A Look at the Book #441

A Look at the Book #441


by Jesse Abel

Daily Devotional – A Look at the Book #441

A Thought for today by Papa “J”

We have no doubt forgotten the prairie schooner. Our wagons of cross-country travel today are very much different except that the generated power is still measured in the power of the horse. If you are a thinker the potential is dynamic!

MORE THOUGHTS

Getusetavit! (Get use to it!) When I first heard that phrase I was listening to my wife talking about some critical thing she was explaining to her children. As the years past and those children grew, married and had children of their own. “Getusetavit” sort of faded out of her vocabulary. Actually, I forgot the phrase. But, just about two months ago, the family was all sitting together after a Sunday meal and out of the youngest daughter's mouth as she was talking to her son, I heard her say; “Getusetavit”. My first subconscious reaction was “I heard that before”! I was reminded that life takes the child out of the family, but also that life cannot take the family out of the child no matter how old the child is. This made me think too that when we come to know Jesus personally, He makes us a part of His Family and He challenges us as children growing up that His grace is sufficient for our everyday walk with Him. And, He as the loving Father that He always is says to us. “My grace is sufficient for you – Getusetavit”!

James 2

James 2:14 – Do we really practice what we preach? This is a serious question isn’t it? We identify ourselves with Jesus Christ, or as another scripture says that we put on the LORD Jesus Christ and we are to make no opportunity for the flesh. Romans 13:14 (Para). So James says that there is profit in true biblical faith, but should this profit be measured as saving faith? The answer is NO, but it does fit the picture. The faith in view here is sanctification faith, or faith that produces good works. Matthew 7:21-23. In other words; if you do not have evidence of sanctification faith in your life, you may not have experienced justification by faith. Ephesians 2:1-10.

James 2:15-16 – People, all people including you and me have needs; some of these needs are minor while others are overwhelmingly impossible to deal with. In our world today there are para-church organizations and other not for profit groups that want us to give to them to feed the poor, rescue the orphan and medicate the helpless. This is not the mandate of these two verses of scripture. This is simply the tactics generated by a profit and loss statement belonging to the greed and corruption of the world around us.

James 2:17 – But notice; James says that sanctifying faith does not stand alone; it is supported by production, or works. Again you begin to see the seriousness of faith and works. How does faith work if we seek to be justified by faith alone without any involvement of works? There are not two faiths are there? Of course not; but faith in and of itself is useless if it is not willing to meet the need of others. Faith is the substance of things hope for and the evidence of things unseen, this faith produces a good testimony. Hebrews 11:1-2 (Para).