James 2:24-26
You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.
Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Early in the summer, a spotted toad appeared on our back porch. He took up residence in a decorative bird house we keep on a glass-topped coffee table sitting there. One night, I discovered him pressed belly-side down against one of our picture windows, catching bugs that collected there in the light from one of our table lamps. I did a little research and learned that “Frodo,” as I named him, is a Great Plains Toad. Most likely, he moved into the bird house because his normal habitat… moist, damp earth… was not available in this summer’s drought.
I so hoped that Frodo would hang around for Timothy’s visit in August… and he did. We enjoyed watching Frodo – and his new cohort we dubbed “Little Frodo” – as they moved in and out of the bird house. We laughed as we watched “Big Frodo” attach to our picture window at night and catch bugs. Frodo grew accustomed to us, and I even put out water for him in a little dish on the table. I know he enjoyed it, because we would find it splashed across the table the next day.
After Timothy went home, we were a little lonesome. Remnants of a hurricane threatened to move things around on our back porch, so we did some rearranging before the storm hit. My husband gently moved the bird house to the porch floor underneath the coffee table and surrounded it with bricks. Frodo played on the bricks and around the bird house… and then he disappeared. For several days, the toads were gone. I know it’s silly, but I was truly sad and missed them. I had grown fond of looking for them peering from the bird house opening each morning. I missed seeing the toad on the window at night. And I was a little worried… what had happened to Frodo during the storm’s wind and rain?
My answer came four days later when I happened to pass the window, and there was Frodo… perched inside the bird house with his head hanging out. He was back! He probably took refuge in one of our many potted plants on the porch. But I was so glad to see him. And I felt God saying, “I take care of my creatures… ALL of them.”
I know this is a little bit of a weird analogy, but I have faithfully taken care of this little toad and his buddy most of the summer. And yes, he is just a toad… but God has used him to teach me a couple of lessons about faith. We are all “toads” of one sort of another, but God uses us to accomplish many things… if only we will let him. Just as he used the prostitute Rahab, God uses any who willingly serves Him – in spite of our brokenness!
I’m glad that Frodo has returned. He serves as a reminder to me that God is in control… that if He can meet the needs of a tiny Great Plains Toad, He surely cares about my needs. I am encouraged to stay faithful… to be strong and confident… and to look for ways to serve God when He calls upon me. What about you… does your faith need a little boost today? Are you serving faithfully and confidently? Does your witness show others that God cares for all of His “toads?” Shouldn’t it?
©2012 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label words and deeds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label words and deeds. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for May 9, 2012
James 2:14-17
Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
One day last fall, I promised Timothy I would come and get him on Sunday morning at his grandparents’ house. We had a commitment on Saturday night, so he stayed with my sister and her husband. My sister let me know that there was really no need for me to come after Timothy on Sunday. She was working, but she assured me that Timothy’s grandfather could watch him while she was away. However, I had promised to come after him. A few people said, “He won’t remember”… and maybe he wouldn’t. But I made a promise… and I wasn’t about to break it - unless circumstances were beyond my control.
If you know me very well, you know that I am something of a stickler for people keeping their word. If you say you are going to do something, do it. If you promise to call or stop by… you should call or stop by! If you can’t follow through on a promise, don’t make it. And in my opinion, this starts with small children. It really shouldn’t matter whether the person will remember or not… GOD remembers! He has called us to a life of words and deeds… and the two should match!
So think carefully – and prayerfully – about what you say and do. Look for ways to offer words of encouragement… but back them up with action! The old adage “Don’t make promises you can’t keep” applies… even to phone calls, visits, and commitments to show up in life. By the same token, don’t be a person who is “all talk and no action.” A fully committed disciple of Christ is ready to serve with words and deeds! I promise you… the times you get out of your comfort zone and get off your duff to serve will be your best moments as a Christian.
A couple of weekends ago, the husband of one of my dad’s cousins died. His visitation was in Searcy, some thirty miles away. I had a prior commitment on the day of the funeral and knew I could not attend. So I decided to drive over for the visitation. I really didn’t want to spend my Friday evening this way. I had a lot going on already, and this was not in my plans. But I did it, because I felt that it was the right thing to do… to go and support my cousin and his family in the loss of his dad. I have to tell you, I am so glad I went. I visited with a half-dozen or more cousins I have not seen in a while… some for decades. We reconnected and exchanged Facebook info so we could keep up… and we reminisced about fun times spent at our grandmothers’ houses.
Had I blown off the visitation, I could have sent my cousin a condolence note and said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t attend the visitation.” That would have been a true statement, and he would have understood. But I would not have been obedient to God’s command to be a disciple of words and actions! And the look on my cousin’s face when I reached him in the receiving line told me that I had done the right thing.
Before you go adding stars to my crown, be assured that there have been plenty of times that I have failed miserably in this department. I’ve skipped funerals I should have attended, put off phone calls, substituted a note for a visit, and made promises I couldn’t keep. But I am reminded in this scripture that these are not the behaviors of a true Disciple of Christ! This is not how faith-filled Christians behave. Dr. Seuss’s character, Horton the Elephant, says, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant… an elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent!” I want to be a “Horton” kind of Christian… don’t you? Will you join me today and renew your commitment to put your words… and deeds… into action each and every day? Will your God-talk be followed up with God-acts? Shouldn’t it?
©2012 Debbie Robus
Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
One day last fall, I promised Timothy I would come and get him on Sunday morning at his grandparents’ house. We had a commitment on Saturday night, so he stayed with my sister and her husband. My sister let me know that there was really no need for me to come after Timothy on Sunday. She was working, but she assured me that Timothy’s grandfather could watch him while she was away. However, I had promised to come after him. A few people said, “He won’t remember”… and maybe he wouldn’t. But I made a promise… and I wasn’t about to break it - unless circumstances were beyond my control.
If you know me very well, you know that I am something of a stickler for people keeping their word. If you say you are going to do something, do it. If you promise to call or stop by… you should call or stop by! If you can’t follow through on a promise, don’t make it. And in my opinion, this starts with small children. It really shouldn’t matter whether the person will remember or not… GOD remembers! He has called us to a life of words and deeds… and the two should match!
So think carefully – and prayerfully – about what you say and do. Look for ways to offer words of encouragement… but back them up with action! The old adage “Don’t make promises you can’t keep” applies… even to phone calls, visits, and commitments to show up in life. By the same token, don’t be a person who is “all talk and no action.” A fully committed disciple of Christ is ready to serve with words and deeds! I promise you… the times you get out of your comfort zone and get off your duff to serve will be your best moments as a Christian.
A couple of weekends ago, the husband of one of my dad’s cousins died. His visitation was in Searcy, some thirty miles away. I had a prior commitment on the day of the funeral and knew I could not attend. So I decided to drive over for the visitation. I really didn’t want to spend my Friday evening this way. I had a lot going on already, and this was not in my plans. But I did it, because I felt that it was the right thing to do… to go and support my cousin and his family in the loss of his dad. I have to tell you, I am so glad I went. I visited with a half-dozen or more cousins I have not seen in a while… some for decades. We reconnected and exchanged Facebook info so we could keep up… and we reminisced about fun times spent at our grandmothers’ houses.
Had I blown off the visitation, I could have sent my cousin a condolence note and said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t attend the visitation.” That would have been a true statement, and he would have understood. But I would not have been obedient to God’s command to be a disciple of words and actions! And the look on my cousin’s face when I reached him in the receiving line told me that I had done the right thing.
Before you go adding stars to my crown, be assured that there have been plenty of times that I have failed miserably in this department. I’ve skipped funerals I should have attended, put off phone calls, substituted a note for a visit, and made promises I couldn’t keep. But I am reminded in this scripture that these are not the behaviors of a true Disciple of Christ! This is not how faith-filled Christians behave. Dr. Seuss’s character, Horton the Elephant, says, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant… an elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent!” I want to be a “Horton” kind of Christian… don’t you? Will you join me today and renew your commitment to put your words… and deeds… into action each and every day? Will your God-talk be followed up with God-acts? Shouldn’t it?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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