"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 7:21 (NIV)
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does." - James 1:22-25 (NIV)
faith and deeds
"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 that - and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." - James 2:14-26 (NIV)
by faith
"By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death." - Hebrews 11:17-19 (NIV)
"By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient." - Hebrews 11:31 (NIV)
"These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." - Hebrews 11:39-40 (NIV)
knowing and doing. faith and deeds. the power of cross-referencing.
if you know you should be doing something, why not do it? if you know you should be doing something and don't do it, do you truly know? if you know you shouldn't be doing something, why do it? if you know you shouldn't be doing something and do it, do you truly know? ultimately, knowing and doing are just different sides of the same coin.
"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." - James 4:17 (NIV)
the head and the heart
if you know something in your head, you will also know it in your heart. if you know something in your heart, you will also know it in your head. if you truly know something in both your head and your heart, you will also do it.
sometimes you're led by emotion, and sometimes by reason, but as long as you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind - and seek to do His will - emotion and reason will eventually converge and centre on the path He has prepared for you in advance.
"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4 (NIV)
the conclusion of the matter
run with perseverance. turn your eyes upon Jesus. away with all doubt!
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)
like a runner in a relay, the best (in fact, the only) way to pass on the baton of faith is to receive it, hold on to it and run with it in the first place. if you would hand over things like guard duties properly (unless you wouldn't), how much more would you hand over the baton of faith with integrity!
the following two songs make an excellent medley, both musically and meaningfully.
Find Us Faithful
We're pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us, let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through Godly lives
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey...
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful!
We Shall Stand
Through the years God has sustained us
By His word He has ordained us
To be servants in this holy place
When to trials we are subjected
In His hand we'll be protected
By the power of His love and grace
So we shall stand, although the winds of change may blow
Because our Lord is ever with us, this we know
And as we press toward the prize
We come to realise
We are God's church, and through the years
We shall stand
We will build on work of others
Of our fathers and our mothers
We will share the message loud and clear
When our time has been and ended
May it be as God intended
That we pass this faith we hold so dear
So we shall stand, although the winds of change may blow
Because our Lord is ever with us, this we know
And as we press toward the prize
We come to realise
We are God's church, and through the years
We shall stand
Then one blessed glorious day
We shall hear our Saviour say
Enter in, my child, your work is done
Then together round his throne
We'll praise God, and God alone
With one voice we'll sing for victory's won
So we shall stand, although the winds of change may blow
Because our Lord is ever with us, this we know
And as we press toward the prize
We come to realise
We are God's church, and through the years
We shall stand
We are God's church, and through the years
We shall stand
Yes, we shall stand!
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