James was one hard hitting dude. He played no games. My team, now dubbed Team Doulos, has been going through the book of James this month, and it sure has revealed a lot to me. And I feel that I need to share this with as many people as possible.
Let’s start with that verse. It tells us how we should be walking with Christ. It calls all of us to be better than we are right now. So many people call themselves “followers of Jesus”, but when you look at their lives, it doesn’t match up. BELIEVING HAS TO TRANSLATE INTO LIVING!
We have to go from the mindset of “it’s all about me” to the mindset of “it’s all about Thee.”
James 3:13 tells us that if we claim to have the understanding and the wisdom then we must show it and live it! Wisdom without deeds comes from the devil (verse 15).
Take a look at your life. Do you feel like you are living a life that truly reflects the life you are called to? Do you go out of your way to help the poor and needy? What good is it if we don’t love people as we are supposed to?
James tells us that “even the demons believe” that there is one God. So just saying we believe in our awesome God isn’t enough. We must rise way above that. We must separate ourselves from the demons.
How can we exhibit our faith? By our deeds, that’s how. If someone looked at your life right now, besides you going to church on Sundays, would they be able to tell you are following Christ?
James 2:26 says, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” That means that we are just like non-believers if we do not give to the poor. We are just like non-believers if we don’t love those that are hard to love. We are just like non-believers if we do not do all that we can to further God’s Kingdom. We are just like non-believers if our entire life isn’t dedicated to following Him!
In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus tells those listening of the day He will return. He talks of taking the so-called believers and separating the “sheep from the goats.” The sheep are those that say they are followers of Christ and the live it out to the fullest. The goats are those who say they are followers of Christ but do not live like it. The sheep are invited into the Kingdom of God. The goats are not going to inherit the kingdom of God. They are told they will head to the “eternal fire” with the non-believers.
That hit me hard. It made me evaluate my life. It made me think of so many people I know. I am not The Judge, but in my honest opinion I believe that many in America have it wrong. So many think that going to church is enough. Their actions don’t reflect the Christ that they have within them. Their actions don’t reflect that they have the Holy Spirit within them.
Now I am challenging you. Really evaluate your life like I evaluated mine. Are you living in a way that if someone met you they would know that you have the Holy Spirit residing within you? If you answer that question with a “no” then what can you do to change that? Dig deep. Really put prayer into this question. This is the difference between spending eternal life with our glorious Creator or in the eternal darkness in Hell.
And if you don’t yet know our Creator. If you don’t yet know the greatest sacrifice ever made, I urge you to read my blog titled “Find a post-it note?” and learn about the biggest thing to happen in the history of mankind.
I am here trying to spread this Good News all over the world. But I need your help! I am in need of $755 to continue this journey and not be sent home. If you are able to give I would greatly appreciate it. I would also really appreciate prayers! I have faith that God is going to keep me on this trip serving Him. He just may be using you to help in that provision!
Thank you all so much for reading my blog, I really appreciate all your support!
Much Love,
Raj Mahal
