Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Not Good Enough

My Utmost For His Highest
 
The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life— an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness.’ CHAMBERS
 
James addresses this issue in his letter to the Jews who were scattered . ‘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.’
 
We don’t do things so we will be good enough .. but we do things because Jesus is good enough.  We don’t do good things so we will have faith… but we do good things because we have faith.  Good works are a result of our faith … not the cause of it.
 
The young man asked what must I do to have eternal life .. Jesus told him to put his faith in Jesus and not himself.   Nicodemus told Jesus that he was trying to understand who Jesus was … Jesus told him that in order to understand spiritual things he had to be born again … have faith in Jesus … It all starts and ends with faith …
 
Placing our trust in Jesus and not in what we can do.  Being good does not result from doing good.  Doing good is a result of being right … putting your faith in the Lord.
 
Faith cannot be some characteristic, like the color of our hair or a personality  trait but must be at the center of who we are … It must dominate us … permeate every aspect of our life …. What place does faith have in your life?  Something to think about …
 
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

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