Good Deeds

There is always a little debate around how far Christians should go in sharing love and good deeds. I think this has to do with the fear of encouraging 'salvation by works'. However, our love and compassion towards others is a non-negotiable in the Kingdom of God, and we should keep striving to reveal God's love through practical means.

Listen to the words of Jesus:

·       "In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." - Matthew 5:16

The same can be said of the words of Isaiah 58 - See what he says: 

7 Share your food with the hungry and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

Yes, our salvation is not dependent on our good works, but if we profess the name of Jesus, then we need to be revealing our changed hearts by our actions.

Living in Grace

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THEN ....

I find it interesting that when Isaiah speaks about True Fasting, he mentions that this involves heart-felt action and care for the poor. He calls on Gods-people to feed the hungry and to help those in trouble. Once we have done that, THEN our light will shine out from the darkness.

"Feed the hungry and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon." - Isaiah 58:10

Sometimes we reverse the sequence, and we pray that we will have enough 'Light' to shine for God. It seems to me, that in doing what God has asked us to do, will reveal this Light.

So, when Jesus said: 'You are the light of the world' (Matthew 5:14-15), perhaps he was telling us to love boldly, and THEN this would be the light of Christ shining all around us.

Living in Grace

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Getting out the building!

Please read these statistics and then contemplate what is stirred up in you. 

“Christ met unbelievers where they were. He realized what many Christians today still don't seem to understand. Cultivators have to get out in the field. According to one count, the gospels record 132 contacts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogues and 122 were out with the people in the mainstream of life.” - J.K. Johnston

Our calling as followers of Jesus, is not just to gather in our religious buildings, but to go where the people are. If this was Jesus' modus operandi, then it should also be ours. I think that part of our difficulty, is that we have got used to speaking and acting in our comfortable "church" spaces, but we don't really know how to be authentic Christ-followers in public spaces. 

Thought: Jesus was the same person in public, as he was in the Temple or in his home. 

Mark 16:15 - "He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

Living in Grace

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Broken hearts are everywhere

Irish Missionary, Amy Carmichael undertook a very serious calling to serve in the poor communities of India. She founded the Dohnavur Fellowship, which sought to rescue young girls from being enslaved in forced prostitution. One can only imagine some of the things that she saw in her ministry:

She wrote these words: "Broken hearts are everywhere. Bereavement is a very dark forest.”

Later on in life, when she faced her own pain and grief, she wrote:

“Look up to the light that pours into the forest from high above the trees. The long, pure rays of that conquering light are interwoven with the tall stems of the trees, even as threads bright and dark are interwoven with in the web of our lives.”

 These are such compelling words for us, especially when we find ourselves in dark places, or that we sense the "trees" closing in on us. Let us remember: 

“The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.” – Psalm 18:28

Living in Grace

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What do you make of this story

I came across this very insightful observation from Leroy Eims. Read it and see what you think.

One spring our family was driving from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa, Florida. As far as the eye could see, orange trees were loaded with fruit. When we stopped for breakfast, I ordered orange juice with my eggs. "I'm sorry," the waitress said. "I can't bring you orange juice. Our machine is broken." 

At first, I was dumbfounded. We were surrounded by millions of oranges, and I knew they had oranges in the kitchen--orange slices garnished our plates. What was the problem? No juice? Hardly. We were surrounded by thousands of gallons of juice. The problem was they had become dependent on a machine to get it. 

Christians are sometimes like that. They may be surrounded by Bibles in their homes, but if something should happen to the Sunday morning preaching service, they would have no nourishment for their souls. The problem is not a lack of spiritual food--but that many Christians haven't grown enough to know how to get it for themselves. - Leroy Eims, The Lost Art of Disciple Making.

1 Chronicles 22:19 - "Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God."

Questions:

1. Does this apply to us in any way?

2. How many Bibles do we have in our homes? Do we know how to read them?

3. How can we help others to 'squeeze the oranges to get out the juice?'

Living in Grace

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Newcomers

Can you remember being a 'newcomer' at something? Perhaps a first day at school, or at a new job, or even joining a church community or a sports team? It feels strange at first, but after a while, one slowly starts to ease into the newness. 

Coming from another angle, I want to ask us this question: 

Do you ever feel that you are not a 'newcomer' to the Christian faith? Do we get to a point in our spiritual lives where we feel that we are mature enough? It seems to me that I keep learning new things along the pathway and although I have been a Christ-follower decades, I still get the feeling that I am an infant. 

Listen to these words from the book of Job. See how he eloquently describes this feeling:

Job 8:8-19 - For we’re newcomers at this, with a lot to learn, and not too long to learn it. So why not let the ancients teach you, tell you what’s what, instruct you in what they knew from experience? Can mighty pine trees grow tall without soil? Can luscious tomatoes flourish without water? Blossoming flowers look great before they’re cut or picked, but without soil or water they wither more quickly than grass. That’s what happens to all who forget God— all their hopes come to nothing. (The Message)

Thought: Don't despise being a student of the Gospel. We are all learning along the way.

Living in Grace

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We can't blame anyone else

“Spiritual growth is not an accident. It is intentional. You must intend to grow. You must make a choice to grow. You are as close to Jesus Christ as you choose to be. If you are not growing spiritually don’t blame your wife or husband or kids or parents or pastor. You are as close to God as you choose to be.” - Stephen Sheane

Our spiritual growth is surely our decision to pursue or not. I feel that we can't blame other people for our shortcomings, especially if we don't take our faith seriously. We each need to count the cost of following Christ. 

As we get closer to Lent, I think it is worthwhile reflecting on what we can do to grow in our faith.

"Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do." - Psalm 1:1-3

What do you think?

Living in Grace

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