Comfortable

“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

James 2:14-17 NASB1995

It can be very easy, especially today in this culture, to fall into this kind of comfortable “Christian” complacency where we go to church and listen to Christian music but we never really do anything else that says we’re Christians. We still live and act like the world. But James says we are to be different and set apart. God says, “Be holy as I am holy”. What does holiness truly mean? Holiness is to be different and set apart. When God tells us to be holy He is calling us to be removed from the world and to be transformed by Him. He is calling to living like Christ. The life of Christ is literally the perfect example of a holy life. He prayed to God constantly. He was kind and caring and gentle and compassionate and loving and peaceful and self-controlled and good and faithful and strong not selfish but He sought the good of others before Himself. He leads us daily by how He lived. A lot of Christians hold on to the phrase, “What Would Jesus Do?” But I prefer the phrase “What DID Jesus Do?”. Jesus taught us what to do in every circumstance and even in things He did not directly speak of His Word gives us wisdom so that we can know how to apply His teachings to every circumstance. The example of a holy Christian today shows someone who has those fruits of the Spirit, who pursues the calling God has for their life, who honors God in what they do and does it to the best of their ability, who prays constantly about everything, and who loves the Word of God and leads others to Christ. These are the works that are the evidence of our faith. You cannot claim to have faith if works do not follow after you as a result of your faith. If your works do not follow then you are either lying to everyone else, or you are lying to yourself in the first place. Think about the gravity of this. Do you have works? Is there anything to prove you believe? Again, these works aren’t just community service hours and stuff. These works are from the inside out. These works are patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness.if you are not growing in these areas you should be going to God in prayer and going to His Word, asking Him to change you with His Word. Now these inside works lead to works on the outside. But they are never solely on the outside. So I challenge you to test yourselves according to scripture and become transformed by the Holy Spirit. Now, though I may not be able to give you food and clothing, I can pray for you and say go in peace, and be filled.

(Written by my talented and God fearing boyfriend Thomas Lucia)