can I get an AMEN?? For reals. This faith-deeds balance seems to be an issue for Christians. One group (I’m generalizing here– not everyone fits into either group) might “talk the talk” but they leave out the “walkin’ the walk” and just end up being hypocrites. Another group is all about doing works, perhaps trying to EARN their way into heaven through deeds and doing stuff. But they forget the relationship part of things. God’s GRACE gets us into heaven. End of story.
Here’s some straight up Jesus truth– God calls us to do both, to have faith AND do something with it. Now, don’t freak out. It’s not as hard as it sounds– it is actually a very natural chain of events if we are truly abiding in Christ. If Christ is REALLY in us, then the overflow of His love will result in us doing those awesome Jesus deeds… naturally.
Now that all of that is cleared up, I really want to focus on the last part of today’s Hidden Ah-Ha verse. One translation says it like this.
“I will show you my faith by what I do.”
I absolutely LOVE this. I am going to show my faith in Jesus Christ by doing what He has called me to do. Beautiful thought, yes?
Consider Hebrews 11, oftentimes referred to as the “Faith Hall of Fame.” The Bible covers a ton of “famous” followers and commends them for their faith. A few examples…
Noah didn’t just talk about building a boat. But he was OBEDIENT to God’s call and actually DID it. Saved his family, the animals and gave us a second chance.
Abraham didn’t just talk about leaving his homeland to follow God and discover all He had waiting for Him. He went, not knowing where he was going… and became the father of the nations.
Rahab the prostitute took a huge leap of faith when she hid the Israelite spies… but her family was spared from destruction through her obedience.
I could go on. But instead, I pose a question: Are you showing your faith by your deeds? Are you talking the talk AND walking the walk? If someone meets on the street, will they see Jesus through you?
Consider. Comment. Make the connection between our faith and deeds…
Because it’s time to do something about it.
Faithfully His,
“…Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” ~James 2:17 NIV
PS: Congratulations to Meghan Stewart for winning our 7 Days Time Prize Package of Glory! I will be in touch with you soon to hook you up with your goodies. Also, thanks to everyone for sharing the news about 7DT launch last week. You bless us!
