Real faith is belief with legs on it. You don’t just say, “God’s going to take care of it.” But true faith puts into action that which is pleasing to God, that which says in action “I’m trusting God.”

James, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus, tells us that when we believe God then we do something about it. Now works do not save us but a faith that does save will be seen in your life for it will change your way of living. Faith shows up by saying, “I’m trusting God for daily bread.” Faith also says, “And I’m going to go out and look for a job.”

Faith acts, faith does something. You have children and you do not want your children to get caught up in the web of Satan. So what do you do? You get busy. You pray, you train, you love, you get them into Sunday School, and you pray, love, and do it all over again. The Word of God gives the faith you need to proceed.

True faith does something. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” That training up in the Lord is so important. Don’t train them in the way of the world but in the ways of the Word. Believe God!  Do something about it.

The Day of the Lord will be a day of ferocious intolerance. It is better to turn to God’s grace while it is freely offered. The world will become more tolerant while at the same time turning more rigid and biased toward Christians and their Christ.

God is patient and long-suffering which are the warnings to all that one day He will move in great opposition against those who refuse to believe. God is tolerant but now He commands all men to repent.

Today Christians are considered to be narrow-minded, bigoted, homophobic, or unscientific. This is contributing to the marginalization of the church in history. We should not be surprised to feel that the NCAA and the LGBTQ is filled with contempt for North Carolina’s caution to the “bathroom bill.”

Holding back progress, losing money that is “much needed”, keeping us in the dark ages, of all that are thrown out there are the complaints and the energy which are trying to bully its way back into the “discrimination state.”

Because we are living in the last days, time is not our friend. The days are evil and we are to make the most of our time. We are not to panic but to purpose with urgency. We must pass our faith on to the next generation, to our children and grandchildren. This keeps us on track.

We are bound together by a common faith in the Lord Jesus. This is the true essence of fellowship. We are His living stones. The Apostles have laid the foundation. Therefore, your time and my time is God’s story. Don’t wimp out but stay and get on track with God’s program of tolerance.

Financial reversals, betrayal, depression, family difficulties, and the consequences of poor personal decisions can wreck a person’s life.  David left tracks for us to follow. Just read the book of Psalms and you will see that David encountered being knocked out of the saddle many times. But David found God to be faithful. The dismal swamps were also seen and David was weighed down, but he also felt the fresh, exhilarating winds on the mountaintops of accomplishment.

God works strangely. He often enriches by impoverishing. King David was a man taken from the pasture tending sheep to the palace leading a nation. How did God get David in the place of shepherding a nation? He used trapdoors and pit stops. He used transition. God used anointing by the hand of Samuel in secret, of course, but God used anguish by the hand of Saul in public to train and teach David the leadership God had for him.

You don’t ascend to the status of an All-Star overnight without difficulties and obstacles. Many of us have forgotten that many people go through trials and difficulties, fall through trap doors, and face many pit stops in their lives. We forget that God is working for them and in them.

Look around and see if you are caring and carrying these “misfortunates” in your prayers and actions. See if the Lord is first place in your hearts for them? Ask yourself do you really care? Sometimes we spend so much more time in other pursuits that we forget how good God has been to us. There is a trail. There is a path God has designed for them and for us. And it would be great if we recognized them as the hand of a merciful and good God.

L.R. Scarborough said that if we could only have a five-minute glimpse into hell our evangelism would be changed for a lifetime. Just the other day I was trying to imagine what a look into hell would be like. I’m sure the “terror of the Lord” would take on a dreadful new meaning if I could see hell.

We believe that Sunday School is important, as far as it goes, but that is about it. The number one reason why most attend the Sunday affair is because of their own fellowship and teaching for them, or just out of obligation.  Yet if we are content to be spiritually fed, spiritually welcomed, and we forget about participating in bringing others to hear the good news, then we do not have the heart of Christ. Sunday School is meant to bring others to hear what you hear and feel what you feel and to share what you share.

Prayer with others on a specific night is important as well. It is at the prayer meeting where we come together as a body to beseech the God of glory for the lost and for our own strength that only grace can provide. The Kingdom of God is coming upon this earth one glorious day. And God is peopling His kingdom with people who have been prayed for, reached for, and sought for–who come to submit to His way of salvation for them–through the outreach and prayers of His people.

When you and I have food and a future we can not be content with others who are starving and lifeless. The four starving lepers of Samara who walked into a deserted enemy camp discovered food and a future, and they could not keep this to themselves. They said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent” (2 Kings 7:9). So they did something about their passivity. Together they went and told the good news of food and a future in the camp.

It is together that we invite others, it is together we pray, it is together we meet with God. Church is important for groups to gather and not for individuals just to meet. God works through His gathered people. The greater the unity of God’s people the greater the authority we have as God’s people.

One More Night With The Frogs

 
“Moses said to Pharaoh, ‘I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for these that remain in the Nile.’ “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.'” (Exodus 8:9-10).

Frogs everywhere. The nation of Egypt was in trouble with toads. Everywhere! The bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, playgrounds, school class rooms, on the ground, in the sink, by the river, everywhere they went it was frogs between the toes.

Pharaoh had the opportunity to rid the nation of the frogs and he wanted them gone but can you believe he said, “Tomorrow.” So many people are like that. We do want to get right with God, just not yet. We would rather drown in our misery one more night. Stay like we are just one more night. The Bible, God’s Word, oh, we will read it another time.

It is a sad indictment upon the human race and heart to live one more night with the frogs. Just one more night and then…. tomorrow. Well, tomorrow may never come. Our families will suffer, our churches will suffer, and our nation will suffer because we don’t want to admit we are stubborn and prideful.
 
One day the frogs will disappear. But it will be too late. When we stand before the Lord to give account of our lives we will see the folly of saying, “Tomorrow.” When our children could have been for God, when our families could have impacted a world, and when we could have allowed the Good Shepherd to lead us into green pastures and by still waters, the words, “Tomorrow” will sting, and we will feel the toads beneath our feet once more. Don’t say, “Tomorrow” but say, “Today.”