It takes work

Our little dog leaves his toys strewn all over the house. He also has an affinity for my socks and I find them equally scattered and now have at least twenty with no matching pair. Immediately after entering my house most people say, “You must have a puppy”.

I was thinking about this the other day and came to the conclusion that much can be learned just by looking around someone’s home, (or office for that matter). If you were to walk into my living room you would notice my little study off to the left side and would see my computer and right beside it an open Bible. It is open because I use it every morning when writing WFTD and doing my morning devotional.

If you were to go across the street from my house and walk into our plantation office, you would immediately notice a large framed rendition of the Ten Commandments hanging on the wall and if you walked into my office, you guessed it, right beside my computer, is an open Bible.

I suppose that similar to seeing puppy toys strewn over the house and logically deducing that a pup lives there, those who observe the open Bibles and Ten Commandments come to the conclusion that God is important in my life.

I am reminded that if one is a Christian there should be some evidence of it in our home, office, and life. Are there empty beer bottles and cocktail glasses strewn around your house or is there evidence that you have been preparing or studying your Sunday school lesson?

The Bible has much to say about faith and works. In essence it states that it is the blood of Jesus and what He did on the cross and our faith in Him that leads to our salvation; however it also states that “faith without works is dead”.

In Romans it says, “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight . . . ” (Rom. 3:20), and “for we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law,” (Rom. 3:28), However we note in James it plainly states, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe thatand shudder.”

We are “justified” by faith. That is, we are made righteous in the eyes of God by faith as is amply demonstrated by Romans. However, that faith, if it is true, will result in deeds appropriate to salvation. The following verse helps me and I hope helps you. Eph. 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

I’m not saying all of this to encourage someone to run all over their house this morning strategically placing Bibles to try and impress their visitors, rather I would encourage everyone to personally look at our lives and seek the hard evidence of our faith. Are good works and following God’s commands a priority in our lives or not? What works do we have that demonstrate that we love God and keep His commands?

If we have faith and works it will be obvious and God should get the glory. Our lives can help lead others into His kingdom or become an obstacle We should not have open Bibles or pray in public in order to try and impress those around us, rather as a testimony that obediently following God’s commands will lead to a life full of peace, joy, and prosperity.

While none of us is perfect and occasionally all will mess up, but all of us should struggle mightily to do the right thing and follow God’s commands. Remember, the Bible states we should do more than just profess our faith verbally Without works it states that our supposed faith is DEAD!

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