LIVING WISELY

“Be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times.”  (Ephesians 5:15-16 NCV)

Life is filled with opportunities -- and obstacles that can prevent you from grabbing hold of them. The secret to making the most of your life lies in making the most of your time.

The first three words of this verse hold the key: be very careful. In the original language, this admonition is much stronger and fuller than what sounds here like a mother’s passing comment to her kids as they head outside. The words describe a way of living -- or “walking” as the Bible often describes it -- that is precise, accurate, and deliberate. It involves both forethought and a heightened sense of awareness. It’s similar to the way you drive a car. You need to be constantly attentive, responding to the ever-changing situations you find yourself in. You swerve to avoid hazards, brake for pedestrians, and follow the rules. Your skill, knowledge, and vigilance help you make wise decisions at a moment’s notice.

To live wisely you need to do the same thing. You need to face each day spiritually alert. You need to recognize evil, so you can avoid it like a dangerous hazard in the road. At the same time, you need to slow down and be on the lookout for opportunities to show love to others and to God -- and to grab hold of those opportunities. The good news is that God is in the car with you. His Spirit will help guide your daily journey toward a life full of well-utilized opportunities. 

-- Adapted from “100 Favorite Bible Verses”

#6282

GROWTH MEANS MATURITY

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”  (James 2:14-17 NIV)

If we are to be mature we must get hold of a mature faith -- or better, it must get hold of us. For the immaturities of our faith will soon show themselves in immaturities in our actions and our attitudes. “The creed of today becomes the deed of tomorrow.” Nothing can be more immature than the oft-repeated statement: “It doesn’t matter what you believe just so you live right.” For belief is literally by-lief, by-life -- the thing you live by. And if your belief is wrong your life will be wrong.

Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t mean to say that if you have a correct belief you’ll necessarily have a correct life. That doesn’t follow. The creed, to be a creed, must be a vital rather than a verbal one. For the only thing we really believe in is the thing we believe in enough to act upon. Your deed is your creed. But it does matter what you hold as the basic assumptions of your life. If you have no staring point, you’ll have no ending point. 

-- E. Stanley Jones in “Christian Maturity”

#6122

UNMASKING MYSELF

Many years ago I read an article in a denominational newsletter that referred to "the Masking Disciples 2000 Leadership Team." While "Masking" was a typo and should have read "Making," it made me wonder if that isn't what we in the church might be doing sometimes.

We go out as good people doing good things in the community to make it a good place to live so that we can make good people feel good. That is masking, or covering up, what we really should be about. We are followers of Jesus Christ who are called by Christ to "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you." (Matthew 28:19-20a NLT)

What I need to be about is unmasking myself and letting the world know that the good that I do is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ, not because I'm a good person. Jesus said, " Let your light shine before [others] in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16 AMP)

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry

#6031

TALK IS CHEAP

“Now someone may argue, ‘Some people 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.’” (James 2:18 NLT)

“Miraculous!”… “Revolutionary!”… “Greatest ever!” We are inundated by a flood of extravagant claims as we channel surf the television, [browse social media,] or flip through magazine pages. The messages leap out at us. The products assure that they are new, improved, fantastic, and capable of changing our life. For only a few dollars, we can have “cleaner clothes,” “whiter teeth,” “glamourous hair,” and “tastier food.” Automobiles, perfume, diet drinks, and mouthwash are guaranteed to bring happiness, friends, and the good life. And just before an election, no one can match the politician’s promises. But talk is cheap, and too often we soon realize that the boasts are hollow, quite far from the truth.

“Jesus is the answer!”… “Believe in God!”… “Follow me to church!” Christians make great claims but are often guilty of belying them with their actions. Professing to trust God and to be His people, they cling tightly to the world and its values. Possessing all the right answers, they contradict the gospel with their lives.

With energetic style and crisp, well-chosen words, James confronts this conflict head-on. It is not enough to talk the Christian faith, he says: we must live it. “Dear brothers and sister, 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.” (James 2:14) The proof of the reality of our faith is a changed life. 

-- From the “Life Application Study Bible” 

#5948

GRACE MATTERS

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds.”  (Titus 2:11-14 NRSV)

Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then enables us to yield to its transforming power. Grace matters because Jesus matters, and it works because He does. Amazing hope and anticipation are in this for each of us; imagine how different our lives can be when entrusted to the hands of grace…

Heavenly Father, Holy God, thank You so very much for Your gift of grace. Not a day passes that I don’t need more of Your unending supply of grace. Remind me of Your goodness over and over so that I may live in the fullness of Your grace. Grant that I may be a model of Your goodness in all I do, every day, so others will be compelled to see and accept Your incomparable gift of grace. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. 

-- Max Lucado in “Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine”

#5730

BY WORD AND DEED

“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”  (Colossians 3:17 ESV)

Two primary means of spreading the gospel are word and deed. The gospel must be made both visible and verbal. To employ one means without the other is to truncate the gospel. In biblical literature word and deed are held together in an unbroken rhythm. In creation God spoke and creation happened. In the evangelization of Jesus there is no polarization between proclamation and action…. In Jesus word and deed do not fall apart. Jesus has integrity. His words ring true to His lifestyle and His life supports His words. Each illumines the other. Thus, by word and deed Jesus brings the claim and the power of the righteous reign of God (the kingdom of God) to bear on the whole of humankind.

We discover this same wholeness of word and deed in the evangelization of the early church. In the Acts of the Apostles, proclamation and good works are inextricably tied. There is a fusion of preaching and serving….

The biblical rhythm demands that verbalization of the gospel must take place in the midst of doing it. The ministry of kerygma (proclamation) must run concurrently with ministries of healing, serving, nurturing, liberating, reforming, and empowering. Announcement of the kingdom must be both verbal and visible, and one never asks which is more important. That would be like asking which is more important, breathing in or breathing out. It depends upon which one was done last! Obviously, proclamation and lifestyle must buttress one another. 

-- H. Eddie Fox and George E. Morris in “Faith-Sharing: Dynamic Christian Witnessing by Invitation”

#5594

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:14-16 NIV)

You are the light of the world – but only because you are enkindled, made radiant by the One Light of the World. And being kindled, we have got to get on with it, be useful. 

-- Evelyn Underhill

#5524

ONLY THROUGH FAITH

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.”  (Galatians 2:20-21 NLT)

Trying to get right with God by keeping a bunch of religious rules is a formula for frustration and failure. First problem, whose rules? Such requirements vary from religion to religion, person to person, and generation to generation. What if you’re working from the wrong list? Second problem, how do we define what it mean to “keep” those rules? Do we have to follow them perfectly? Or are we allowed a reasonable number of mistakes and missteps? And what is considered “reasonable”? The gospel of Christ eliminates all this confusion by stating categorically that no one but Christ is good enough. Only through faith in Him, only by relying on His efforts on our behalf, do we qualify for heaven.

Father, we are not made right with You by human efforts, and we do not stay right with You by works. Remaining “in Your good graces” means counting on Christ alone to live in us. Amen. 

– Max Lucado in “Life Lessons: Galatians – Free in Christ”

#5124

YOU ARE GOD’S MASTERPIECE

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”  (Ephesians 2:10)

The Bible does not say you are God’s appliance; it says you are His masterpiece.  Appliances get mass-produced.  Masterpieces get hand-crafted.  God did not make you exactly like anyone else.  Therefore His plan for shaping you will not look like His plan for shaping anyone else.  If you try to follow a generic plan for spiritual growth, it will only frustrate you.  Paul said, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)

– John Ortberg in “The Me I Want To Be” 


#4626

SERVING GOD

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  (1 Corinthians 9:6-8 NIV)

One of the principal rules of religion is, to lose no occasion of serving God. And, since He is invisible to our eyes, we are to serve Him in our neighbor; which He receives as if done to Himself in person, standing visibly before us.

-- John Wesley in “A Plain Account of Christian Perfection"

#4593

RETURNING GOOD FOR EVIL

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”  (1 Peter 3:9 NIV)

Booker T. Washington was born a slave but came in time to be the most influential African American leader and educator in the United States. His achievements were made against fierce odds, including the treatment he received from racists and those who resented his accomplishments. He vowed, however, that he would never allow anyone to make him "stoop so low" as to hate them. He insisted on returning good will for evil; he didn't take on the image of his enemies.

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas in “If Experience Is such a Good Teacher Why Do I Keep Repeating the Course?” 


#4452

WATCH WHERE YOUR FEET TAKE YOU

“…I will show you my faith by my deeds.”  (James 2:18b NIV)

Actions speak louder than words in the spiritual world... Jesus tells a parable about a man with two sons. He asks the first to do something for him. He asks the second to do the same. The first son says he won't do it, but then later does. The second son say he will do it, and then later on does not.

There are many reasons why doing is more important than saying. One is because of the very nature of words themselves. Words can be tricky. It's possible to misunderstand them...

Another reason that doing is more important than saying is because it's possible to say all sorts of stuff and really not mean it...

Frederick Buechner once said that if you want to know who you are, as opposed to who you like to think you are, watch where your feet take you. I think he said this because he knows this same truth: the feet don't lie about who we are, because the feet are involved in what we do, not just what we say.

Watch where your feet take you. Take some time to assess not just who you say that you are, but also who you are through what you do. Maybe it's time to recommit your life to not just saying for Christ, but also doing for Christ as well?

-- Copyright Eric Folkerth 1999. All Rights Reserved. (Used with Permission)

#4255

WE NEED EACH OTHER

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV)

Within the body of Christ we need to be intentional about the seeds we sow, about how our behavior with friends should be preparing us for service out in the world. We need each other to draw us out of our self-centeredness. We need others to hold us accountable, to be like a mirror to help us see our lives and our doing of our faith more clearly. We need each other for mutual encouragement, to push further into serving the world than we might if left alone.

-- James C. Howell in “Your Are the Hands of Christ”


#4198

YOUR GOOD DEEDS

"Your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  (Matthew 6:4b)

God is the note-taking heavenly observer.  He knows about the time you bit your tongue when you could have contributed to a rumor.  He takes notice every time you greet a stranger or visit a person in the hospital or prison.  Every secret act of character, conviction, and courage has been observed in living color by our omniscient God.

You always have an audience.  In every activity and in every conversation God is present, and He says, "I saw it.  Carry on!  Do it again.  I am going to reward you.  I am going to repay you.  You have not been working in vain."

Obviously your good deeds won't make God love you more (His love for you is operating at "full strength" already), but it's good to know He celebrates your good deeds -- even when they go unnoticed by others.

-- Bill Hybels in The God You're Looking For

#4025