09/26/2021
When we accept the God of Abraham as our God, and His Son Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, we are saved by our faith, but until we begin living out that faith by acting on it in our lives, then we are only a glimmer of the person we are intended to be; we are lesser sons and daughters of God. We are like a child whose parent has given him a dollar for candy, yet he walks around with that dollar in his pocket, never putting it to use, and never tasting the sweet goodness that was intended to be his gift. We convince ourselves that the dollar has value, but it is just a piece of paper until spent; until put to use. So it is with our faith; that without acting on it we actually have nothing because we have squandered the gift. Without praying, loving, showing mercy, or forgiving… what is the true value of our faith, and having accepted Jesus as our Savior? We are deceiving ourselves.
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
James 1:19, 22 ESV
My grandfather had a saying that he taught his children, and which my mother passed along to me. It had to do with the value of money, and what it could buy. His saying instructs us on how we are to spend money, but it is true in regards to faith as well. The saying was short, but wise, and now I will pass it on to you: “Always have something to show for your money.” He was a farmer, a man of meager means, but he worked the land, built a home, and provided for his family by the work of his hands, the sweat of his brow, and a never ending faith in God and Jesus Christ. Money to him was a rare commodity, and was meant to be applied in a way that it brought things to his life, and family, that he could not make, grow, or receive as a gift from God. You see, a rich man spends his money freely, with little concern, but a poor man counts every cent as precious, and strives to make the most of it. Spending a dime downtown on a hamburger when there were eggs on the table and beans on the stove at home, was not something that he felt was of much value. A new shovel, a Bible, tithes, a bolt of cloth, or an acre of land, now these things were wise uses in his eyes. These things he could not grow, or make, and the longer his purchases would last, the greater their value… the wiser the purchase was.
“Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.”
Proverbs 21:20 ESV
In our faith we should be men and women similar to my grandfather who was a man of Proverbs. When it comes to our faith, and how we apply it in our lives we should treat it like a poor man spends money… carefully, and in a way that brings the greatest value, and glory, to God. We should not be like the child that denies himself the gifts he has been given, but honor those things that God gives us; receiving them, and using them, in conformance to his good intent when the gifts was given.
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”
Proverbs 19:17 ESV
“Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.”
Proverbs 23:23 ESV
My grandfather’s farm has since been subdivided and it is no longer recognizable. The fields he cleared with his hands and the sweat of his brow, now have houses on them, and have been replanted with trees. The log home he built with his own two hands has all but fallen into dust, and is nearly gone, but the lessons of faith, and how to spend what we have, are still thriving… being passed on from generation to generation. So are we doers of the Word? Are we acting on the gifts of faith that we have been given, and pursuing the will of God wisely in our lives? Are we using our belief, and faith, to their utmost by spending them in ways that will leave us wiser, and with something to show for them? Are we making purchases that are eternal in their nature… saving souls, feeding hearts with righteousness, giving to others so that it brings glory to God, and are we leaving a Holy inheritance for those yet to come by our efforts?
“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.””
James 4:14-15 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the faithful “men and women of Proverbs” who have spoken your wisdom into our lives, and taught us the day to day lessons of a holy life. Thank you Lord for your eternal will, and for our part in it. Help us each day to spend our efforts of faith on those things that bring you the greatest glory, and which span the ages. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who not only leads us to make the eternal purchases of eternal faith, but who, on occasion, gives us the gift of a dollar as a reward, and sends us to the candy store. You are a good and merciful God who gives us salvation through our faith in Jesus, and the grace that flows through Him. You wash us in His blood, the offering of your only begotten son, and forgive us our sins. You look at the deeds and actions of our faith, and the obedience we have to your will, with pleasure, and call us your children. Hear our prayers Father, and witness our worship, as we prostrate ourselves before you. Lift us up Father, and seat us with Christ at your table forevermore… eternal in our resurrected bodies, and holy in our reflection of your image.
“But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
James 1:25-27 ESV
Rich Forbes