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Taking Action |
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If you think about it and believe it you must also act on it!
This is not a theory. When you live and share your faith you
you become a shining light and a help to others. Taking action
means...
You are living the solution!
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| LIVE IT! |
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What is faith? That's a broad question. A popular definition
of faith is, "Believing what you hope for and certain of
what you do not see".
To believe with certainty something that we can't see means we
trust that what we believe is true. We have conviction and devotion
to that truth.
As followers of Christ we have the promise of eternal life in union
with God. We are certain of that salvation because we believe
that Jesus is the way to God and eternal life. In John's Gospel,
Chapter 14, Jesus tells his disciples that He is the way, the
truth and the life and that anyone who knows him knows the Father.
Philip, in typical human fashion, asked Jesus to be shown the
Father. Jesus told him point blankly that anyone who has seen
him (Jesus) has seen the Father.
Jesus tells us that believing on Him will take us to God! The apostles
were fortunate to have Jesus in their presence. Later in John's
gospel (John 20:29) he tells Thomas, "You believe because
you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and
believe anyway."
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More than belief
Once you have faith you must live it. If you believe and that is
as far as it goes it becomes pointless. "Even the demons
believe, and tremble!"(James 2:19). We must get into action.
As pointed out in James' excellent New Testament writing, "Faith
without works is dead." (James 2:14-18 for full context)
The closer you are in your walk with the Lord the more naturally
you will live your faith. Jesus says, "Follow me".
He really wants us to be like Him. That is our purpose in life.
It's not just about knowing the teachings, believing them and
feeling pious. It is about trusting in Him and action is essential.
It's a commandment-to go into the world and tell others the
Good News and to love one another...
As Jesus loves us.
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That's a tall order. Granted, each of us,
no matter how good our intentions, will fall short. That is why it is so important to live our
faith. It's not a once a week or even once a day activity. It must permeate our whole lives!
How do we do it? Once again we discover that God makes it possible.
We have Jesus and we have the Helper, the Holy Spirit. We have
each other-the fellowship of the body of Christ. We have lots
of help. God plants the desire to do His will in our hearts
. Asking for and accepting that help is not easy,
but if you don't then you are falling for the trap that you
can do it by yourself (false pride, self will). As a Christian
we are no longer living for ourselves
Many of us discover that a disciplined approach to our spiritual
life is helpful. Start each daily awakening with heartfelt gratitude
to be alive. Read scripture and inspirational material and utilize
prayer and meditation. Make a conscious decision to put your
faith into action. Faith should permeate every moment of every
day and every aspect of your life.
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Attitude
One of the most important things is our attitude. Am I exhibiting
the attitude of humility, hope, gratitude…and most importantly,
love? My attitude is better and more mature as I learn to respond
to life as a member of Christ' body. It's an ongoing process;
a daily journey and it will have its ups and downs. Fortunately,
each experience can teach us and help us grow. Part of living
our faith is enduring hardship and suffering with love in our
hearts. We must be cautious not to let our emotions determine
our faith. Feelings can be deceiving. Over time you will surely
have emotional highs and lows. The difference is that you know
that your faith is not dependent on your feelings.
Don't be afraid to live your faith. True belief should result in devotion
expressed through action. You can do it and in doing so you
will find fulfillment. One of the real examples of putting our
faith into our everyday life will be how we share
our faith and help others. Live
your faith and find out what it means to really live.
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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973, 1978,
1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout
the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for
the offering of goods or services requires the prior written
consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All
rights reserved.
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JAMES 2:14-18
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Dear
brothers and sisters, what's the use of saying you have faith
if you don't prove it by your actions? That kind of faith
can't save anyone. Suppose you see a brother or sister who
needs food or clothing, and you say, "Well, good-bye
and God bless you; stay warm and eat well"--but then
you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good
does that do?
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."
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(NLT)
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