GOD ACTS

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

James 2:15-18 (MSG)

Faith in Action

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”

Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

I know I know, a little in your face for first thing in the morning.  But perhaps that is the best time to remind us that to walk with Christ, to share His love, takes some “work”.  It does.

James makes it pretty clear that “GOD TALK without GOD ACTS is what?  

NONSENSE.

Jesus backs this up.

Who is more important: the one serving or the one sitting at the table being served? Everyone thinks it’s the one being served, right? But I have been with you as the one who serves. - Luke 22:27 (ERV)

“The one who serves”. 

In other words the one who puts faith and compassion into action!

Nouwen said,

“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless.

Are we willing to ACT like that?

GO where it hurts and SERVE?

GO where it is broken and SERVE?

GO to those in misery, those who are exhausted, those who are suffering in tears and vulnerability and serve?

We all would agree that Jesus had the greatest measure of FAITH and yet it was in His ACTS of compassion that He made some of His greatest impact.

Healings.

Feedings.

Washings.

So the encouragement is clear today.

Is it time for some “GOD-ACTS”?

Time to SERVE?

To NOT is simply NONSENSE.

Love you all…

Have a blessed weekend!

Opportunities for Hope (Champions Charge)