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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Faith Without Works Is Dead Bible Verse:James 2:14-26 (ESV) "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? Abraham, by Joseph Schonmann, mosaic in Vienna Abraham 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." Message:
We previously looked at the difference between a professional and a possessional faith. While a professional faith bears no fruit and is invisible to others, the reality of a possessional faith is visible in the fruit it produces (Jas. 2:14-18).
A person may be orthodox in his doctrine, but if his beliefs never move from the level of intellect to the level of volition, they will not lead to a relationship with God. “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder” (Jas. 2:19). James is referring his readers to the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4, the crucial test of Jewish orthodoxy: “Hear [shema], O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” Right beliefs are important (“you do well”), but intellectual acknowledgment is not the same as saving faith. Even the demons recognize that there is one God, but this hardly improves their state of affairs.
“But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (Jas. 2:20). James uses a word which means “empty” or “vain” to describe the person who advocates profession without practice. Such a faith is barren because it cannot produce life.
Abraham and three angels icon
By contrast, James turns to Abraham, the clearest Old Testament example of the inseparability of works from saving faith: Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God (Jas. 2:21-23).
It is significant that the quotation, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” comes from Genesis 15:6 when Abraham believed God’s promise that he would be given a son. Because of his faith, Abraham was declared righteous (justified) by God from that moment. But from a human perspective, his righteousness was demonstrated thirty years later when he offered up his son Isaac on Mount Moriah in Genesis 22. This act was the outward manifestation of Abraham’s firm belief in God’s promise. He knew that even if Isaac were to die, God could raise him from the dead, “from which also he received him back as a type” (Heb. 11:19).
Dr. Boa is devoted to a ministry of relational evangelism and discipleship, teaching, writing, and speaking. He holds a B.S. in astronomy from Case Institute of Technology, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. from New York University, and a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford in England. I highly recommend a visit to his website, KenBoa.org, which is filled with free videos, written commentary, newsletters, etc.
Meditation : Prayer : I bind myself to you this day, oh Christ, in your truth and in your sacrifice. I give to you my anxiety and my fear, my depression and my doubt, for you have promised to take them if we only ask; and I take upon myself your burden, for it is light and your way is gentle. May I keep this in my heart and mind all this day......Amen |
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