The Devotional - 1007 - Works of the Wisdom of the God

The Devotional – 1007 – Works of the Wisdom of God

Our advisory, the devil walks about like a “roaring lion” seeking whom he may devour. When is the last time you saw a lion in the streets? 1 Peter 5:8 and Proverbs 26:13 identify the intense spiritual vigilance of daily life. While the apostle Peter provides the avenue of total submission to God by obedience through humility, Solomon provides the results of being lazy and failing the grace of God by disobedience. The apostle Peter goes on to say that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5-11 which is the context surrounding verse eight. One way that the devil uses to defeat the believer is to insert a “fang” of pride somewhere in our relationship with others. The wound does not heal but becomes infected with more sin and love for the church family is lost. Pray for your church and be watchful – 1 Peter 4:7-11.

Comments and Challenges:

James 2:14-28

Faith alone in Jesus Christ alone is without works (Ephesians 2:8-9) and is in part; the foundational law of God for all who believe the gospel. It is all that is required by God for you or me to enter into the kingdom of God and thus be eternally separated from the domain of darkness. This is “great news” and even the words great news fails to express the “joy” in the soul of one who accepts this truth. In a rare case or more now as the final days approach before the return of the LORD some will believe the gospel and like the thief on the cross will experience the joy and then step into eternity. 

Others however, who remain may be required of God to produce works, not works to produce salvation since we are already Justified through the “blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ”. (Note that the apostle Peter addresses this standing law of salvation in 1 Peter 1:13-21 and the apostle Paul helps his readers understand that the law of salvation is for the most of us a “three part experience” Romans 8:18-30. In other words, the apostles agree that “salvation” is the foreknowledge of God, a “Plan, or as I have said a Law” established by God that does convert the soul because it is the “Perfect” and THE only restoration God has for all who believe. Psalm 19:7.

Understanding the testimony of God allows the saint to do the work of faith, visiting the homeless, providing needed material to be comfortable, providing food and meeting the needs of people who are suffering. Prayer is one provision in meeting the need and the things that God reveals to us to do is the work that meets the need. Today churches all across this nation seem to push works in front of prayer and faith; instead of allowing FAITH to express the life of God in us. Churches that do works rather than expressing faith cripple a person’s ability to have accountability before God and His righteousness does not prevail and grace is lost.

James 2:26 – a church body without the works of the Spirit of God is DEAD. So faith without a foundation of justification is dead ALSO.