Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! This day is going to be special…I can feel it! There is so much life to be lived – purposes to pursue, people to serve! I am genuinely excited to live THIS day! 😊
A couple of weeks ago I was struggling with some things. As I spent time praying, studying my Bible, doing my Bible Study, reading my leadership books, listening to podcasts, etc., my Spirit convicted me; I am not living my faith. Yes, I believe in God, I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Savior – I fully believe my salvation is secure, and I do believe that God works all things together for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose…I just felt convicted that I am not living the life every day that I profess with my mouth.
So, what do I mean, what does this look like? I am
not talking about doing stupid or irresponsible things. Jesus addressed this in
Matthew 4 when He was being tested in the wilderness:
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they
will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
No, what I am talking about is how I actually go about living. Do I only profess to believe Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose – or do I live like I believe it? If I live like it, my reaction to problems, challenges, and setbacks would be vastly different than if I only profess it with my mouth. Do I only profess to believe James 4:13 – 17 – 13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. – or do I live like I believe it? If I live like I believe it, I will think and talk differently about the plans I have and I will do the good I know I ought to do. Make sense?
James spoke to all this clearly in James 2: 14 – 16
when he said:
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[a]? 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,” 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.
Verse 19 has always felt like a swift kick in the rear to me – 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. If I do not live my life in accordance with the faith I profess, how am I different than the demons? If I truly believe James 2: 19 I am not.
I refuse to live my life without deeds that match my faith! I know full well that I will need the wisdom, discernment, strength, and courage of God Every! Single! Day! I will start this THIS day and then I will have to make a choice again tomorrow! My Spirit convicted me for a reason, and I would be wise to listen!
As I have continued to think, pray about, and study about actually living a life of faith, I came across a few quotes that really resonated with me. I want to share them with you this morning.
“God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible – what a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves.” – A. W. Tozer
“Just as love is a verb, so is faith.” – Helen Burroughs
“Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe.” – Mitch Albom
Last week was the 600th Happy Friday I had posted. With this I reached out to several people and asked them if they would share their words of wisdom and I posted those in Happy Friday. Going forward, I want to do this weekly. I will call this section “Wisdom from Friends.” If you ever have anything that has profoundly impacted you and you want to share with others, I would be honored to give you the platform to do so. Please simply email me your thoughts/idea at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com and I will copy and paste it into the next week’s Happy Friday. This week we will start off with some very insightful words from a great man, exceptional leader, and dear friend.
“…we live our lives based on the values that we believe to be so important. In my case those values are: a deep love for God, dependable, integrity, honesty, respect, accountability, generosity, and role model. If we live our lives and try to follow these values, I think we are blessed.” - Jerry Gilbert
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well! 😊
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