Thursday: Working for Jesus 2

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has not deeds?

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. I need your help. I love to cook, those of you who know me, know that. I love to cook for others. I guess it is just one of my things to do. Last night I was grilling, nice burgers, and wanted to have beans with them. I decided to try some of the Bush's Grilling Beans as advertised. I had a problem, how in the world do you keep them from falling through the grill? Your help would be appreciated ... Family day on the line ... yes, it is Thursday already, can you believe it? Where does time go? I have been out of high school now for over 50 years. Seems like yesterday when I would watch the clock in the afternoon waiting for 3:05 PM so I could run out the door, get in my hot rod Ford, and take off to the gas station where I worked for 50 cents per hour. My boss was nice, I was clocked in at 3 and would work till 11 making 8 hours a day. Ok, back to today. Where did that time go? Anyway, family day, and we need to pray for the Saylor Family. The one who heads this family, under God of course, Don, will be having surgery next Tuesday. But please pray for all of them by name ... Don, for his surgery, Eleanor (mother) for her back, Bob, for his legs and more, and Sharon for her legs, and also so she can get up out of her wheel chair and walk again. Also for Dan as he travels back and forth from Ohio to Central Pa to help his mother, father, sister and brothers. This is a wonderful family who God has blessed Dolores and I so much to know. They truly know the meaning of holding on to Jesus and taking one day at a time. Also please keep praying for the Billings family in Florida, this the family of the two that were murdered.

Working for Jesus 2: James 2: 14 - What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has not deeds? Can such faith save him? (NIV)

Yesterday I talked to you about working for Jesus. I want you to understand this right now ... Working for Jesus will not get you into heaven. It just will not, it is faith and belief in Jesus Christ. But we also know that you just cannot and let me put this very big ... YOU JUST CANNOT have faith in Jesus and not work for Him. This goes hand in hand. Folks, again I invite you to look these things up in your own Bible. Don't just take my word for this. This is the word of the Lord. Once again I want to tell you that I believe in Jesus, and I believe in the word of the Lord as recorded in my Bible. I believe all of it. If I did not believe in one part of the Bible, how could I believe in any? With that said, let me move forward. Folks, we need to work for Jesus, to really show our love for Him. He told us to take His Word, the Good News, to all the world ...

James 2 15 - Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, IS DEAD. (NIV)

What is this saying ... to put it in the words of our ministry partner, Pamela Bower ... "Put feet on your prayers". We can pray and pray for those without food or clothes, or we can pray and also try our best to help them. While no one of us can supply food to the world, we can help others.
Most of us my age (older then dirt) had been raised not to waste food. Our parents had lived through the Great Depression, and had to make do with little, next to nothing. Now we go to those big food buffets, and you see people taking so much food, and then you see them eat a few bits and it goes in the trash and then, and then they go back for more. Folks, those places need to go to people and remind them it is all they can eat.

BREAKING NEWS ... in the background, just in, four police officers shot in New Jersey. Let's pray right now ... Dear Lord, Dear Lord, please be with those police officers who were just shot in New Jersey. Lord, take care of them and all other police officers. Lord, help the guilty to be caught and punished, then forgiven. While I have You Jesus, please watch over the families of those officers, and all other families. Lord it is family day, and please take care of the Billings family and the Saylor family. And Lord, help us to build the family of God. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Ok, I got off track there a tad, so let me sum it up with this ... James 2: 18 - But someone will say, "you have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder. (NIV)

So let me wrap it up. "Put feet on Your prayers", do something good for someone today. I call it Sharing your blessings. Pastor, Dr. Richard Denison would say "We are blessed to be a blessing". Get to sharing ... love ya, dan.