Faith, Works.

Faith works + Faith, Works.

This is going to get cryptic. There’s no way I can put things clearly without sacrificing my own privacy. So if you want to understand this, do your own Bible study!

The trigger:

…faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (Jas 2:14)

WORKS.

Reading on…

Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? (Jas 2:22)

WORKING TOGETHER

Last week, in church

…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil 2:12,13)

WORK OUT. WORKS IN YOU. TO WILL AND TO DO.

There’s something about faith…

…without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6)

So the story goes. Last few months have been a wonderful journey of faith. God’s been stretching me a bit here and there… guiding me slowly that I may grow in faith and well, please Him more.

But now there’s more. Much, much more. In areas of my life that previously have been less dependent on Him.

Elder’s message on faith…

Growing in faith demands that you hold nothing back from God (paraphrased from memory).

Personal favorite verse…

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. (Ps 129:23)

So He did. He “point out anything in me…” and I gave it all. First the commitment at Leader’s Retreat PD. Then the experience of CampusCamp Bkt Tinggi.

Thus faith was declared. Now comes the time to make faith perfect.

Faith demands more than declaring. It needs work – time, effort, sweat – offered in that same faith. It takes a belief that God wants to work with me. In me. Through me.

It’s not for me.

The dead kind of faith declares God’s power, then sits back and waits for the Almighty God to work everything out for me. Kinda sounds like me when I’m sick, expecting mom to kinda fix everything for me. hehe. Or like the hyperspirituals that can parrot all the “correct answers” but lets God do all the work. Like someone who doesn’t study, prays for good results, and lives as though God’s taking the exam for him.

Or like me, when I ask for … and sit around expecting God to open up heavens doors and …

Faith without works, is dead.

God seems to prefer working together with us. With *me* .

Oh, I recently discovered, that ultra-efficiency is not that big a deal when working with a team. It’s no point getting everything done hyperefficiently on my own, but in the end find that none of the team even improved the slightest bit… It’s much better, richer, and more sustainable, to take it slowly and walk with the team. That way everyone grows together and learns together.

Sounds like God’s way of doing things. Although He does it so much better on His own (the World took 7 days), He doesn’t seem to mind waiting for us to catch up (Noah took abt 100 years for an ark).

Sounds like God’s interested in more than the end result.

Sounds like He’s interested in us. In me. Somehow, even if I tend to make some pretty funky mistakes, He’d rather rescue me thru those (phew!), instead of doing it all on His own.

I think I see love in my God’s actions. It’s not really about “working my way into heaven”. It’s really, that in working with God, I get to be so much closer to Him, to spend more time with Him even now. Sounds like “pleasing God”. Sounds like faith.

So it comes down to this:

1. God’s Word remains – so does His PROMISES that He’s spoken.
2. FAITH remains – since it began when I believed in His Word without first seeing. Thus leaving us with:
3. Let’s get to WORK – Roll up your sleeves, much work is ahead. Just remember whom you’re working together with.

Because in the end, “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts…”

Isn’t it just so awesome to be children of a God who loves? :)