Living Faith

Chuckle: One preacher asked for a discount at a store saying, "You know I'm just a poor preacher." "I know," said the storekeeper. "I heard you last night!"

Quote: "Trust God as if your salvation depended entirely on faith; serve God as if your salvation depended entirely on works." --William Arthur Ward

"I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also" (2 Timothy 1:5 NIV)

Please notice, in our passage, that faith "lived" in young Timothy's grandmother and mother . As I study this passage, I'm reminded once again that our faith is to be living, dynamic, and demonstrated by actions. It is a faith of "doing," not just something we have been given by God. It is true that faith has its beginning in our hearts when we commit our lives to Christ; however, God does not intend for it to just remain there. It is to be revealed to others through our actions. James expresses this concept like this:

"So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all -- it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, 'Some people have faith; others have good deeds,' I say, 'I can't see your faith if you don't have good deeds; but I will show you my faith through my good deeds (by what I do)'" (James 2:17-18 NLT).

We can never earn our salvation just by service to others. We can never earn our way into God's favor. However, our actions show that our commitment to God is real. Acts of loving service are no substitute for, but rather a verification of, our faith in Christ. When we become Christians, "We are God's workmanship (masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10 NIV).

It takes very little effort just to express our faith verbally, but it requires a serious effort to always express our faith by our actions -- to meet the needs of others, whether they be physical, emotional, or spiritual. "As gloves are to a surgeon's hands, so are Christians in service for God. It is actually God's hand doing the work. We are but used by Him and therefore have nothing to boast about" –Illustrations for Biblical Preaching; Edited by Michael P. Green.

Let's pray together that God will help our faith become more alive and more evident by our Godly actions.

Love, Jerry & Dotse