Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem;
    they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
    give yourselves no rest,
and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes her the praise of the earth.

• Isaiah 62:6-7

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

• James 2:20

“Do I know anything experimentally about this aspect of things? Have I ever spent one minute before God in intercessory importunity over the sins of other people? If we take this statement of the prophet and turn the searchlight on ourselves, we will be covered with shame and confusion because of our miserably selfish, self-centred Christianity.”

• Oswald Chambers, Daily Thoughts for Disciples (March 7, from God’s Workmanship)

I have used more of this devotion from Oswald Chambers’ book in the past, but this first paragraph should get us to think.

We could look at the low hanging fruit – the prosperity gospel people.  Everyone wants to get ahead in life, but notice that word, “ahead.”  Ahead of what?

Instantly one of the worst sins creeps into the conversation.  We may not say that we covet anything of our neighbors, but we compare.  If we are ahead, we have more than the neighbor has.  We won.

But notice that the peddlers of the prosperity gospel are rich.  They got rich by convincing people they too can be rich and then when they are not, they are told to donate more “seed” money.

Even some churches that do not preach the prosperity message preach “seed” money.  Did anyone that Jesus healed have to pay Him up front?  No!  Not a one.  Our tithes and offerings are out of the goodness of our hearts.  We do not deposit savings in the church so that we can get our money back plus interest.

But what about that person that has never gotten one step closer to Jesus for his entire life.  He says, “I know I am going to Heaven and that is all that matters.”

Really?

The Scriptures talk about various ways that our faith is proven.  James talks about works or deeds.  Others talk about the fruits of the Spirit.  I do not believe that you have to have an outward manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit to be saved, but it sure brings to question your veracity when you cuss like a sailor, never drop a penny into the offering plate, and only attend church on Christmas and Easter unless the weather is bad.

And James speaking of faith without works is dead (more of a KJV version of that verse), there are two aspects of faith in question, at least two.

Do you have any faith at all if that faith is not demonstrated by loving someone else in the manner Jesus intended in the Scriptures – feeding, clothing, housing, etc.?

But if your faith is genuine, faith without works (good deeds) does nothing to further the kingdom of God and that is why God leaves us here on this earth, to do the Great Commission and spread the gospel.

So, whether there is no true faith or the saving faith that does no one any good except getting precious you past the pearly gates, that type of faith without works is dead.

Being a Christian is seeing other people instead of seeing yourself in the mirror.  Helping those who cannot help themselves should be our only focus.  Do not worry about precious ME.  That is what we already laid before the cross.  That is what believing in Jesus is all about, laying down our life in service to others because God promises to be the one who takes care of us.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.