Foolish man!
Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?
James 2:20
HCSB
A lesson to learn... faith without works... useless...
In a world where everything seems hard... we want... EASY...
Faith... believing... sounds like simple assent... agreement... all we need to do is accept with our mind... agree mentally... intellectually... and... voila... we have faith... which saves...
But James... he tells us...
Demons... those diametrically opposed to God... they believe He exists... so much so they shudder with fear... but they are not among the faith-full... the ones who will receive the gift... heirs of the kingdom...
Faith... the kind James speaks of... the kind his Brother taught... was... is ... faith that WORKS... revealing itself in action... the same seen among the fathers of faith... the heroes found in Hebrews 11... the faith chapter...
Abel... offered...
Enoch... walked so closely... he did not die...
Noah... built...
Abraham... obeyed... going... he knew not where...
Sarah... conceived...
Moses... led...
Each of these... and more... expressed faith with action... verbs...
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised,
but having seen them and greeted them from afar,
and having acknowledged that they were strangers
and exiles on earth.
Hebrew 11:13
ESV
Faith... is lived... to the end... believing... step by step... walking... looking beyond this world... one where we too are strangers... exiles... just like Jesus... who said...
Faith... it works... not for the here and now... but the yet to come... for... the joy set before...
Do not simply... believe... do not be deceived... work out your faith... with fear... and trembling...
Father God... do not let me be deceived... or deceive myself... keeping faith... belief... locked up in my mind... show me... grow me... to live... work... by faith... each and every moment... of every day...
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