© by Joyce C. Lock
Surely most everyone who's ever attended church has heard a preacher say, "Faith without works is dead," only to hear echoes in the background chanting, "Uh-huh."
He then proceeds with, "Show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you your faith by my works, "quoting James 2:18 ... which gets the Amen Corner going, "Amen! Right on! Hallelujah! Preach it brother!"
Many sit there (feeling so superior), thinking they work in the church all the time, they've just been patted on the back, and that this sermon is for someone else. Yet, I tend to wonder if anyone in the congregation understood its' meaning.
Until we trust God enough to take blind steps of faith, we haven't exercised faith at all. But instead of taking those steps, when the miracles don't happen, we blame God by saying He's changed.
Our works don't prove our faith. Our works of faith prove our faith, "Uh-huh! Amen! Right on! Hallelujah! Preach it brother!"
When God speaks to you, try taking spiritual risks. Otherwise you may never know what you are missing.
The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving,
compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God
tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what
does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk
humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no
more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us
to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human
beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do
otherwise is not Christian.
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