Category: Faith and works

  • Our Quest – A holy calling

    Northern lights - aurora Borealis -they brought to mind tour quest, a holy calling

    Our old friend, the sun, is experiencing a massive  gravitational/magnetic storm. That means the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, are putting on brilliant displays.

    Yesterday evening, my social media pages were awash with pictures of the lights. That included people from Northern Canada, where the borealis is a common sight, to Northern Florida, where they have never been seen before. Today’s image is from a friend in Colorado.

    Many of the lights were pink. Pink is an uncommon color that is only visible during periods of highly intense activity. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen pink, where I have seen the blues and greens perhaps thousands of times.

    Kathy and I spontaneously got out of our comfy evening spots, jumped in the car, and went on a quest to see them. Unfortunately, between the urban light pollution and cloud cover, we struck out. Still, it was nice to take a nighttime drive.

    Non-believers are on a quest to find something to fill the void in their lives. They try many things, including material goods, power, substance abuse, sex, and other religions. All of those will fail them. Their only hope is to turn to Jesus.

    Believers are on a quest as well. It is a two-fronted quest. We strive to be more like Jesus, and we take the gospel into a world of lost and hurting people. We will never fully fulfill either in our lifetime, but God is on the throne. He will bring all that are His to himself. We will have finished our journey to become all He created us to be once we reach glory.

    That doesn’t mean that our quest is futile. Every person who comes to Christ causes a celebration in heaven.

    In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10

    Similarly, God is pleased and glorified when we grow more like the Son.

    “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” – James 1:22

    “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” – 1 John 5:3

    “If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15

    Our quest is challenging. We may have disappointments along the way, but through Him we have the victory.

    Press on, dear friends, press on.

    Be blessed, 

    Kevin

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  • At Work – Saved by grace for works

    Danger - People at work sign

    It’s a fundamental tenet of the orthodox Christian faith  that we are saved by faith alone. The Bible clearly states it.

    For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV

    Other passages that clearly teach salvation through faith alone include Acts 16:31, Romans 3:28, 4:5, 5:1, 11:6, Galatians 2:16, 3:24, Ephesians 1:13, and Philippians 3:9.

    We are aware of this, and we will stand by it; yet, we can often fall into a trap.

    We sometimes claim salvation is by faith, but live as if it is by works. Indeed, works should flow out of our salvation, but they don’t cause it. James addresses this subject frequently in his brief New Testament letter.

    We start to think that somehow, God needs our help. What would God do if I didn’t do it for him? Now perhaps we might not state that so bluntly, but it’s at the heart of our attitude.

    Single-handedly, we can save a ministry, a local congregation, or even Christianity. It may sound a little absurd, but that’s how many people act and feel.

    At the risk of offending, God doesn’t need your help. He is more than capable of doing it all without our assistance. Our lack of participation and effort will not thwart his mission.

    Yet, the Lord chose the church as His hands and feet to bring the truth to a lost and hurting world. He allows us to participate in the process that grows and blesses us.

    He calls us to serve in many ways, but effective service is always led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We serve at the pleasure of the King of Kings.

    Let’s remember that He saved us out of love and serve Him out of gratitude. It’s a privilege to serve beside Him, and without Him, our efforts are in vain.

    May you find freedom in faith and joy in service.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

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