Move in to Action
Luke 14:12-14 (ESV) - He said also to the man who had invited him, "When yougive a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.
How many times do our motives drive our actions? There are many times that I will do something for someone knowing they have done something for me or that they might be able to do something to help me in the future. How many of our actions are riding the waves of selfish desire?
Take the time today to do something for someone who cannot repay you and then sit back and take note of what true joy is. It is our job to go to the hurting, broken, the mis treated, hungry, and undeserved. Make it your prayer today that God will move you in to action.
What's Your Score?
We keep track of many things in life: finances, weight, goals, our favorite basketball team (go Kansas). And with all of these we can tell if we are doing well or if we are falling behind. Well how do we keep track on how we are doing with our faith? A lot of people will say Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, but are these the true scoreboard to our faith.
The Biblical author, James, give us the way to tell us how to track our progress in our faith.
"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters. if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions?... faith by itself isn't good enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now some may argue, 'Some may have faith; others have good deeds.' But I say, 'How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds."
So what is your score? When was the last time you helped someone who couldn't help themselves (James 1:27), or gave to someone in need out of your abundance. Our God is a God of the oppressed and His church is His hands to extend love.
