By Your FAITH #3 - Faith, Deeds & Waiting
This post is the third part in a new series called: "By Your Faith". Eventually in this series we will be going through Hebrews chapter 11; studying the faith of many prophets and other important Old Testament people.
Our topic today is: Faith, Deeds & Waiting
Faith & Deeds
I actually wrote a portion of today's Bible study 10 years ago in a post called "Are You Living A Deedless Faith". However, my belief has changed on one important point from that original post (I will explain later in this post).
I'm sure that we have all heard the saying "actions speak louder than words." That is so true - our faith in action is so much more powerful to unbelievers than what we say. In the Scripture passage above, James said that faith is dead without deeds.
When one believes in something with all their heart, not only do their thoughts change to follow that belief but their emotions and actions also change. You are fooling yourself if you say that you have become a Christian but continue living the way you did before that change of faith. Those people around us see more of who we really are through our actions than what they hear through our words. Any non-Christian is watching you more than listening to you.
In James chapter two, the author (James) used two examples from the Old Testament (please read the entire chapter 2 in the book of James). I want to talk about Abraham & Isaac - If you recall, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham had such trust in God - not understanding why God would ever ask such a thing but trusting and believing that there was a good reason. Abraham took Isaac to the altar and there God intervened and saved Isaac. Abraham's faith was tested and he passed with flying colors - God called Abraham His friend!!!
Now, it is true that our salvation begins with us accepting God's wonderful gift of eternal life and forgiveness through Jesus Christ's sacrifice. However, what follows this acceptance should and must be repentance and a change in our actions.
"....I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds."
Acts 26:20
This next point is the one I referenced earlier. I used to believe that we cannot lose our salvation - that belief has changed. I have seen so-called believers live such a worldly, sinful life Monday through Saturday and then on Sunday they are "holy". Maybe they were never really believers to begin with but I am reminded of a passage in Matthew (see below).
I don't know about you but those words are terrifying - I will strive every day to live a life that glorifies God through my deeds so that I won't ever hear my Heavenly Father say "I never knew you."
Faith & Waiting
"Faith is not idle; it works while it waits." Ronald Dunn
Think about some of our most admirable examples of faith in the Old Testament - faith that required waiting. There is Noah - yes, he knew that there was going to be some rain event while he was building the ark but I'm sure that he had no idea what was really coming. He had to wait until the floods started and then he had to wait until all of the storms ended. (click HERE to read TREES#16a - Noah Building the Ark) Also, think about the waiting that the Israelites endured - 40 years of wandering through the desert.
What happens while we are waiting for God?
1. Peace - often, after days or weeks of waiting on the Lord (by praying and studying His Word) - suddenly you will feel this rush of peace flow through you. It doesn't matter what the subject or issue is - God's peace transcends all understanding.
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phillippians 4:7
2. Courage - maybe it took that time while we are "waiting on the Lord" for God to build up our courage to do whatever it is that we were struggling with or whatever we were fearing.
3. Guidance- comes through the urgings of the Holy Spirit; God will guide you according to His plan. How else can you pay attention to those urgings unless you are quiet & listening to Him by spending time in prayer.
4. Understanding- this is a little like "guidance" but we don't always have to understand what God wants us to do- that's part of faith - believing & doing what we can't see (and what we don't always understand at the time). Sometimes God will want us to act without understanding (that's guidance). However, there are those times when "understanding" is necessary and comes before action. Again, this will come during that "wait" time.
5. Character- building character takes time and happens while we "wait upon the Lord". This "character" might be vital to whatever God's plans are for our future.
".....we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
Romans 5:3 & 4
6. Repentance - While waiting on God - He might be working on our conscience and it might take us some time to admit and repent of whatever sin that might be getting in the way of doing God's Will. We won't be able to see the way through and move on until we repent and that takes time.
"but those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:31.
Are you living a deedless faith? Or performing faithless deeds? Instead strive to live a deedful faith.
By Your FAITH (Previous posts in this series)
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