Alive and Active?

TUESDAY 3.4.08 - JAMES 2:20-24
You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father 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 people are justified by what they do and not by faith alone.

Before I jump into today's reading, thank You for yesterday. It was a day that went extremely well. I am nervous and worried about changes at work, how they will all play out, what I will be called to do, etc, etc. I am looking forward to delving more into the ways and the paths on which You've called Exodus to walk. But yesterday, You gave me a sense of peace that all this was in Your hands. And I believed it. I believe it for today to. Thank You for the peace in this fast, and the growing joy.

READ. I always think this verse should be more shocking to people than it is. It's almost like people feel like they know this, so they don't realize that it is talking about them. I don't want to be like that today. Let me see that it is talking about me in some sense.

What jumps out at me? Well, the word useless. I looked up the Greek word used here, and it is literally "dead," or in a translation I like even better, without power. As I've been starting to come to grips with the spiritual, unseen part of faith, where things are happening that we don't understand, being without any power is a scary proposition to me. I want my faith to have some authority.

The other thing is, that if this means dead, then it is no wonder that people aren't clamoring to come to church. It takes me back to what the Pharisees were described as by Jesus, whitewashed tombs. Pretty on the outside but full of everything unclean, rotting and death, on the inside. That is faith without deeds.

Another thing that jumps out at me is the faith and actions working together. Action makes faith complete, whole. There is a sense of incompleteness when we don't act in our faith, like there should be something more. Isn't that what all Exodus felt when we were at River Oaks, that there had to be something more? Action is that something more.

Lastly, "he was called God's friend." Because he acted. Looked this one up too in the Greek, and it means friend or companion. Someone who is standing along side You. In my mind, I am seeing it as someone who is with You even as You are with them.

THINK. So, action is important to make my faith alive, whole, and for me to truly be with You. Problem is, and always is, Lord, that the text is right but doesn't define for me what my course of action is. In some ways I come to this text like a middle-schooler, craving that You would reduce my options and make it more concrete.

Yesterday, I was driving in the car trying to define what I am. You see, I am a middle school teacher who will probably be teaching dominantly Bible next year. I am also a pastor, something I'm slowly coming to grips with in reality (I know, a year after we started the church, but, hey sometimes it takes time). I am a father and a husband. And believe me, I hate in theory the divided life, so these categories are ridiculous but in truth it is what I do. So the problem with action is does it take place within these categories or do I need to add another set?

What I realized in the car yesterday was that in all senses I am a Christian educator. As a pastor that is what I want to do, as a teacher, as a father, even as a husband, I want to help those around me know Your will and follow it. Perhaps that calls for some more concrete action on my part.

It's hard for me to think about what action to take Lord, but as I sit here I begin to realize some things. What if taking action is simply practicing what I preach. I am a big believer in the disciplines, and I preached upon them. I had better be practicing them then. Our biggest fallback at Exodus in our teaching is that You command us to take care of the widow and the orphan and the foreigner. Basically the outsider to mainstream society. I have those in my midst in life, how well do I do at taking care of them? I could go through many other teachings, but...

I think this action idea is taking on clarity. Practice personally what we preach corporately. It sounds so simple. But it is going to take a while for me to get a full handle on that.

PRAY. Lord God, I know that I fall short in this area of action. Too many times I talk and don't do anything about what I say beyond saying it. I confess that it is time for that to stop. What else did You get angry with the Pharisees for than loading people down with heavy burdens and doing none of that themselves. In the name of Christ, I pray You let Your teachings spur ME to action. That the things I say will become the things I do. For I love You, and do not want to be found lacking, incomplete or dead in my faith. All glory to You. Amen.

LIVE. So as I think about what I'm preaching soon, today at school we are talking about "lack of wisdom." James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God..." Lord, today I am going to practice this message that I am giving to the students. It's a prayer, but as Rob Bell has said in sermons, prayer leads to action.

Hear and Act

Texts:
- Psalms 105-108
- Luke 17-18
- John 1:15-51
- Matthew 4
- Luke 4-5
- John 2-4

Lord God, as we sat around last night, weighing big questions in our hearts and examining them through the lens of Scripture, an idea really began to emerge to me. An idea of salvation, a life lived in salvation, a life lived to bring salvation. But it is so big, like all good things coming from You, it is so vast that it is difficult for me to even wrap my arms around it. And now that I've begun thinking about it, I am seeing it in many places throughout Scripture.

The real pattern seems to be that You deliver us, place us into a community of health and truth, and at this point we "know that You are God." We know because we see that You know us. You have heard our individual cries and have acted accordingly. I look all across my life and see the number of times that You have heard and acted and it makes me stop and praise.

- I remember very vividly when I cried out to You in college regarding Courtney. She had broken up with me and I was devastated and lonely. Besides just crying out in pain, my final cry or request was that You would simply be the most important thing in my life, and under that structure that You could bring me out of my loneliness. The day I made that concession Courtney was on the phone with me, getting back together under this new priority set, and You had delivered me.

- I remember how You've acted and are acting in the lives of others, as I have been crying out for them. My uncle, my grandfather, my brother, my sister, my wife (and that is an amazing, recent story), and so many others.

Lord, You hear and act. They go together. They make up the root of knowledge. For me to truly know You I must hear and act. It is the proper response to all You have done for me. So let it be so today.

May I act in a way that lives out all I have heard through Your word. May You be an ever-present light showing me my vast wealth of opportunities. Blessed are You, Lord God of action, moving in response to our prayerful words. May we move in response to Your eternal word and the stirrings of Your Spirit within us. Amen.

Breathing Peace

Today, I need to be breathing in Your Spirit. My inclination is to talk, act, move in frustration towards many people. After a great revelation yesterday about the point of my fast, I quickly lost motivation. I wanted to start right aways with "eating" my way through the Bible, but a tiredness of spirit and a tidal wave of sleepiness overtook me.

I almost quit my fast yesterday. You know how close I really was. But the everlasting life through You does not react like that, I know. Your true way is to trudge right through. So here I go again, getting the muck and dirt of everyday life on my pants and feet as I try to pursue You despite all that is going on around me.

Life gets crazy, breathing gets constricted, today give me peace in abudance.