James 2:14-17, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
This past weekend I had friends visit who are attending Dallas Theological Seminary. I met them while teaching at the Bible College they were working at in Bangalore, India. We had a wonderful time together and it was great to spend some quality time with them, as when I was in India it was very hard with schedules to get together often enough to really develop our friendship.
Why do I write about this, and what does it have to do with anything Christian? It is the impact John and Maria (yes they are Indian) had on us during the few days they were with us. They in particularly made an impression on my wife. The last night they spent with us, Maria and John shared with my Sunday night Bible study. Erin then took time to share about how they impacted her, and it was very emotional. Everything she shared was very true.
Erin talked about how you cannot be around them long and know that they are living for Christ, that their thoughts and actions are not focused on this world, but the next. They long to reach people for Christ and their life surrounds Him. They do not fit Him in to their lives through schedule as Americans seem to do so often, but include Jesus in everything they do. There is no separation from their faith, whether it be waking up in the morning or their political views.
They walk what they talk. Their actions speak what they believe, and there is no contrast between the two. They are not perfect, as no one is, but they strive to live their lives as a sacrifice for God. Maria and John are special people that God is using and their example was and is such a great example to us all.
When asked about finding purpose, as this part will fit with what we have been talking about on Friday nights, John answered in a very interesting fashion. He was talking about finding what God wants you to do in your life, and his answer was, “If it is possible for you to do alone then it is probably not from God.” This is a very powerful and interesting statement. Think about it. We go to school to learn a trade, to learn how to perform in a particular fashion, so we can earn a job that we learned in our schooling. Most of us strive to only take positions we know we can do, or at least we can learn quite quickly and falls into our comfort zone and experience level.
How does this play into what John said? He is not saying to not utilize your education, as he is in Seminary now, but not limiting what God wants you to do with it. John is suggesting and I agree that if you can do it all yourself then how is God involved? Where does faith come in if we can do it all ourselves?
The question then to ask is: What are you doing that is bigger then you, that is not possible with you, but with God it is? What is causing you to walk by faith?
This past weekend I had friends visit who are attending Dallas Theological Seminary. I met them while teaching at the Bible College they were working at in Bangalore, India. We had a wonderful time together and it was great to spend some quality time with them, as when I was in India it was very hard with schedules to get together often enough to really develop our friendship.
Why do I write about this, and what does it have to do with anything Christian? It is the impact John and Maria (yes they are Indian) had on us during the few days they were with us. They in particularly made an impression on my wife. The last night they spent with us, Maria and John shared with my Sunday night Bible study. Erin then took time to share about how they impacted her, and it was very emotional. Everything she shared was very true.
Erin talked about how you cannot be around them long and know that they are living for Christ, that their thoughts and actions are not focused on this world, but the next. They long to reach people for Christ and their life surrounds Him. They do not fit Him in to their lives through schedule as Americans seem to do so often, but include Jesus in everything they do. There is no separation from their faith, whether it be waking up in the morning or their political views.
They walk what they talk. Their actions speak what they believe, and there is no contrast between the two. They are not perfect, as no one is, but they strive to live their lives as a sacrifice for God. Maria and John are special people that God is using and their example was and is such a great example to us all.
When asked about finding purpose, as this part will fit with what we have been talking about on Friday nights, John answered in a very interesting fashion. He was talking about finding what God wants you to do in your life, and his answer was, “If it is possible for you to do alone then it is probably not from God.” This is a very powerful and interesting statement. Think about it. We go to school to learn a trade, to learn how to perform in a particular fashion, so we can earn a job that we learned in our schooling. Most of us strive to only take positions we know we can do, or at least we can learn quite quickly and falls into our comfort zone and experience level.
How does this play into what John said? He is not saying to not utilize your education, as he is in Seminary now, but not limiting what God wants you to do with it. John is suggesting and I agree that if you can do it all yourself then how is God involved? Where does faith come in if we can do it all ourselves?
The question then to ask is: What are you doing that is bigger then you, that is not possible with you, but with God it is? What is causing you to walk by faith?
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