The Devotional – Faith

The Devotional – Faith

Comment: Faith and works go hand in hand with the Servant of God. The apostle James speaks to his Jewish brothers and sisters and explains the subject like this, “James a bondservant of God and of the LORD Jesus Christ.” James 1:1. In other words… “Faith is serving God” Through the last 60 plus years the universal church of God has drifted from the way faith and works are applied in a church environment and in the personal life of God’s children. Today in churches all across this land we call the United States of America we find theologies and denominations that are serving ‘the gods of the flesh and spirits’, rather than in the Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24). It should be clear to all of the children of God that faith and service is to be devoted to God. BONDSERVANT to God is the only way that pleases God.

Devotional: Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please GOD! Various trials and temptations are a daily routine in our lives as children of God, by the way, the person who is not a child of God has trials and temptations too, but the unbelieving do not consider these as tests to produce faith in God. At best the unbelieving might treat a trial or temptation as a project to improve one’s own faith in themselves. The child of God who is not perfected in faith will seek to do the same as the unbelieving.

Testing FAITH, God is the only reliable source to test the faith of His children, a church cannot perfect the faith of any man, woman or child by placing them in works. Trials come from God alone, temptations come our flesh alone. We might notice that in James 1:1-7 there is not one mention of Satan or any of his fallen demons imposing temptations on the children of God, we are born with temptations to do sin since our human nature is evil (fallen).

The very first attribute that God tests in the life of His children is “patience” we ought to cling to this thought in that, we need to be patient with God. What does God mean for His children to be patient? Endurance is the answer! Being patient with God does not mean molding a person to be a servant of the church, yet it does mean for the children of God to be devoted to God, then serve the church. This is a serious thought and meditation will reveal the answer.

The apostle James projects this thought and meditation in verse 5 – if ANY of you lack wisdom on the subject of faith and works, let him or her ask of God, WHO gives to ALL liberally and without reproach. In other words; God does not find fault in us when we ask Him for wisdom, He understands that we are but dust to begin with. God understands our constitution, see Psalm 103:14, this in and of itself ought to point us to God for perfecting faith and works.

James goes on to say; “but let him or her ask in FAITH” that is, church membership, church works and church leadership will not produce faith. Doubting comes from using the WRONG methods. For example; if I seek to please God because my family goes to church and I go with them, then I must have faith. Bah humbug! If I go to worship services that are directed at pleasing my emotions, this is not faith and again it is Bah humbug. These are ways of doubting God’s Way. 

Isaiah puts this in perspective with these words. Isaiah 26:7 – The way of the Just is uprightness; O Most Upright, You weigh (make level) the path of the just. FAITH must be aimed at pleasing God, before it can effectively WORK in our personal and horizontal dealings with our brothers and sisters.